London Cyclist Autumn 2018

LONDON

Est. 1978

AU T U M N 2018

LCC AT 40

BIKES, GEAR AND MEMORIES

FUTURE LONDON

HOW THE CAPITAL COULD LOOK

MAGAZINE OF

TRAVEL GUIDE

CLASSIC COLS OF CORSICA

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AUTUMN 2018

contents

News | Features | Travel & Rides | How To | Bikes & Reviews TOP 40 > 25

67

GUIDES RIDE GUIDE

THREE PEAKS OF THE

SOUTH DOWNS Katy Rodda guides us on a loop of classic South Downs climbs

Orro Bikes

L

ONDONERS HAVE been visiting Brighton for around two centuries now, and the coastal city welcomes thousands upon thousands of visitors from the capital every year.

The London to Brighton Bike Ride may be especially familiar to some, but there’s more to explore around the South Downs.

This circular road ride into the South Downs National Park brings together two other good climbs to go with Ditchling Beacon:

Steyning Bostall and Devil’s Dyke.

There’s also the option of a bonus climb, Streat Bostall, which is near Ditchling Beacon.

The route include urban streets, quiet lanes and a few miles on slightly busier (category A or B) roads. These are fairly wide and are well-used by cyclists in Sussex.

There is also an off-road option for part of the route back into Brighton, for gravel/CX or hybrid bikes that can cope with non-technical off-road trails.

You can also do the ride in two sections, as there is a route back into Brighton from Devil’s Dyke, at just over the halfway mark.

FACT FILE ■ DISTANCE: 69km (43 miles) ■ ASCENT: 610m (excluding the additional climb of Streat Bostall).

■ SUITABLE FOR: gravel/cyclocross, light hybrid, touring and road bikes (with a decent spread of low gears).

■ BIKE HIRE: you can hire reasonable hybrid bikes from Cycle Brighton, based just by Hove station (cyclebrighton.com); the seafront is signed from Hove station. Brighton Bike Share bikes are not recommended for this route, unless you are after a really masochistic challenge…

■ NEAREST STATIONS: Brighton (regular services to London mainline stations), or Hove.

SOUTH DOWNS: THE THREE MAIN CLIMBS

START: BRIGHTON

1

2

STEYNING BOSTALL 22km (144m high)

DEVIL’S DYKE 38km( 206m)

3

DITCHLING BEACON END: 56.5km (249m) BRIGHTON

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LONDON CYCLIST Autumn 2018 67

HOW TO

YOGA PRE-RIDE

STRETCH

Practicing 5-10 minutes of yoga before you ride is a great way to wake up the body, improve posture, and to focus the mind explains Polly Clark

Polly Clark runs Mountain Yoga Breaks in Mid Wales. mountainyogabreaks.co.uk

Hold each pose for at least 30 seconds. Don’t bounce or force the movement as your muscles will tighten in response. Find the point in the pose where you can feel the stretch; it might be mildly uncomfortable, but the sensation you are looking for isn’t pain. Tune into your breath, keep it smooth and steady.

1A

1B

STANDING FORWARD BEND HOW? Stand with your back, straighten the arms if feet hip width apart. Take possible. Allow the head to your hands to your hips, release down. soften the knees and fold WHY? Stretches hips, forward from the hips. hamstrings and calves.

Bend the knees deeper Releases tension in the if you have restriction in spine. Activates the the hamstrings. Interlace abdominals. Opens the fingers behind the shoulders and chest.

3A

3B

4A

78

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As more people are ditching their cars, Katy Rodda explains why cargo bikes are a realistic alternative for families and businesses alike TOP TIP

Lights mounted over the front wheel light the road better

Thanks to London Green Cycles, Zedify

MODEL: URBAN ARROW FAMILY, £3,999. Pedal-assist; will handle loads up to 125kg HERE ARE many good reasons for trying hard to find out how little you need a car. Moving around outdoors every day is good for physical and mental wellbeing; the sitting position in a car is even worse than sitting at a desk all day; and air quality inside a car is no better than that outside. Car journeys in urban spaces are increasingly frustrating too — city centres aren’t built for cars, yet, incredibly, car use has increased since 2013. If fewer residential areas weren’t constantly rat-runned by cars on short trips, we might also see more happy, healthy street play.

The good news is that many people want to be part of the solution, and a broader definition of what human power can do is emerging. Even politicians are waking up to the common sense of ‘last mile’ logistics, where the 78

last stage of a delivery is split up into small-scale, low-carbon transportation instead of large motor haulage all the way to final destination.

It’s exciting to see haulage picking up on solutions that improve air quality and have the lowest impact on urban space.

Cargo bikes are becoming a regular sight on the streets of some UK cities, with companies such as Zedify (six cities nationwide), and fully-fledged logistics firms whose business models centre on low carbon and high efficiency.

Cargo bikes are an indicator of a healthy cycling culture: bikes are so normalised that people use them for a wide range of transport needs. But in private ownership in Britain, cargo bikes are even more niche than everyday cycles. You tend to see more ‘used’ by shops as static advertising than actually on the road.

HOW MUCH CAN YOU CARRY? If you can fit it in your standard car boot, you can usually fit it into a cargo bike. Standard loads include: children, dogs, groceries, suitcases, camping gear, garden waste, laundry bundles, picnics, sports kit, plants.

Even fridges and furniture on larger box bikes.

1m² – 3.5m²

Phill Stasiw

LOCUST POSE TO CHILD’S POSE HOW? Start by lying face Repeat three times down, arms down by the before making your way side of the hips, palms back to Child’s Pose. facing down.

