New Cycle Path For Reading, Berkshire
And, unfortunetly, a bigger road for the cars…
Tweeting Is Good For Your Health
Well, sometimes it can be. Last night, after polishing off a plate of pasta that could have provided a decent foundation for a detached house in the home counties, I slumped onto the sofa to consult Twitter. @Shelagh Fogarty, Five Live presenter & uber-swimmer had tweeted the following message; […]
Good Vibrations: 5* “An Entertaining Read”
“This book is an entertaining read not just for serious cyclists or occasional cyclists (I am in the latter category) but also those who travel – using the word in its old-fashioned sense – and will recognise many of the difficulties but also joys that the author came […]
The First Post…
…of 2012. And a directly cycling-related one at that! In my quest to achieve 4,000 miles cycled this year (see previous post), I have just knocked out the first 23 on a little jaunt down the Thames to Wargrave, north (still in the direction of the Thames) to […]
The Last Post…
…of 2011. There will be much more in 2012 no doubt. We shall see. In the meantime, an end of year portrait of the bike that I call Reggie and a few moments to think about the year ahead. I’ve been on Twitter tonight and lots of people […]
My 3,000th Tweet: Rohloff v. Sturmey-Archer!
While I was browsing the Cyclepedia app (see previous post), I came across a reference to the Rohloff Speedhub. It’s a gear-changing mechanism that I have never seen but which has fascinated me since I watched Mark Beaumont’s documentary about cycling the Americas. He used one. It is, […]
Cyclepedia: Iconic Bicycle Designs
“In 1815 an Indonesian volcano erupted, changing the climate and affecting crops as far afield as Northern Europe. The resulting famine was severe, with Europeans forced to eat horses – a main source of transportation – for sustenance. To tackle the resulting transport problems, Baron von Drais created […]
Season’s Greetings From London 2012
Just got an email from London 2012 regarding my application to be a volunteer during the Olympics. I had an interview back in November and more recently I have been contacted regarding my driving licence so I am expecting some news at some point… Here’s what the email […]
Top 10s At CyclingEurope.org in 2011
I always find these lists fascinating. It’s the mathematician in me I think. Others may find them less riveting so if that’s you, you may like to move on… They cover what is now, most of 2011 (only around 40 hours to go). The top page is fairly […]
Boneshaker Magazine
I am in bed. The bed is too short. This makes it difficult to sleep. It isn’t my normal bed; it’s the bed in the attic of my brother’s house where I have been staying for the last few days over Christmas. It’s cold and the rain is […]
Annabel’s BMC
My niece Annabel has a new bike; a BMC Streetfire (2009) purchased second hand from a director of Cycling Scotland. She’s named it Beatrice. What kind of nutter would give their bike a name?
Happy Christmas!
I’m about to escape the south for the frozen north (well, Yorkshire) for a few days. I’ll be tweeting but probably not blogging so have an enjoyable festive season. Happy cycling ! P.S. If you discover that Santa has brough you a Kindle, iPad etc… on the 25th, […]
Cycling4Cancer / Chris Gruar
I get so envious when I read about people who are planning really big trips like this. Puts my own efforts to shame. Perhaps one day… In his own words: “My name is Chris Gruar, and in April 2012 I will begin my charity cycling trip from England […]
***** Enjoyable, Endearing, Eloquent
Another 5* review for Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie on Amazon.co.uk; “I really enjoyed the relaxed affable style of this author, making his points eloquently without ever being stuffy or superior. Sykes has an endearing almost vulnerable quality which makes his observations very witty; on […]
World Biking: Dream It, Plan It, Bike It
I won’t let the fact that the person behind this website – Amaya Williams – has blocked me on Twitter (why?) prevent me from praising her website. And her ambition to ‘cycle every country on the planet’. It’s a refreshing twist upon the cycling around the world trend. […]
Hobbit Village Or Berceto, Italy?
The new film will be called The Hobbit – An Unexpected Journey and the first trailer has just been released. These two shots from that trailer remind me of my cycle to Berceto, high in the Italian Apennine mountains where I stayed at an idyllic camp-site near the […]
The Cycling Author Shelf Of Fame?
