I’ve just been looking at the descriptions and maps produced by the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) for the Eurovelo 3 and the portion of the Eurovelo 1 that would guide me from Santiago de Compostela to North Cape. You can have a read of the descriptions here. I […]
Here’s something that nicely fuses my two ‘professions’…
By Aiden Watson (@aidenwatson89) I’m really excited to be training for my first big race — the Tour of Britain. Like so many amateur cyclists, I found the Tour de France hugely inspiring and a great boost for my training plan. I took up cycling last year after deciding […]
The end of the summer means many things to many people; for me it is the reality of returning to the classroom after six weeks of freedom from teaching French… so it’s nice to have a few good things to look forward to in the early autumn before […]
By Jonathan Gardner There’s an old Scandinavian saying which states that “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing”. And as far as the coming months are concerned, this still rings incredibly true for die-hard cyclists. For as we head into winter, a simple ensemble of […]
By Jonathan Gardner It would be easy as dedicated, serious cyclist to dismiss spinning as simply a fad, not worthy of consideration or recognition. However, to disregard the activity would be churlish. For there are a number of benefits to this form of cycling that make it an […]
Now in stock at Amazon!
Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Not much cycling in this post, quite a bit about architecture but as I have never claimed to be an expert when it comes to writing about the former, I see no reason to hold back when it comes to waffling on about the latter. […]
…courtesy of the Seaman’s Mission in Mallaig. Unless, that is, if you are vegetarian… I catch the train to Glasgow at 10:10am.
The cycling is now complete. Just a couple of miles short of 300 along the northern coast of Scotland from Dunnet Head to Tongue (via Thurso), along to Durness (and a quick non-cycling detour to Cape Wrath), south to disappointing Scourie, to the relative metropolis that is Ullapool […]
There was a faint air of dryness in the air this morning as I left the youth hostel in Ullapool. The sky was just as dark and foreboding as it has been for much of the last week or so, but it was at least hinting that I […]
I didn’t know what was in store for me when I left the campsite in Scourie. I was glad to be leaving; despite being listed in the Cool Camping Scotland book that I had bought prior to the trip, the only cool aspect of the place (and here […]
Grim. One word sums up quite well the experience of cycling today from Durness on the north coast of Scotland to Scourie on the west coast. When I woke (ha! Woke?) this morning, the campsite in Durness had been transformed overnight from one of Scotland’s most stunning to […]
Quick catch up: yesterday was a remote cycle from Tongue over the headland to, and then around, Loch Eriboll (or, as the café owner from Pontefract preferred to call it, Loch ‘Oribal which was strange as it wasn’t and it had made him stay there for the last […]
I think in recent years I have become too accustomed to cycling in kilometres. Prior to this little jaunt across Scotland, I had changed my CatEye cycling computer to show me everything in miles and obviously all the road signs are telling me how far away things are, […]
Not too much cycling today but a great day of travelling on many levels. I left you last night in the buffet car of the sleeper train to Inverness, or rather Perth. I didn’t get murdered by nine people who I have crossed swords with during my life, […]
By Henry Arnold The Tour de France was an overwhelming success. The two stages held in Yorkshire: Leeds to Harrogate and York to Sheffield, drew crowds totalling 2.5m. Not only did the Tour bring the sport into more and more homes it also proved that the Yorkshire terrain […]
I thought that the cycle from Reading to London to catch my train from Euston station would be a bit of a formality. Anything but… I have now come to the conclusion that National Cycle Network route 4 or rather the bit between Windsor and Richmond Park, is […]
Night train from Euston to Inverness on Monday, wake up in Scotland (well, stop making an effort to fall asleep on a train in Scotland…). I’m particularly looking forward to the photo opportunities the north and west coasts of Scotland have to offer. Expect more photographs and less […]
Some of you may have noticed the short video that appeared on the homepage of CyclingEurope.org a couple of weeks ago. If you didn’t, here it is: It was made for me by a company called Stormnet Media (free of charge!). They are a video production company and if, […]
Last week, Decathlon published the first part of an interview with me. They have now put the second part on line…
This morning I posted a picture to Twitter of some of the equipment that I will be taking with me to Scotland next week for my two-week cycling tour. Someone responded that I should do a video… Good idea! Here it is: Cue barrage of comments about what […]
Feel free to comment… The map, alas, is no longer available online. Sorry.