WHY? Locust Pose As you inhale lift the strengthens the lower front of the shoulders, chest back and core muscles as and rib cage away from the well as working the glutes, floor, lift the arms and legs adductors and hamstrings. It off the floor making sure to is also an invigorating pose keep the legs straight. Tuck which will focus your mind the chin slightly, hold this for and breath getting you ready 5 breaths. to ride.

40 YEARS > 41

A quick LCC ‘highlights reel’ from four decades of cycle campaigning in London STAY WIDER CAMPAIGN > 48

2B

2A

STANDING PIGEON POSE HOW? Start in Chair Pose: over the right knee. Push into feet together, bend the knees, your right heel and sink hips sink the hips back and down, deeper until you feel a strong keeping the torso upright, stretch on the outer glutes reach the arms up. Take a and hip. Use a wall or table few breaths here. Bring the for balance if needed. palms together in front of WHY? Activates the outer the chest. Lift up the left hips, stretches glutes and foot and cross the left ankle strengthens the quads.

4B

DOWNWARD FACING DOG TO PLANK & BACK HOW? Start on all fours, lower belly and front ribs, hands shoulder-width apart, then draw your shoulders tuck your toes under, lift the forwards over your wrists. hips up and back. Straighten Finally open the chest through the arms. Keeping forwards. Hold and then hips high, start to straighten exhale back to downward the legs, extending heels to facing dog. Repeat 5-10 times. the floor. Take 5 breaths here.

WHY? Stretches shoulders, On an inbreath come calves, hamstrings and back forwards to Plank pose. Start muscles. Plank activates by tucking your tailbone core muscles, as well as under, lift up through the strengthens wrists and arms.

Some of our favourite bikes, gear, moments and events since 1978

What will we call cycles powered not by lithium but by cornflakes CARLTON REID, OPINION, PAGE 14

Our latest initiative to tackle driver awareness and cyclist safety WINTERIZE YOUR BIKE > 56

Sir Chris Hoy passes on his pro tips for prepping your bike for the winter months

Over 70% of KSIs occur at major junctions in London FRAN GRAHAM, GOING DUTCH, PAGE 34 LONDON CYCLIST Autumn 2018 5

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CONTENTS | AUTUMN 2018

LONDON

Est. 1978

AU T U M N 2018

Cover: Tower Bridge, London (Daniel Bosworth).

LCC AT 40

BIKES, GEAR AND MEMORIES

EDITORIAL

All change at London Cyclist W

ELCOME TO the all-new London Cyclist magazine.

A warm hello to both our regular readers and — with an increased print circulation — to thousands of cyclists who will very possibly be thumbing these pages for the first time.

As you’ll read about inside, London Cycling Campaign is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and we thought it was the perfect time to give the mag a makeover. So as well as the new ‘super compact’ format (deliberately designed to be easily carried in pockets and bags), we’re unveiling a fresh new look, a whole host of new features and, hopefully, enough cycle-related content to keep you occupied for at least a few lunch breaks.

To tie in with the ‘40th’ theme, we’ve asked a team of experts to consider how the city might look in 40 years’ time, we’ve taken a trip down memory lane revisiting selected highlights from four decades of cycle activism, and we’ve brought together a ‘Top 40’ of our favourite moments, events, bikes and gear since 1978. The bike pictured below was a particularly important one for me personally and you can read more about that (and others) on page 25.

Happy reading — and please do let us know what you think of the changes.

John Kitchiner Editor

LCC MEMBERS’ LEGAL HELPLINE Osbornes Solicitors are the official legal partner of LCC, providing members with exclusive access to a legal helpline. If you’re involved in a collision or have a cycling-related legal issue, phone the Cycling Team at Osbornes for advice on 020 7681 8672.

FUTURE LONDON

HOW THE CAPITAL COULD LOOK

MAGAZINE OF

TRAVEL GUIDE

CLASSIC COLS OF CORSICA

LONDON CYCLIST Unit 201 Metropolitan Wharf, 70 Wapping Wall, London E1W 3SS n 020 7234 9310 n lcc.org.uk

EDITORIAL

Editor: John Kitchiner, londoncyclist@lcc.org.uk Design: Anita Razak, Tracey Radnall Contributors: Simon Munk, Fran Graham, Tom Bogdanowicz, Rob Eves, Sarah Flynn, Ashok Sinha, Tony Levene, Carlton Reid, Katy Rodda.

ADVERTISING

Jack Watts, 020 3859 7099 jack.watts@jamespembrokemedia.co.uk

SOCIAL MEDIA

TWITTER: @london_cycling FACEBOOK: @LondonCyclingCampaign INSTAGRAM: @london_cycling Editorial, copyright & printing policy LCC is not aligned with any political party.

All views expressed in London Cyclist are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the editor, nor do they necessarily reflect LCC policy. Editorial content is independent of advertising. All material is copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the written permission of the editor.

London Cyclist is published by LCC. OUR AIMS: lcc.org.uk/strategy MEMBERSHIP: lcc.org.uk/membership TO DONATE: lcc.org.uk/donate LCC is a charitable limited company, reg no 1766411; charity no 1115789 London Cyclist is printed by Wyndehams on paper made from 100% FSC sustainably-managed and carbon-balanced forest.

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Autumn 2018

CYCLISTS PROTEST LORRY DEATHS Hundreds tell Mayor that political inaction must end now

O

N MONDAY 20 August LCC organised a protest ride, which stopped at the infamous junction of High Holborn and Southampton Row for speeches, a moment of silence, and to lay flowers in memory of the latest fatality in the area.

Dr Peter Fisher, 67, was killed just metres from the junction by a lorry on Wednesday 15 August.

He is the eighth cyclist to die on London streets this year and the fourth to die in the vicinity of this junction in the last five years.