Dear Mr Sykes – I’m too full of respect to refer to you as Andrew – I’ve just completed reading your “Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie” and thoroughly enjoyed it, well done, not just for completing the journey, but also the book. You are […]
Reggies Virtually Reunited
Reggie, my eponymous bike is going strong, especially after his three-figure Christmas refit at AW Cycles earlier this week (it’s worth paying for the parts and labour just to get him gleaming again). Alf Grant, a prospective UK to Italy cyclist who I met for a chat in […]
Breaking News: Good Vibrations Arrives At Waterstones!
And it’s a real shelf, not a virtual one! Can you spot it in this photo taken in Waterstone’s Reading Broad Street branch?
Google: Let It Snow!
It’s not just WordPress!
Reading’s Cycling Heritage
Yes, it does appear to have one. I spotted this fading sign a couple of weeks ago and took a picture when I passed the ally, leading off of West Street earlier today. I hasten to point out that the establishment no longer exists :(. A little bit […]
Good Design: Cycle Hoop
There is some dreadful design in Britain. No. That’s wrong. There is a lot of dreadful design in Britain. It’s the endless obsession with doing everything with a ‘best value’ hat on. Central government, local councils, companies. They are all guilty. ‘Best value’ is of course a nonsense […]
Go Danish… And Save The Planet! (Well, Europe)
We are often encouraged to ‘go Dutch’ when it comes to improving our cycling habits, but a new report from the European Cyclists’ Federation would imply that we should ‘go Danish’ instead. By doing so, we could help the EU achieve a quarter of its target for reduction […]
What A Wonderful World With David Attenborough
“9781849142137 Synopsis”
The ‘site stats’ section of the administrative pages of this website can be a fascinating place to spend a few moments. Alas, only for me… I noticed yesterday that someone had arrived here after having searched the term ‘9781849142137 synopsis’. That number is the ISBN for Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe […]
Books, Baths & Bryant
It’s been a funny old day. I wandered into Reading just before lunch with a simple plan; check whether Good Vibrations has yet arrived on the shelves of Waterstones in Reading (answer: not yet, but I did leave it displayed on the customer in-store computer for all to see) […]
The Guardian Bookshop Good Vibrations Offer
The Guardian have Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie on offer; only £7.99 with free postage & packaging to anywhere in the UK!
Bike Love
De Wereldfietser, The World Cyclist
I do hope I haven’t caused some kind of diplomatic incident by posting the video entitled Why Are Cyclists Using Video Cameras? on the blog yesterday. It was picked up from CyclingEurope.org as a point of discussion on the forum of the Dutch website De Wereldfietser or in English, […]
Good Vibrations: Going Green
In these days of email, Facebook, Twitter, online bank statements, it is a rare event that anything arrives in your physical letterbox that is remotely exciting. But today, I got something that was! Amongst the erroneous bank statements (addressed to a former lodger), union rants & home insurance […]
Why Are Cyclists Using Video Cameras?
I have similar encounters to this guy a lot less regularly, mainly due to the fact that I normally cycle to work at 6am. (Yes, I am an idiot.) However, on the occasions when I do cycle during rush hour, I have to say that it’s a regular occurrence. […]
Christmas Must Be Approaching…
…because it is now snowing on WordPress! Apologies to the software designers for slightly exaggerating the effect. A temporary change of background to a festive blue until the season of joy comes to and end with the snow in January. 🙂
December 2011
Kindle £3.98, Paperback £9.99, Used…
European Matters
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago about how the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) had revamped its websites – http://www.ecf.com, the Eurovelo ‘planning’ website http://www.eurovelo.org & http://www.eurovelo.com, aimed at punters like you and me. Now this latter website has yet to get off the ground (I remain hopeful), […]
Freewheeling France
A couple of months ago, the editor of the Freewheeling France website approached me with a view to me contributing an article about the Eurovelo network specifically in France. I did, and the article has now appeared! In fact, it has been split into two articles; one about the […]
French / Spanish Lessons In Venezuela
Great video. Makes me feel very jealous as I sit here in dreary Reading in the south of England. What an adventure! Here’s their website. It’s a good work out for your French (and Spanish). Might show the kids at school next week… Interestingly, their route does what […]
“A Truly Inspirational Read”
Just noticed that there is another great review on Amazon for Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie, this time from a cycle shop in Launceton, Cornwall; “A truly inspirational read. I spend all day, everyday working on bikes similar to Reggie, and yearn to go […]
New Bike Shop Opens
Beijing, China: A bicycle repair man awaits customers inside a storage box on his tricycle. Courtesy of The Guardian Online.
