Tag: Scotland

Above Average: The Life And Times Of A Glasgow Cycle Courier

By on • ( Leave a comment )

Back in the 80s and 90s, bicycle couriers were a bit of a novelty. I remember seeing them when I lived in London. I don’t think many people thought they would stick around beyond their allocated period of being a fad. Surely a cyclist couldn’t match the speed of getting some important document from one corner of the city to the other! But clearly they could and 30 years later, cycle couriers are indeed still around, and with the likes of Deliveroo and cargo bikes, the sector is not only surviving but flourishing. And some people who were cycle couriers in their youth – Emily Chappell and Julian Sayarer come to mind – have gone on to greater things in the wider cycling world.

Mark Beaumont / Markus Stitz: Explore Your Boundaries

By on • ( Leave a comment )

Two of Scotland’s finest – one born and bred, one adopted – have come together to invite you to ‘explore your boundaries’. Both are familiar to listeners of The Cycling Europe Podcast; one is Mark Beaumont (episode 16), one is Markus Stitz (episode 29). Mark is an athlete and broadcaster with a string of cycling accolades to his name; Markus became the first person to cycle around the world on a single-speed bike and now runs Bikepacking Scotland. They not only share a name (nearly…) and a passion for cycling, but also great filmmaking and storytelling skills and they have come together to produce the following film, not in a far flung foreign location, but on their doorsteps in Edinburgh…

The Cycling Europe Podcast: Episode 029 – Markus Stitz / Bikepacking The World

By on • ( Leave a comment )

Markus Stitz is a German-born, Edinburgh-based cyclist, writer and filmmaker. In 2015 he set off to cycle the world on a single-speed bicycle, travelling 34,000km through 26 countries. Since his return to the UK, he has been involved in a series of Scottish-based projects promoting both on- and off-road riding. However, in the autumn of 2020 he returned to his roots and embarked upon a 700km cycle along the strip of land that, until the fall of the Berlin Wall, was home to the border fence between East and West German. He talks about all his journeys, near and far…

The Cycle Touring Festival: Touring In A Time Of COVID

By on • ( 2 Comments )

This weekend sees the start of the 2021 Cycle Touring Festival. It’s virtual once again so you can listen to the speakers and watch the films from the comfort of your own living room. You do need to register however for each of the sessions (delivered via Zoom) and you can full details on how to do that by visiting the Cycle Touring Festival website. My contribution this year will be mainly in the form of a short talk in the first session at 8pm on Friday 12th February. The theme is ‘touring in a time of COVID’ and I’ll be discussing the motivation behind setting off last summer to cycle to the four capital cities of the UK as well as the journey itself. Below are a few screenshots to whet your appetite. Look forward to seeing some of you there.

European Trail Biking In 2021

By on • ( 1 Comment )

By Donald Martin With many people having been stuck at home throughout 2020, there is now a lot of budding excitement about near-future travel options. Along with coronavirus vaccinations, health and safety are expected to gradually return to Europe over the course of the year. And while it […]