People gathered on Russell Square from 5.30pm and the road gradually filled with cyclists. The ride then set off along Southampton Row, swung around the Holborn Gyratory and spread out to cover all four lanes of traffic before stopping at the junction.

Dr Fisher’s death follows a pattern of recent fatalities and serious collisions at junctions longknown to be too dangerous, and where action has been promised but never delivered. As well as Holborn, other collisions including an earlier

fatality at Woolwich Road roundabout have highlighted the need for far more urgent action at these notorious spots.

Before his election Mayor Sadiq Khan promised to make London “a byword for cycling” and, in response to LCC’s Sign for Cycling campaign, to triple the mileage of protected cycle tracks on main roads and complete TfL’s Better Junctions programme. But progress on these promises is far too slow — the few kilometres of completed track are legacy schemes from Boris Johnson’s mayoralty. And despite putting several junctions through consultation, construction is conspicuously absent. To date, Khan has yet to tame a single junction, while TfL is advancing schemes that fail on safety at places like Camberwell Green, Vauxhall Nine Elms and Croydon Fiveways.

We would like thank everyone who attended the protest at Holborn. n More info — lcc.org.uk/articles/hundreds-tell-

London cyclists fill the streets of Holborn in protest at recent fatalities

the-mayor-his-inaction-number-mustendnow

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NEWS

AFTER FIRST rejecting a resident’s unusual application for a ‘people’s parking space’, Hackney Council has now embraced the idea and is offering 15 people the opportunity to install a mini-park or ‘parklet’ that can feature a bench, parasol, flowers, games area, noticeboard or a Plantlock bike stand.

They will even be able to apply for a £150 grant to install the temporary (3-6 months) parklet and some could become permanent.

LCC and Living Streets campaigner Brenda Puech doesn’t have a car (like most Hackney residents) so applied for a permit to use the parking space for another purpose. When her application was rejected, she decided to show Hackneyites what they were missing and installed a table, parasol, two armchairs and two Plantlocks on some astroturf in the traffic-free street. Assembly member Caroline Russell officially opened the parklet.

Brenda anticipates a second round of applications if the first round is successful.

40 15 14 AMSTERDAM

‘Parklets’ come to Hackney

BERLIN

TOKYO

3 LONDON

% of daily journeys made by bike in major cities

One million... and counting SINCE THEY were turned on in February, two Cycle Superhighway (CSH) counters have been quietly racking up the number of people who have cycled along them. And on 23 July, at about 6pm, the East-West counter tripped its one millionth ride.

The counters are on the East-West CSH at the Embankment, and on the North-South CSH

by Blackfriars Bridge. In just five months, the East-West counter hit one million cycle journeys passing it. It was one of the first high-quality physically protected cycle routes in London, and since opening in May 2016 has proved hugely popular with commuters and tourists alike.

As the counter edged closer to the million mark, we went down to greet the millionth cyclist with an LCC goodie bag and a year’s free membership. While the cheering crowd initially startled the cyclist, we eventually caught up with him and can announce that landmark journey was made by Alastair Proudfoot.

He said: “Through my work as an intensive care doctor, I’m very aware of the dangers on London’s roads. While some Superhighways are not without challenges, specifically pedestrians, there is unquestionably a feeling of safety when I compare it to the start of my ride on the King’s Road where there is no segregation from traffic.”

Despite some criticism that the counters under-count (they don’t deal very well with large groups of cyclists), they have still been effectively busting the myth that the lanes are under-used.

Delivered as part of Boris Johnson’s pledge to bring Dutch-style infrastructure to the capital, LCC has been pushing to see more and more Cycle Superhighways along our main roads.

We’ll continue to hold Sadiq Khan to his Sign for Cycling pledge to triple the length of main road physically-protected cycle tracks.

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NEWS

‘Missing Link’ finally opens

30

AFTER MORE than a decade of campaigning, the notorious ‘missing link’ on the Thames Path, near the Thames Barrier, was finally opened this summer. Although only open from 6am to 9pm currently, it is welcomed as an imaginative design, and the result of continued lobbying by Greenwich Cyclists and persistent hard work from the local council.

The ‘missing link’, which previously forced cyclists to divert on to the busy main Woolwich Road, is only 500m long and was blocked by an industrial estate. In 2005 Greenwich Cyclists approached the council to investigate opening it up, but the owners of the estate (the Co-op) were completely opposed to any development or public access. It seemed a solution could be a cantilevered path over the river on the flood defence wall and in the end this design was used for the eastern part of the path, with a ramp at both ends. At the western end the path follows an existing road through the estate’s warehouses.

MPH

+ Major trials made permanent

30 MPH

20 MPH

MurkyDepthsBlog

The distances shown here are LCC’s suggested safe passing distances, forming part of the Stay Wider of the Rider campaign (see page 48).

Two major central London infrastructure trials — both of which have been focal points for LCC campaigning in recent years — have now been made permanent.

First introduced in May 2017, an experimental scheme at Bank banned all through motor traffic (7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, except buses) from what was a notoriously dangerous, sevenarmed junction. In September the City of London Corporation’s Court of Common Council voted to make the ‘Bank on Safety’ scheme permanent.

LCC campaigned heavily for the scheme, which has reduced collisions at and around the junction, improved bus journey times and has dramatically improved the area for all users.

Also in September, and following a public enquiry, the iconic Tavistock Place scheme has been made permanent. With 79% of consultation respondents in favour of the scheme, Camden Council voted to keep cycle lanes that run both east and west along Tavistock Place. Consistent campaigning from LCC, and especially Camden Cyclists, has helped ensure this important cycling infrastructure on Tavistock Place, Torrington Place and Byng Place is here to stay.