Fear not! It’s not another book, and it won’t be (unless someone calls with an offer I can’t refuse) but it does sum up my plan for August 2014 in terms of cycling. This afternoon I bought a ticket for the overnight sleeper train from London Euston to […]
Courtesy of Wordle, here are the top 100 words contained in Along The Med on a Bike Called Reggie… (see comments below) The top 100 words do not include very common English words. The word ‘cycling‘ appears 568 times in the book but the word ‘but‘ rears its […]
Just been down to London for the day to take in a bit of culture including the Travel Photographer Of The Year exhibition at the Royal Geographical Society in South Kensington. I was hoping it would encourage me to do a bit of (minor) exploring myself this summer. […]
I have a friend who owns a Brompton bicycle. When I meet him for a coffee, he invariably arrives at the cafe on his Brompton. He speaks lovingly about his travelling companion in the same way that I speak about my own bicycle, Reggie. People think that I […]
A few weeks ago, Decathlon, the sports shop, asked me a few questions about cycling and they have just published the interview on their own website. Here it is! Part two will be posted on August 7th…
Another great poster from Transport For London, this time advertising the Prudential Ride London event in a couple of weeks’ time. More details on the website.
I was contacted recently by a Greek cycling blogger who asked a few questions; he’s just published my answers on his own website. Here they are:
Well, I’ve got to have a press release, no? Press Release: ‘Along The Med on a Bike Called Reggie’ For immediate distribution Wednesday 30th July 2014, Reading, Berkshire We are delighted to announce the publication of the cycling travelogue ‘Along The Med on a Bike Called Reggie‘ by Yorkshire […]
Not quite like waiting for a bus, but nearly… I received an email from Martin a couple of nights ago: could he stay overnight as a Warm Showers guest? No problem. No sooner had he arrived last night than I received a call from a woman in cycling […]
Here it is… (If you see any errors, please let me know before it goes to print! It’s not geographically perfect by the way…): Here is a previous version (spot the differences!):And here is the draft version:
Earlier this year David Simms and James Hesketh stayed overnight with me as WarmShowers guests. At the time they were en route to Paris on a tandem. They never actually got there due to problems with the ferry I seem to remember but Paris was only a trial run. […]
…will be published on Friday 1st August 2014. The much anticipated follow up to ‘Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie‘ will be available initially as an eBook at Amazon and in paperback from CompletelyNovel. ‘Along The Med on a Bike Called Reggie‘ will be available on other platforms […]
This has simplicity, beauty and European cycling written all over it. Or rather, printed all over it. It’s nice. I received an email from a chap called Laurence this week. This is what he said; “We’re a small not-for-profit letterpress print company located in Bristol and two members […]
Here’s a great video from Welcome2Yorkshire summing up in images and music the two-day visit of the Tour de France to Yorkshire. A few screen shots to whet your appetite…
By guest blogger Andriy How many times have you heard the story of the invisible bike? The one that came out of nowhere, and appeared too late for a driver to stop. The one that should have been more visible than it was. The one who left it […]
Moving on… I’m a sucker for a good poster (I think I said the same thing only last week about the Transport for London posters…) and here is another good one. More details on the Brompton World Championship website.
Information courtesy of Europcar!
The atmosphere today on the Côte de Greetland (known locally, more prosaically as Queen Street, Hammerstones and Blackley Road) was wonderful. Half the population of the small town of Elland (c. 20,000) must surely have been somewhere along the hill. I was brought up on Blackley Road and my […]
Information courtesy of Europcar!
…for two days at least. It should be fun!
Information courtesy of Europcar!
…Elland and West Vale are the places to be! The locals have embraced Le Tour and it’s all rather nice. I love the yellow window. It should win awards!