A Happy Customer
“I bought Good Vibrations for myself for Xmas but alas have started to read it already and it is now responsible for too many late nights reading when I should be going to sleep. It’s hilarious and a great read.” Sue
New Online Bookshop Opens!
CyclingEurope.org now has its own bookshop! You can visit it via the link at the top of this page or by clicking on the picture here. It has a limited number of titles on sale consisting of some books that I would consider to be my favourites. If you […]
Vive La France!
Most of the Kindle sales of Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie have so far been within the UK – 90% of them. The remaining 10% is made up mainly from sales via the Amazon.com site. These could be in North America or, quite frankly, […]
Being Followed By The Police
A few weeks ago, I noticed that a certain @Chris_Boarland had started following me on Twitter. It’s often intriguing looking at who follows who on Twitter. As I type I have 417 followers (that’s probably enough for a decent sect!)… but a fair number of those are just ‘people’ trying […]
Plugging In Reading / Reading In Puglia
Another busy day on the shameless marketing treadmill of life. Waterstones in Broad Street Reading now have a copy of Good Vibrations in the shop. Great! Well, perhaps. It’s there because I delivered it this afternoon for them to look at. If you remember, I’ve already submitted a copy […]
Gasting My Flabber
This little picture makes me so happy… Good Vibrations is in stock at Amazon! No longer a message that says that any prospective reader needs to wait ‘4 – 6 weeks’. There is only one thing that would make me happier and that is if Good Vibrations: Crossing […]
The ECF: A Eurovelo Forum
The forums on CTC, BikeRadar etc… may have many thousands of followers, subjects & posts but none of them have a specific category for the Eurovelo routes. The new European Cyclists’ Federation’s website now does! Click here to register and start posting (so far, I’m the only one […]
The ECF: A New Website!
Great things are happening in Europe… The Greeks are on the verge of bankruptcy, Silvio Berlusconi has decided to call it a day, the Eurozone is in turmoil… And the European Cyclists’ Federation has a new look website! Not before time. It moves the ECF from being stuck […]
Sky Movies Christmas Advert 2011
John Lewis Christmas Advert 2011
Ahh…
Good Vibrations: No Longer Spineless
This is the second attempt at writing this post today. The first time, on hitting the ‘publish’ button, it disappeared into the ether of cyberspace never to be seen again. Fingers crossed. Good Vibrations has an exciting new spine! When I originally ‘built’ the cover of the book […]
Good Vibrations: Shelving Plans
Fear not; my marketing campaign for Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie continues a pace. It is my current mission to get the book onto the shelves of a bookshop. So far I have proof that Good Vibrations has made it as far as Iain Harper’s […]
Good Vibrations: The First Arrival
Iain Harper wins the prize for being the first person to send me a picture of their new copy of Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie. Here it is in good company alongside Iain’s collection of cycling-related literature. Do you think he has placed Mountain High […]
London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay Route
This flight over Britain reminds me of the Tour de France animations that get released every year to showcase the route of the big French cycle race. I think I’d like to live in animated Britain; there is no litter, the sun is shining and most importantly, the tacky tourist […]
Breaking News!
Things happen quickly in the publishing world! Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie is now available to buy in paperback from Waterstones and from Amazon (nearly!). Breaking Breaking News: And WHSmith!!
Good Vibrations: Updated Poster
A Pile Of Good Vibrations
If you get a mention in the acknowledgements section of Good Vibrations (Chris, Sally, Claus, Simone, Paul, Iain, Jim, Marcello, Basil & Liz, Alain and Mark), your complimentary copy of the book is about to start its journey to your letter box. Please let me know when it arrives. […]
Man Finds Poster In His Olive Grove In Puglia
It is, of course my old colleague Basil. How you must have chuckled at the thought of a random Italian finding the poster for Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie… He’ll soon be receiving his complimentary paperback copy of the book as it is now […]
Cycling Superhighway 3
Just outside Westferry DLR. After my Olympic interview earlier this evening at the Excel Centre (impressive!), I went to meet my friend Paul and spent a good amount of time hanging around watching the many cyclists of London zooming up and down the road outside the train station. […]
Colourful But Grim
Lots Of Good Vibrations!