Join us at the 2018 AGM The AGM is where LCC sets its stall out for the year ahead — it’s when our new Trustees come into post and big decisions are made. As well as voting on motions, members can find out about future plans and ask questions about them.

Our guest speaker this year is Heidi Alexander, the new Deputy Mayor for Transport, and we warmly encourage everyone to join us in what promises to be a lively and enjoyable occasion (although only LCC members may vote). This year’s AGM takes place on the evening of Thursday 18 October at New London Architecture (The Building Centre, 26 Store Street, WC1E 7BT). n lcc.org.uk/agm LONDON CYCLIST Autumn 2018 11

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OPINION

A landmark year Let’s pause to celebrate says Ashok Sinha, without losing focus on the massive task still facing us

M

ILLENNIALS, BEAR with me! I’m going on a trip down memory lane to a time before you, indeed half of all current Londoners, were born. The year is 1978. You may not remember it but, so far as the London Cycling Campaign (LCC) is concerned, it was a big year.

1978 saw Louise Brown conceived by IVF to become the first ‘test-tube’ baby. Kate Bush become the first woman with a self-penned song to reach number one in the singles charts. Braving hostility from the terraces, Viv Anderson became the first black footballer to wear the three lions in an international fixture. And on the international stage, US President Jimmy Carter brokered the Camp David Accords to bring an end to decades of war between Egypt and Israel, cancelled the American neutron bomb programme and legalised the home-brewing of beer.

In among all these epochal events, a happening of small proportions but far-reaching consequences took place in (inevitably) a pub in central London. A gathering of activists decided that the only way to create greener, safer, cycle-friendly streets was to get organised. And

lo, the LCC was born. Yes, dear reader, LCC is 40 years old this year! From humble beginnings we have grown into the largest urban cycling campaign in the world, with a track record of changing the political landscape for cycling in London and winning safer conditions for cycling across the capital.

If you suspect a fanfare of one’s own trumpets is about to be blown you’d be right. Naturally, the one that springs foremost to my mind is the one I’m proudest to have been part of. Thus I will ever remember our Love London, Go Dutch campaign that persuaded Boris Johnson to tear up the rulebook and bring safer, Dutch-style cycle routes to London for the first time — and changed the terms of cycling debate for the country as a whole.

But LCC is not in the business of sitting back. Lest you think me trapped in self-indulgent reverie over past glories, be assured that LCC is acutely aware that the job is far from done: not by a country

“Only 3% of trips in London are by bike.

In Amsterdam it’s 40%, Berlin 15%...”

Ashok Sinha Chief Executive of London Cycling Campaign

mile is London a place where cycling is safe enough to be the natural choice for everyone’s everyday journeys.

We can affect change Just look around for yourselves and see who is cycling: children travelling to school? Not many.

Older people nipping to the shops?

A rarity. Disabled people, for whom biking on adapted cycles can be life-changing? Only the brave. Sketch the demographics of those cycling in London and you will find it unrepresentative of London’s demographics. Only 3% of trips in London are by bike. In Amsterdam it’s 40%, Berlin 15% and Tokyo 14%.

This isn’t good enough. There’s no fundamental reason why London couldn’t have ten times the current level of cycling. Our air would be cleaner and carbon footprint lower. We’d be healthier and save on transport costs. We’d be happier too: that joy of cycling that you had as a kid? It can be yours again. Sounds too good to be true? No. We can make it happen.

If you haven’t already done so, then join us, and together we can make all of this a reality long before the next 40 years elapses. In the meantime, I wish you all safe and happy cycling.

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OPINION

‘E’ is the future Without question they’re here to stay, but where do e-bikes sit in the cycle world asks Carlton Reid

H

OW LONG will it be before this magazine is renamed to reflect the growing e-bike boom?

There’s a historical precedent for such a metamorphosis: in the early 1900s the bicycle and motorbike worlds were closely aligned, and cycling magazines carried many articles about motorbikes. By the 1920s the worlds were almost fully separate, cycling magazines stopped running stories about ‘motorised bicycles’, and writers in standalone motorbike magazines poured scorn on those still riding muscle-powered machines.

Without sales of modern e-bikes over recent years the depressed cycle market might have come close to collapse. Again, there’s a historical precedent for this too: bicycle companies in the early 1900s struggled to survive, and many concentrated, instead, on making and selling motorbikes (and, even more lucratively, cars).

Could Specialized, say, one day stop selling pedal-only bikes and only market pedal-assist bikes? It’s entirely possible. The US brand is investing heavily in e-bikes, with prices ranging from £3k to £8k. And those eye-watering prices are one reason why so many firms are diving deep into electrification — e-bikes make money, lots of money.

At a recent trade event in Idaho I asked Specialized’s US boss Jeff McGuane if he could envisage the company morphing into an e-bike-only brand: he could.

We also talked taxonomy, something that is now exercising many in the industry: what to call cycles powered not by lithium but by cornflakes? Some in the industry favour ‘acoustic cycle’, a nod to the difference between an acoustic and an electric guitar. Or should it be ‘m-bike’, for mechanical or manual bicycle? Academics have taken to call them ‘classic bicycles’, or CBs. (‘Analogue’ is also used by some e-insiders, but I don’t feel ‘anal bikes’ will catch on as a term).

With Orbea, and some others, producing road e-bikes that look almost identical to ‘classic’ road bikes it’s getting harder and harder to tell the genres apart, and while many would like to call non-electric bicycles just ‘bicycles’ this could get increasingly difficult.

I’m not disparaging e-bikes here.

I’ve got a Tern GSD e-cargo bike on

“What will we call cycles powered not by lithium but by cornflakes?”

Carlton Reid Editor-at-large of BikeBiz magazine and book author

loan, and an electrified Brompton I borrowed for a bit was great fun.