By guest blogger Ian Fergusson Le Tour de France has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1903 as a newspaper publicity stunt. The world’s greatest bicycle race is also the world’s largest free sporting event. Thousands line the streets of France every year to cheer on […]
Here are three guys who cycled along a similar route to me but from London Barcelona taking in large chunks of my 2010 journey from England to Italy and then my 2013 across southern France and into Spain. I wrote books about my adventures; these chaps have made […]
Well, disappointing news about David Millar (see previous post and today’s news of him being dropped by his team, Garmin), but the Tour de France circus moves on… After Yorkshire it arrives in London and here are a couple of cracking posters produced by Transport for London. Both posters […]
Here’s an interesting press release relating to pro cyclist David Millar: “Cycling Films and Scottish Documentary Institute are looking for budding volunteers to shoot, record and photograph pro cyclist David Millar during his last ever Tour de France. Called ‘Capture David’, this is a unique opportunity to collect images […]
Here’s a timely repeat (I’ve posted it at least twice before) but it’s a great explanation of the Tour de France, past and present.
My old secondary school, Brooksbank School in Elland, West Yorkshire are doing their very best to make sure that those who will be in the area for stage 2 of the Tour de France have a great view of the race both during its passage through the town, […]
…and I’m sure it’s also a great event. It takes place this weekend – 20th to 22nd June. More details on the event website.
Courtesy of ‘Yorkshire Jules’ (@julieredred on Twitter) this must be the best Tour de France related photo I have yet seen. Fabulous! (Update from her mum: she is Phoebe, aged 9, started cycling 2 years ago and rides with Clifton cycle club in York.)
I’m no music critic so I’ll simply post the press release and you can make up your own mind: Hearts in Notes today releases “Breakaway”, a contemporary instrumental composition, along with an accompanying music video. The release is the first from Michael Thomas’ Hearts in Notes since last […]
…but were afraid to ask? Well, perhaps not. But if you do want to find out almost anything about the Tour de France, here is a good place to start, or rather two good places to start. I was sent the two books shown here by the publishers […]
The Yorkshire Bicycle Show takes place over the weekend of the Tour de France Grand Depart in Yorkshire, the 4th – 6th July, at Leeds Town Hall. The organisers have just finalised the list of talks that will be hosted as part of the event and here it […]
By guest blogger Emily Buchanan With the Tour de France set to depart from Yorkshire in July, there’s never been a better time to embrace bike culture in the UK. From a 100-day cultural festival in the North East to the second annual Edinburgh Festival of Cycling in Scotland, […]
Yesterday was my birthday. It wasn’t a great birthday as I also happened to be ill and had taken the day off work. I’m still ill and I’m still off work. Late last night as I was coughing in my bed, unable to fall asleep, I heard my […]
During my European cycling exploits I have often cycled into towns and cities where there is a bike hire system up and running. Increasingly it’s not just the major cities that have them, the smaller cities and towns are jumping in and offering their own bike hire services. However, […]
I followed a similar route myself when I cycled across northern Italy in the summer of 2013… I’m writing a book about it, these guys have made a film! I do like the point they make that 630km of cycle path costs the same as 2km of motorway […]
From the GetReading.co.uk website: “The Jacksons department store building will be buzzing again later this month when it is taken over by Reading Repair Cafe and a new DIY bicycle workshop. The regular Repair Cafe event where anything from bikes to computers can be repaired is moving into the […]
Luke Chiswell tweeted the picture below this morning and it reveals the great news that despite what the image on their website would have you believe, Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie is now being delivered with its brand new cover. Yippee!
These are fun and available at Halfords. My favourite is the bell as it has a real ‘brringg’!
My short speaking tour of Yorkshire ended last night here in Ripon. Appearing on the radio and making presentations is far more tiring that riding a bicycle long distances. Thanks to Russell of Russell’s Bike Shed, the people at Amici and Bici and Iain Pearce in Sheffield, to […]
It all kicks off from here in just 37 days… I do hope the organisers have checked out the local bye laws.