Imagine how good they would look on the black shelves of Waterstones…
Ready To Roll!
David Gander who runs Prêt à Rouler, a bike hire shop in South-West France today gets a free advert on CyclingEurope.org. He pointed out earlier today that all the links on the Eurovelo 5 page – the posts I made when I was cycling south – were not […]
Tandem For The EV8?
‘bikes4two’ has written some nice comments about the book on the CTC forum called ‘Eurovelo 5 information‘; Hi Andrew, Just bought the e-book as I’m in the early stages of planning a trip for me and Mrs bikes4two on our tandem. I’m in trouble already in that I […]
The Bookshelf
How does it look next to Bill, William, Peter and the rest? My typeface is slightly smaller than most of the others and the pages thinner… UPDATE: I have modified the text size which makes it easier on the eye and also a slightly fatter book on the […]
The First Copy Of Good Vibrations!
Lucas Brunelle: Must See Videos
Lucas Brunelle has just followed me on Twitter. I checked out his website; you should do the same. Here it is. I just watched his video filmed in London. My God! The guy is obviously on some kind of suicide mission on a bike but it doesn’t half […]
Bicycle Dreams
The Wisdom Of Leeds
A few days I posted a video about the wisdom of the Dutch in planning & building their cycle network. Now it’s the turn of my fellow Yorkshire folk to bask in the glory I am about to heap upon them. As I type I am sitting on […]
Your Starter For Ten
Were you wondering what the UK’s top selling cycling eBook published in the last three months is? Click here to find out…
Good Vibrations: Now Available In Paperback!
It’s the news you have been waiting for; Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie is now available as a ‘traditional’ paperback book! Follow this link to order a copy online and enjoy the 5*-rated book that scores of people have been reading as an eBook […]
Good Vibrations: Now With Pictures!
Following on from yesterday’s post regarding Yvette’s comment on the Amazon.com site that she would have liked some pictures to look at in the book, they are now there! Talk about responding to the wishes of your readers 🙂 For those of you who have already purchased the book, fear […]
“A Great Read” But…
I may have ten very positive reviews on Amazon.co.uk, but my Amazon.com readers have so far been silent. Until now. My first .com review has come courtesy of Yvette Lian who lives in Brisbane, Australia. She’s given the book a 4* rating and starts off as follows; Last […]
The Wisdom Of The Dutch: Build It & They Will Come
Could it ever happen in the UK?
Good Vibrations: “A Riveting Tale”
Another 5-star rating on Amazon; “A riveting tale for an armchair traveller: I’m not the cyclist of the family but nevertheless I could appreciate the ‘ups’ and ‘downs’ of Andrew’s journey from Reading to Brindisi. It was written in such a way that I couldn’t wait to read the […]
Good Vibrations: Not Just For Cyclists!
So says the latest five-star review on Amazon; “For someone who has never, I repeat never, ridden a bicycle, I thought this book was brilliant, it almost made me wish I had learnt to ride.”
Top Of The Other Eurovelo Pops
The ‘other Eurovelo’ section of the site has now been up and running for about a month. Here is the top 13 (not including Eurovelos 5 & 8 which have separate sections on the site and draw much more traffic) with the Atlantic coast route being the clear leader. […]
Bicycle Traveler
Worth a glance… It’s free and has some interesting stories: Bicycle Traveler, International Magazine on Bicycle Touring.
Antelope Hits Mountain Biker
I’m terrified of this happening to me with a deer en route to Henley in the morning. There are lots of them about on the Berkshire-Oxfordshire borders!
Phenomenal Cycling
Bonnes Vibrations!
Maintenant disponible sur Amazon.fr ! Soyez la premième personne à écrire un commentaire 🙂
Münster 2001
Another 5* Review
…One can positively taste, smell, hear and touch [Andrew’s] journey in his book ‘Good Vibrations’… Well done Andrew. If this book doesn’t inspire the reader to jump on their bike and go….nothing will. It did me… ! (Mary Ann Coupland) Read the full review, and others at Amazon.co.uk.
In Good Company (Again)!