And my doctor wife goes to work on a Gtech e-bike.

How to define an ‘e-bike’ There’s no denying that e-bikes are smile-inducing, sweat-reducing and super practical, but for all the arguments that they are more akin to cycles than motorbikes it’s inescapable that they are equipped with motors. There’s a current tussle at the European Commission over the proper classification for e-bikes, with lawyers and lobbyists arguing over how much weight should be given to the fact e-bikes have motors.

This tussle could come down to speed. Some rogue shops pander to their nagging customers and ‘de-restrict’ e-bikes so they can go faster than today’s limit of 25kph.

And the EC has noticed that ‘speed pedelecs’ (which can zip along at 45kph) are increasing in popularity.

A recent Twitter video showed a blasé guy on a de-restricted e-bike speeding dangerously along the E-W Cycle Superhighway. LCC is fine with legal e-bikes on CSHs, but should souped-up machines be allowed to mix with classic cycles?

The worry is that safe cycleways — protected from motor traffic — could, ironically, become perilous thanks to motors of an allied kind.

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Bike Future London and cycling have come a long way in 40 years. But where will we be in the next 40? Simon Munk reads the tealeaves of transport progress

ipvdelft.com

W

HEN IT comes to science fiction, Heath Robinson-esque contraptions, or bold visions of the future without much chance of realisation, cycling seems to attract more than its fair share of the wacky and wonderful.

So to celebrate LCC’s 40th anniversary, we decided to ask experts what London could more sensibly be like in relation to how it develops, how we get around and how we live in our city in 40 years’ time.

Of course, we have illustrated our sensible vision with the most crazy concept designs we can find — because they look good.

Welcome to London, 2058…

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FUTURE

HOVENRING While British visionaries and Mayors dream of sci-fi ideas for cycling (and car manufacturers come up with futuristic ways of telling us to get out the way), the Dutch just get on and build it.

This is an actual cycle roundabout that floats above a busy junction in the province of North Brabant, near Eindhoven. It’s real, it works, it no doubt cost a mint.

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OLD STREET ROUNDABOUT The ‘peninsularisation’ of the long-hated Old Street roundabout can’t come quick enough. But while we wait for construction to begin, there seems to be more work going in to how the new scheme will look. This image is from one of the final four contenders currently tendering to transform the space that will be available when the roundabout is finally tamed.

Times change, but some things stay the same, such as the relationship between people and places. An ancient Roman ‘placemaker’ said a successful place had to be fit for purpose, last and look good — these three requirements remain valid today.

The creation and maintenance of spaces that are open to all not only allows societies and economies to function, but they are spaces that everyone has a right to use and has a stake in.

Streets last for centuries, millennia even, as does their relationship with the buildings they serve. So, whatever our grandchildren will be facing, we need to be making sure there’s enough of this vital space — laid out logically, comfortable, and fit for purpose well into the future.

ADRIAN LORD

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, TRANSPORT PLANNING CONSULTANT PHIL JONES ASSOCIATES The South Bank, Shepherd’s Market and Covent Garden prove the popularity of traffic-free environments; it’s high time to spread that joy. London is a great city to explore on foot or on two wheels, since most streets were developed long before the age of the car. But compared to many other cities it currently lacks civilised street space. Motor traffic has to go.

Sadly, traffic jams won’t be a thing of the past, at least for cyclists. We already see a bit of congestion on the Cycle Superhighways. So expect to see more use of smart detection systems and ‘green-wave’ technologies to reduce delays and manage the finite space available for us.

STUART WOOD

EPR Architects

ESTHER KURLAND

HEAD OF URBAN DESIGN CITY PLANNING TfL

GROUP LEADER HEATHERWICK STUDIO With the development of powerful battery storage and compact electric motors, the spectrum of modes of transport is wider and more flexible than ever. Electric cars, vans, bikes, scooters, skateboards are all now within reach, allowing freedoms of movement with a lesser impact on our surroundings.

Combined with these developments, the longstanding obsession for direct ownership of transport is also lessening, especially in city settings, and a timeshare, app-led economy is upon us, leading to greater utilisation and hopefully fewer vehicles on the road.

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FUTURE

BRIAN DEEGAN DESIGN ENGINEER URBAN MOVEMENT I am so old I remember when the street I was raised on had asphalt applied over its cobbles and I remember wondering what this stuff was as I picked at it with a lollipop stick in the heat of 1976. I then remember seeing my friend Stephen get run over by a car driver enjoying this new surface.

Stephen deteriorated from being the smartest in class to not being able to concentrate.

Eventually he dropped out of the system altogether and I lost a friend. I then had no-one to play ‘kerby’ with (look it up at

streetgames.co.uk). This shift back away from the road was symbolic of the nationwide drift inside of our houses to play computer games and become frightened of the outside world.

It was with this in mind that I asked designers to go back to my old house and produce a visualisation of a side road zebra for Greater Manchester’s Beelines plan for a walking and cycling network.

My vision of the future has pedestrians and cyclists prioritised at side roads where most collisions happen.

Automated cars and smart streets are one thing, but strolling or riding down your street without fear is a more powerful aim for the future.

Hopefully by that time, citizens who want to experience what car domination was like in 2018 will need to be sustainably transported to a demonstration town somewhere like Corby where android children run into the path of tourist cars to recreate the horror of early 21stcentury streets.

LONDON UNDERLINE Possibly even more bonkers than Norman Foster’s SkyCycle (p21), the Underline would return abandoned tube tunnels to use by filling them with cyclists and pedestrians. And would use kinetic energy from those using the system to create its own energy. Of course, how exactly the system would deal with the many interchanges between dormant and active tunnels, and with getting cyclists up and down from the tunnels in the first place, remains to be seen.

