Archive for Road cycling

My summer road trip (on two wheels)

September 12, 2013 Road cycling, Tips and advice, Women No comments

(by Elle Smith)

I seem to have got into the wonderful habit of doing a cycle tour for a week or two each summer – this year was no exception. In late August I packed up my tent and sleeping bag and cycled off to Portsmouth and thence to France. It was a glorious 8 days of cycling which took me through Normandy, Brittany, the Atlantic coast of Payee de la Loire and finally into the high and hilly Limousin for a nice sit down/ sleep before training back. Here are a random collection of thoughts I had and things I learned:

1. Men’s and women’s saddles are in fact different for a reason. No, its not just a Victorian throw back or an attempt by cycle companies to get more money out of us as I had previously thought. We ARE anatomically different (surprise surprise) and I would NEVER cycle 800km (or even 50km) on a men’s saddle again, it was VERY uncomfortable and I spent much of my time trying to find new and inventive ways sitting or not sitting on my saddle. I am now in the market for a women’s version.

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2. Dijon mustard goes with everything. Yes, everything, it is a wonder food.

3. Oringina is cycling fuel, and taste a lot better in France than it does in England.

4. I have finally understood the point of cleats – and (mostly) got over my fear of being clipped in to something with wheels. Going uphill (and there were a lot of hills) with a loaded bike and getting the forward trust with the up-pull of the pedal stroke as well as the downward push makes you go a lot faster. I’m converted.

5. Two tips on cycle touring in France – if you plan to take any TGV trains with your bike (and this is pretty easy and not stressful) book cycle spaces when you book your ticket. You can do it here (www.raileurope.co.uk). Michelin 1:150,000 road maps are the best I’ve found for route planning (I always bring a highlighter so I can mark my route as I go along and feel astonished how far I can go on a bike).

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Turns out this is my 5th cycle tour in France, and its quiet roads and diverse scenery (not to mention the good food and cheap ferries) keep drawing me back. But I think I’ll spread my wings go somewhere even more exotic next year, like, I don’t know…Germany!

How to deal with aggresive drivers?

September 4, 2011 General, Road cycling, Tips and advice 3 comments

I found this website the other day all based on one woman’s experience of cycling through London. Here is just one of her experiences: “Our first wanker was angry that a bicycle was on the road. He hit his horn whilst behind me, whilst I was waiting in the cycle box at the traffic lights. As he turned at the junction alongside me, he continued to use his horn. At the next traffic lights, he rolled his window down to shout “You stupid fucking slut, get off the road and onto the pavement, you stupid bitch”. He was in his company vehicle, so rather than rise to his bait, I took my iPhone out and openly took a photo of his registration plate. For some reason this shut him up. The company in question is Cannon Hygiene. I’ve written to them to tell them about their driver, and will update if they get back to me.”

I think its incredible she still cycles. I’ve not suffered that kind of abuse up here in Newcastle, but I know a number of women who have. For me the main problem is aggressive drivers who push me off the road, quite literally. There is behaviour on roads which can make it a trial to cycle through towns rather than a joy.

So how can we, as cyclists, meet this aggression? With equal force? I find sometimes this means you both just get angry. Many a time I’ve flicked the bird or given some kid of  “you’re a knob” hand signal, only to be met with the same back. Great. Getting angry is not really my style so recently I’ve been trying a different, more creative, tactic.

Last month a driver drove aggressively close to me and overtook me coming up to a junction. As I sat behind him in the middle of the road waiting to turn right he proceeded to reverse towards me. All the while he was smirking and checking my reaction from his wing mirror. I was pretty peturbed, then decided to do something I’d not done before. It worked a treat! I looked directly into his wing mirror and mouthed the words ‘CALL ME’ my hands mimicking a mobile, pointing at him. He had no idea what to do. It was great. He sheepishly drove off and I felt fantastic that I’d not been aggressive back at him. I hope, by meeting his aggression with something slightly different it got him thinking.

Here are a few ideas on how to deal with aggressive drivers in a slightly different way:

 Beeping: If a driver beeps at you wave at them! Mouth ‘hello’. If you it’s clearly your attention they want so make sure you give it to them. I like this one especially if I can put an ‘I love cycling’ grin on my face.

 Talk to them: If you are in the right head space (feeling calm and confident) and a driver does something which is clearly out of line and then stops at traffic lights an easy cycling distance ahead try this one. Calmly knock on their window and talk to them about your experience. If you start with “I felt” or “that felt” it works best as drivers cannot argue with your feelings, it’s how you feel. End with what you’d like them to do in future “please can you make sure you give me more room next time?” If you can do this pretty calmly then the response is generally positive. I’ve done this quite a few times and every single time drivers have wound down their windows and I’ve had a “sorry,” a grin and more space on the roads. I have to make sure I’m in the right mood though.