Good Vibrations’ highest ranking so far. Buy now while stocks last… Click here 🙂
Last Night I Couldn’t Sleep
I am in good company. Click here to find out why.
Poring Over Straightforward Errors
This is perhaps a post I should not write. When my father had finished reading Good Vibrations, his first comment was that there were quite a few typos. I was a slightly put out by his comment. I had re-read the manuscript of my comical tale very carefully to […]
Amazon’s Andrew Sykes Page!
It exists! Here is a screen shot. The picture is very brooding sepia 1930s movie idol, no? What do you mean ‘no’!? Click it to explore…
London 2012 Needs Me, Perhaps
A couple of weeks ago when I revamped the website and gave it a new name, I removed the page about ‘London 2012’ that stated that I had applied to be a volunteer at the Olympics next year. As I had heard nothing for many months, I was […]
Talking With Europe
Well, to the Spanish Costas where the listeners of Talk Radio Europe are to be found. The interview was quite short but I was able to give a short summary of my journey along the Eurovelo 5 and then plug the book at the end (I’m learning!). The video […]
The Sun Is Shining…
…the population is on its bikes, cycling into town, looking for somewhere to park… But Reading Council haven’t got the wherewithal to remove the rusting wrecks that are permanent residents of the cycle racks. Shame on you Reading Borough Council. Nul points 🙁 The turquoise-coloured bike you can […]
Fibularities
Do you remember the episode of Blackadder The Third when Samuel Johnson turns up at the palace with his new dictionary? (If you can’t, watch it here.) Edmund tries to catch him out by offering the wise doctor his “most enthusiastic contrafibularities“. Well, someone in Italy has offered […]
Eurovelos
Here’s a fascinating little picture… Well, perhaps not but I lead a sad little life. As avid followers of this blog will be aware, I have expanded into the pan-European world (is that possible?) of all the Eurovelo routes rather than just the Eurovelos 5 & 8. And people […]
Czech Out The Latest Review
Lee from the Czech Republic has read and reviewed Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie on Amazon. Here is what he has to say; All I can say this is a wonderful book to read and you really sense you are sharing the journey from Reading […]
The Other Eurovelos
I’d like to put together a list of independent websites that do what http://www.eurovelo5.com does at the moment and what http://www.eurovelo8.com will hopefully increasingly do in the future, i.e. to be a source of information about the route offering advice, links, perhaps a personal blog of someone having […]
A Quality List Of Travel Literature
An interesting list of recommended travel writing from the Guardian. Perhaps Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie will make an appearance next year…?
The Henley Standard
The Henley Standard writes: A teacher has had a book of his tales of cycling across Europe published. Mr Sykes, who teaches French at Gillotts School in Henley, rode 2,000 miles from his home town of Reading to Brindisi in the south of Italy last summer. Now he […]
In At Number 4!
And number 23 in the ‘Travelogue’ list! Could I make number the number 1 spot? It’s up to you! Click here (or here in North America).
A Night Of Small Adventures?
On August 6th, 2009, I was cycling through the Yorkshire Dales on my pre-Eurovelo 5 shakedown trying to work out if I was suited to long-distance cycling. I wrote the following comments on the blog; “On passing through a pristine village called Airton, I stopped to enquire if […]
Pompey 2 Pompeii
After having been contacted by one of the cyclists involved, I’ve had a link to these guys’ website on the front page of this website for sometime. They set off today! Their Twitter feed (@pompey2pompeii) describes their quest as follows; “…a gruelling 1500 mile bike ride, starting on […]
The Grim Reality Of Commuting
It seems too soon in the academic year – it’s only the second day back – to be battling wind and rain but it looks as though that’s what I’m in for when I leave the flat this morning. Doesn’t look as though we are going to have […]
Theft Of Copper: A Solution
Sorry cyclists. This entry fits 100% into the category of ‘Nothing to do with cycling’ but I think the idea merits some greater exposure. Impress me with a link! I was just watching the regional news from South Today. They reported that in the Oxfordshire Village of Chalford […]
Strasbourg to Rome
Hi Andrew, I’m the artist that wrote to you about taking our 4 yr old on the EV5 next summer. First of all…I want to read your book, but Amazon says it’s not available to yankees! Good news: it is! You need to go to the Amazon site […]