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FUTURE

FAYE SCOTT UK RESEARCH & POLICY MANAGER

Foster+Partners

ASHDEN When we brought London stakeholders together recently to discuss city futures, their transport ideas were ambitious and creative. A key one was getting deliveries out of the centre, collecting them outside cities, coordinating them and using cleaner vehicles, like delivery bikes. Another was truly integrated transport — making it simple, appealing and affordable to move between active, clean and public modes

like walking, cycling, buses and trains.

More and more people also want to live and work in their own neighbourhood. This makes walking and cycling even more appealing, but requires careful design of new communities and regeneration of existing ones so everyone can use them.

Our stakeholders imagined communities with stronger connections between residents, such as younger people helping

older ones get around.

Much of this feels out of reach in the face of transport chaos today. The challenge is that cities can’t start from scratch when making improvements. Progress can feel incremental, disruptive and disconnected. But examples of better integration exist, from places as far afield as Fortaleza in Brazil to Toulouse in France, and are replicable if city leaders are willing to learn and, crucially, willing to invest.

SKYCYCLE Norman Foster suggested as recently as 2014 that 220km of cycle routes could easily be created by suspending cycle tracks above overground rail lines. Just four minor details have so far ensured that Foster’s vision has yet to be realised: (i) the gigantic cost per mile; (ii) how scary would it be to cycle above rail lines in an enclosed track?; (iii) people who want to get from one train station to another along a train line are most likely to… use a train; (iv) the 200 entrance points proposed would mean cyclists leaving the road, riding up onto the tracks, then back down at the other end – for lots of extra effort.

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FUTURE

THAMES DECKWAY This pontoon deck concept combines several puzzling elements. Proposed to run from Battersea to Canary Wharf as a floating walking and cycling route, a charge (£1.50) has been mooted for use, compared to using the parallel CS3 Cycle Superhighway which stretches much of the same distance and is free.

At the same time, the design is set to use the movement of the pontoon itself to generate green power.

CLAUDIA PEÑARANDA

ERIK TETTEROO & RONALD DE HAAS

PRINCIPAL CITY PLANNER TfL

APPM MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS ONE OF PRINCIPAL PARTNERS IN THE DUTCH CYCLING EMBASSY

Technical advances cyclically change our lives in many ways, but the task of a city planner remains. Architecture and planning are way behind many other disciplines in automisation — not because of conservatism but because there’s an important creative dimension in planning.

You can have flying cars and holograms as partners, but liaising with other human beings and thinking creatively about how to improve our environment will always be a difficult task.

Within ten years’ time it is expected the capital will house over 10 million people.

This ongoing urbanisation is a worldwide trend. When density increases in our cities, the need for mobility grows, and the space needed per modality becomes a greater issue.

The private car takes up about ten times as much space as a bicycle while parked, but on the move it consumes 28 times as much as a person on a bike.

And the walking catchment

area around tube, train and bus stations is small. The future for London is better served based on cycling instead of walking to stations. With the longer reach and higher speed of the bike, the catchment area around stations increases 15 times compared to walking.

Combining the speed and long distance of the train with the door-to-door flexibility of the bicycle could be done in London within 10-20 years if the right choices are made.

Proposed by Ribble Cycles, working in partnership with University of West England Transport Engineering department, the Future Cities project reimagined key junctions in Manchester and London (Waterloo Imax pictured) with floating solargenerating cycle tracks above the road. Basically a SkyCycle 2, with a nod to the Hovenring.

Ribble Cycles

ATERLOO W SOLAR TRACK

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TOP | BIKES | GEAR | EVENTS | MOMENTS | PEOPLE # 1 – 40

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TOP 40 YE ARS #40 -34 With LCC reaching its 40th year, John Kitchiner celebrates 40 of the most important bikes, products and moments of the last four decades

#40

FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

1978

#38

We had to start the countdown with this, right? So LCC was born 40 years ago and in our anniversary year we felt it only right to thank and congratulate all the members, activists and supporters who have helped make us the largest urban cycling campaign in the world.

Here’s to the next 40...

Still run on Wednesday evenings in the summer months, ‘Beastway’ was originally held at the Eastway Cycle Circuit (now buried under the Olympic Park), before finding a home at Redbridge Cycle Centre (Hog Hill). A testing ground for many of the UK’s top racers and Turner prize-winning artists alike (Grayson Perry pictured in 2002).

BEASTWAY MTB SERIES 1992 onwards

#36

CARGO BIKES

2010s

Whether we’re talking ‘box bikes’, bakfiets (see page 78 or ‘longtails’, this new breed of people/ goods carriers is definitely a ‘thing’.

Perfect for school runs, shopping trips and for small local businesses.

#35

MAMILS AND CYCLE SPORTIVES

2000s

The post-Beijing Olympics road bike boom led to MAMILs (Middle Aged Men in Lycra) everywhere looking for new challenges, which came in the form of dozens of great organised challenge events across the country.

#34 John Mullineaux

LONDON TO BRIGHTON RIDE 1970s onwards

#39

BIKEPACKING: LIGHT AND FAST

#37

2010s

Like a pared-down, lightweight cross between backpacking and cycle-touring, bikepacking has captured the imagination of adventurous riders and there’s now dedicated luggage ranges.

Linked to #35 but for slightly less serious cyclists, the L2B is by far the biggest charity ride in the UK. The BHF-run event has so far attracted 800,000 riders, raising £65m.