Here is Russell of Russell’s Cycle Shed in Sheffield. You’ll normally find him in his workshop (and he’s about to move into new premises at Sheffield train station) but tonight to was at the cycling café called Amici and Bici hosting my talk. The crowd was friendly and […]
I don’t often get political on here but here’s something to think about. Turnout: 34.19% in the UKPercentage of votes for UKIP: 27.50%Percentage of the population voting UKIP: 9.40%Percentage of the population NOT voting UKIP: 90.60%So fewer than 1 in 10 people voted for Nigel Farage and the closet […]
Coming To A Radio Station / Café / Pub / Bike Shop / Cathedral Near You! Well, if you live in Yorkshire… Later this week I’ll be talking a short break from putting together the final chapters of Along The Med on a Bike Called Reggie (due out […]
Someone just emailed me about these badges; they are quite fun and retro, no? Here is the website if you are interested. Is Lycra a good thing to sew things onto? Not sure…
Here is the third in a series of extracts from the soon-to-be-published book ‘Along The Med on a Bike Called Reggie‘. If you haven’t done so already, you may want to read extract 1 (which was about cycling day 11 in Albania) by following this link and read extract 2 (which […]
Well, I’ll be in Leeds at the Yorkshire Bike Show for the launch of ‘Along The Med on a Bike Called Reggie‘ at 3pm on 5th July (come along!) after having watched the ‘off’ just outside Leeds Town Hall (which is the venue for the show). On Sunday […]
Quite amazing…
Ian Street, who has organised the ‘Night of the Long Rides’ event where I will be speaking in Leeds later this month, has written a preview for the event on his own WordPress site. Unfortunately the talk is sold out but don’t forget that I will also be […]
I may be a cycle-touring author in my spare time, but at 6:30am every Monday to Friday for 38 weeks every year I cycle from my home in Reading to do my day job of teaching French in a state secondary school in Henley-on-Thames. It’s the reason why […]
While Yorkshire gears up for the Tour de France, Ireland – north and south – get ready for the arrival of the Giro d’Italia in 2014…
By guest blogger Ashwin Iyer Why do you need cycle insurance? You only have to surf a little to find the statistics about yearly cycle thefts in London, and you’re guaranteed to see shocking figures. To put things in perspective, you can safely believe anybody who tells you that […]
A message from Diego of Kauri Multimedia; “We are a production team specialising in web documentaries and have completed a short film on Havana bicycle culture which we believe may be of interest to CyclingEurope.org. The documentary provides an insight into Cuban bike tradition and the mechanics who […]
You may have noticed that for some time now the home page of CyclingEurope.org has had an advert for a UNICEF organised event; Wheels for Change. So, what is it? Well it is “…a cycling challenge that will help to turn young lives around. The money raised will go to […]
I suppose being a French-teaching cyclist, I am the perfect target audience for a new book which is subtitled ‘The ultimate cycle journey from Channel to Med – St. Malo to Nice‘. Even if you are not a French-teaching cyclist (which, let’s face it, the chances are you […]
By guest blogger Tom Nelson The countdown to Le Grand Depart has at long last begun with a one hundred day cultural festival that celebrates the start of arguably the greatest cycle race of all time, the Tour de France. Indeed it is the first time that such a […]
Last autumn I was sent some cycling clothing by the supermarket Aldi to test out. I wrote about the items in a post called ‘Cycling Gear From… Errr… Aldi‘. As you might guess from the title I was a little surprised that Aldi actually sold cycling gear and, […]
I’ve had a bit of experience cycling over the Alps – in 2010 over the Gotthard Pass (in Switzerland) at 2,091m and then in 2013 over the Tende Pass (just north of Nice on the French-Italian border) at 1,871m. They were both memorable days of cycling and I can […]
I’m nearing the half-way point in writing “Along The Med on a Bike Called Reggie” (you can read two extracts here and here) and to whet everyone’s appetite I have just posted the photographs from my travels through Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia and Slovenia to the new […]