Call me signal: A bit of a favourite at the moment, if you try it tell me how it goes! I was really impressed by the response drivers gave on this one.

Slow clap: Again, something a bit different to get the driver thinking. Look at them in the eye and applaud them for their angry driving.

At the moment that is as far as I’ve got but if you’ve got any other ideas let us know. All the tactics described above have given me a real sense of joy and confidence on the roads after I’ve done them. I hope they might do the same for you.

Boris is bringing cycling into the mainstream

August 28, 2011 General, Road cycling No comments

Given that I always find myself encouraging people onto two wheels, my scepticism of a public London bike scheme felt slightly at odds. I loved the idea but really didn’t know what to expect, and if Boris was in charge felt sure it was destined to fail.

How wrong could I have been? Yeah there is plenty to criticise, with empty or full docking stations, terminals causing frustration all over the place, it’s centralised in the wealthiest of areas, and it is sponsored by Barclays. But one year on, lets see some positives, just look at how many people are learning to ride on Boris’? They’re the cheapest way to get around town (just £1 gives you 24hrs of access in 30minute windows, which is a bargain compared to a £4 tube single or £2.20 for a bus); can be used for one-way journeys when the weathers looking dodgy or you want to have a drink; you never have to fix a puncture or tighten up the brakes; and they really are a cracking London experience for tourists and visitors.

While I don’t want to be considered a fan of BoJo (and lets be clear, Ken started it), I sure am glad they’re not being called Barclays Bikes. It’s opened up city cycling to a whole new audience and I think for this single achievement, the posh boy done good. With 6000 bikes used by tourists, locals and commuters, cycling is becoming part of a mainstream. People even talk to each other at the docking stations, how often does that happen on the tube? The bikes are heavy and sturdy, but even if you’re a cycling pro drivers expect you to wobble out of control at any moment and have been forced to start paying attention.

Late last year stats came out that women weren’t taking up the challenge of BoBiking for fear of dangerous roads and not enough destinations with showers*. 75% of registered users were men, but looking around at traffic lights, I’m seeing lots of women on all kinds of bikes. My mums always been scared of her kids taking risks on the road and terrified of riding herself, but now she’s one of Boris biking’s biggest advocates. She and her friends can’t be the only converts. Comparable stats for this year aren’t out yet (and my empirical evidence doesn’t quite cut it) but Andrew Ross claims the hire bikes are not just a posh-boy toy. He points to cycle training courses who’s places are almost exclusively taken up by women and ethnic minorities rather than the white male cyclist stereotype.

London is by no means the cycling city of dreams – there’s a long way to go before everyone feels safe on a bike. It may not have the same political charge of an autonomous bike clinic or the extensive learning opportunities of places like the marvellous London Bike Kitchen (see Jen’s ace article below) but it was a radical move for London. Boris Bikes have got more people out on the road and that is making things safer for all of us, so let’s extend it to the whole of London and get everyone on a bike.


*Showers? Pah. If it really matters, then surely we need a culture of slower paced cycling like Scandinavia. It’s all about enjoying the journey, not getting your race on.Some links I’ve loved:


Fighting the fear: how I got confident on the road

August 10, 2011 General, Road cycling, Tips and advice 2 comments

Theres a lot of talk about women being more nervous of cycling on the roads than men.  I don’t know if I agree with that.  I do think they’re often more prepared to admit fear, which is definitely not the same thing. I suspect that men often mask their nerves in lycra and bravado whereas women decide that cycling is not worth risking their lives over. However, scary facts about women being knocked off their bikes by lorries suggests that they can also be victims of their own wariness.

I certainly had loads more hairy moments before training to become a cycle instructor. I was definitely a curb hugger and would often dash for the pavement if things got beepy. The instructor course was an eye-opener for me. There were a few simple tips and techniques that instantly made me feel less vulnerable and defensive when navigating the bike-hating streets of Leeds. It didn’t save me from the idiots but it made me feel safer and in charge. I thought I’d share some of the most useful, just in case they help you too…

  • Look drivers in the eye whenever you want to do something
  • Take up the position of a car (i.e. in the middle of your side of the road) whenever at a junction, don’t let yourself be overtaken when turning – this includes roundabouts
  • Get to the front of traffic at a red light if you have time.  If you don’t, get in between two cars and become a car yourself
  • Don’t worry about pissing off drivers – they’re pissed off because they’re stuck in a metal box, not because of you.
  • Cycle lanes are not always the best place to be
  • Look over your right shoulder, a lot
  • Don’t assume other cyclists know what they’re doing
  • Beware the gutter, its often the most dangerous place to be
  • Cycle two-abreast its not only legal (and more fun) but recommended by British Cycling
  • The more confident you are, the safer you will be

This stuff is kind of obvious I guess, I just wish I’d been told it earlier.

This video is great too You lead the dance!

 
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