I’ll make London a byword for cycling around the world — making it easier and safer to get around our city by bike SADIQ KHAN, 2015

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TOP 40 YE ARS #33 -27

#33

RISE OF THE CYCLE CAFÉ

2010s

From zero cycle cafés at the turn of the century, London now boasts dozens of great coffee-cum-workshop stops, including Look Mum No Hands, Machine, Cadence, CycleLab, Rapha Clubhouse, Pearsons and many more...

START TO FINISH = 78 DAYS

#32

MODERN BIKE HELMETS

1980s

Following up on its earlier MSR design, Bell introduced a full EPS foam model in the early 80s.

Another company, Giro, then adapted that idea, with vents and a thin Lycra outer cover.

#30

#28

’GRAVEL’ BIKES

2010s

The new breed of ‘gravel’ or ‘adventure’ bikes can lay claim to the one-bike-does-all crown. They’re great fun, but essentially drop-barred versions of the old rigid mtb!

#29

RALEIGH MK2 CHOPPER 1972-1982

The original Choppers were first seen in the UK in 1969, but it’s the Mk2 version that most people fondly remember.

With a T-bar gear shifter, ‘ape hanger’ bars, rear rack, a five-speed option, and the ability to offer a couple of mates a ‘backie’ (or ‘frontie’), the Chopper has achieved iconic status in the cycling world for its style alone.

#31

DOWNHILL DOMINANCE 2000s onwards Steve Peat, Tracy Moseley, Gee and Rachel Atherton, Danny Hart... the list of Britain’s downhill mtb world champs, at both senior and junior level, is the envy of the world. Long overdue proper recognition.

AROUND THE WORLD 2017 On 18 September 2017 Mark Beaumont arrived in Paris having completed a supported circumnavigation of the globe in 78 days, 14 hours and 40 minutes — that’s 18,000 miles, at an average of 240 miles per day.

#27

WATERPROOF PANNIERS

1982

Even though there’s now dozens of companies producing great touring gear, there’s one name that’s really synonymous with waterproof panniers: Ortlieb. The story goes that after a rain-sodden cycle tour of southern England, a young Hartmut Ortlieb returned home and started making a pack from used truck tarp. A handlebar bag followed this home-sewn pannier and the rest is history.

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TOP 40 YE ARS #40 -35

#26

HERNE HILL VELODROME

2013

The only surviving venue from the 1948 Olympic Games, Herne Hill attracted world stars through the 50s and 60s before falling on hard times. Luckily, thanks to an Olympic legacy project and substantial grant, the track was saved and upgraded, and a new pavilion opened in 2017.

#25

SPACE FOR CYCLING

2014

Another hugely popular LCC campaign aimed at making local streets safe and inviting for everyone to cycle. Ahead of the local elections, a whopping 50% of prospective councillors pledged their support.

#24

FRONT SUSPENSION Early 1990s

Alongside disc brakes and tyre tech, suspension forks rank as one of the greatest bike innovations of the 20th century. Debate still rages about who invented them first, but they’re now not only found on mountain bikes, but also on hybrids and adventure bikes.

#23

SPECIALIZED STUMPJUMPER

1981

Though bicycles had been ridden off-road since the early 1900s, the birth of modern mountain bikes is usually traced to the late 1970s’ ‘klunkers’ seen in California and Colorado. By 1981 Specialized brought out the Stumpjumper, the world’s first mass-produced mountain bike, and this helped sparked the biggest boom in cycling for the next two decades.

#22

BALANCE BIKES 2000s

To the delight of parents and kids across the globe, a modern take on an old idea saw stabilisers consigned to the dustbin. By learning to balance and counter-steer first, kids learn to ride much faster before pedals are introduced.

#21

CHRIS BOARDMAN 1992

His individual pursuit gold at the 1992 Olympics (on board the iconic Lotus 108 bike), plus world hour records, captured the public imagination and effectively lit a touchpaper for future GB track success. A longtime activist, Chris is now Manchester’s cycling commissioner.

#20

STOP DE KINDERMOORD

1970s

In 1971 500 children died on Dutch roads.

This seminal campaign (literally ‘Stop the Child Murder’) continued through the decade and started the move towards the safer streets they still pioneer today.

#19

GORE-TEX BIKE WEAR 1992 WL Gore had launched its waterproof and breathable Giro jacket in 1985, but it wasn’t until the revolutionary Windstopper fabric was introduced in 1992 that cyclists really took note. And it’s still going strong...

#18

TOUR DE FRANCE VISITS ENGLAND 1994, 2007, 2014 After hosting an unsuccessful stage in 1974, where racers competed along the Plympton bypass in Plymouth, Le Tour finally returned 20 years later for two stages on the south coast. A prologue and stage 1 followed in 2007, with the famous Yorkshire Grand Depart kicking off three stages in 2014.

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TOP 40 YE ARS #17-9

#17

KRYPTONITE D-LOCKS Early 1980s

#13

Invented in 1971, Kryptonite’s first steel lock changed bike security forever. The K4 lock (early 80s) and New York series (1994) quickly became best-sellers.

The landmark East-West Cycle Superhighway finally opened and quickly became a leading example of how proper protected space for cycling works. Running from Tower Hill to Lancaster Gate, the route now clocks well over a million journeys every six months.

E-W CYCLE SUPERHIGHWAY

2016

#10

CYCLISTS BECOME HOUSEHOLD NAMES 2008-2016

Continued success at every Olympics since Beijing now means riders like Sir Chris Hoy, Laura and Jason Kenny, and Victoria Pendleton are all household names.

#16

FIXED GEAR FASHION Late 2000s

For a few years ‘fixies’ ruled supreme on the streets, before the trend moved on to retro racers in the early 2010s.

#15

#12

First introduced to Britain in the 1960s, it wasn’t until the 1970s that hi-vis clothing was adopted by commuting cyclists. Love it or loathe it — and its safety benefits are still in question — hi-vis without reflective material is best used in daylight.

Yes, it broke the bank and, yes, the legacy of the main stadium is still a mess, but for few weeks in 2012 the country roared home the recordbreaking Team GB athletes like never before. Cycling high point was the dominance of the track squad in the new Velodrome.

HI-VIS VEST 1970s

#14

TYRES GOT BIGGER AND BETTER

2010s

As trends change and new tech emerges, we’re seeing a huge swing in tyre choice for all types of cycling. Roadies have moved away from the ultra-skinny 23mm tyres to 25-28mm options. Drop-barred ‘gravel’ or adventure bikes sport tyres up to 42mm, and mountain bikers have a dizzying choice of ‘plus’ sizes and even ‘fat’ rubbers, next to ‘normal’ 2.1 -2.4in treads.

LONDON OLYMPICS 2012

#11

THE YEAR RECORD 2015 Kurt Searvogel rode 76,076 miles in a year to finally beat Tommy Goodwin’s 75-year-old record.

#9

LONDON HIRE BIKES

2010

Based on the Paris Vélib scheme, London’s hire bikes came into operation in July 2010. Initially sponsored by Barclays Bank — and known colloquially as ‘Boris Bikes’ after former Mayor Johnson (even though plans were unveiled by his predecessor Ken Livingstone) — the scheme is now sponsored by Santander. In 2017, annual ridership was clocked at 10.5 million!

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TOP 40 YE ARS #8-1

#8

RESURGENCE IN FRAME-BUILDING

2010s

As cycling has enjoyed a huge boom in popularity this millennium, bespoke British bike manufacture has also seen an equally stunning renaissance. While large-scale cycle manufacture still happens mostly in the Far East, dozens of small outfits have emerged, producing short runs of increasingly beautiful frames.

And the Bespoked Bike Show has taken place annually since 2011.

#3

#6

DISC BRAKES Late 1990s

One of the best, most important, developments in cycling has been the widespread introduction of reliable, predictable brakes, a trend first seen on mountain bikes in the late 90s, before being adopted by

everything from

hybrids and road

bikes to cyclocross and adventure bikes.

BROMPTON FOLDING BIKES

1981

Arguably the most iconic bike on London’s streets, the Brompton was designed by Andrew Ritchie in 1975 but didn’t move into low-volume production until six years later. The first factory opened in Brentford in 1988. The innovative folding design has received many awards and, since 2006, even has its own World Championship races. These days Brompton builds 40,000 bikes every year.

Fuelled by fashion, sporting success and increased media coverage, cycling became part of the cultural mainstream. Bikes now appear on everything from tv ads to pop videos (Mark Ronson pictured).

#5

#2

This year saw the 26th ‘Dun Run’, an informal, semi-organised, 200km (120-mile) ride that, for many, is the highlight of their cycling year. Starting at London Fields, Hackney and finishing on the beach at Dunwich, Suffolk, the free event now attracts 2,500+ riders, on every conceivable type of bike. It’s just brilliant fun!

So we may be blowing our own trumpets a little here, but our ‘Go Dutch’ campaign (see page 45) in Olympic year was the biggest campaign ever run by LCC. It not only secured 42,000 petition signatures, but attracted 10,000 cyclists to the ‘Big Ride’ finale — the biggest cycle protest ride ever witnessed in the UK.

DUNWICH DYNAMO 1992-93 onwards

#7

CYCLING ENTERS MAINSTREAM Late 2000s

#4 FREECYCLE & RIDELONDON 2007 Brainchild of LCC’s David Love, and inspired by guided rides to the Tour de France in 2007, the Freecycle weekend (in tandem with RideLondon) now brings more than 50,000 cyclists (mostly families) onto the closed roads of central London each summer.

LOVE LONDON, GO DUTCH

2012

#1 Right, we’re just going to draw the raffle numbers…

It’s been a magical couple of weeks. Some dreams do come true...

SIR BRADLEY WIGGINS ON THE TOUR DE FRANCE WINNER’S PODIUM, 2012

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CAMPAIGNS

Rough Guide to Going Dutch With the Dutch lauded as world leaders in cycle facilities, Fran Graham explains more about the key concepts

T

HE NETHERLANDS is a cycling nirvana. A place where images of cycling gently along canals springs to mind as soon as the country’s name is mentioned. Where 29% of all trips are done by bike (compared to 3% in London), the majority are done by women. Stand on the side of a road in the Netherlands and you won’t see any specialist kit, or any Lycra, helmets or high-vis, just huge numbers of people cycling their everyday journeys in their everyday clothes.

The Netherlands didn’t become one of the most cycle-friendly places in the world by accident. Back in the 1970s, the Dutch decided that they weren’t going to allow car to be king on their roads any more. They transformed wide multi-lane highways into avenues with physically protected space for cyclists. Parking spaces were repurposed into public squares, trees planted, and by investing in creating streets that worked for walking, cycling and public transport, that turned their country into one that is now synonymous with cycling.

Protected space for cycling: the key strand in Going Dutch

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CAMPAIGN

The London Cycling Campaign works to transform our city into a healthier, cleaner and happier place to live, where cycling is a choice for any Londoner who wants to ride the streets conveniently and without fear. To do that, we decided that we should be learning some of the lessons from our friends over the Channel, and bringing some of their excellent ideas over here. So we kicked off our Love London, Go Dutch campaign in 2012, calling for highquality, Dutch-style infrastructure in our city.

It worked. Since then we have seen more and more examples of ‘Dutch-style’ facilities across London, and as a result, more and more people are cycling. But what exactly is ‘Go Dutch’ infrastructure? What does it look like on the roads? And why is it so important?

Physically protected cycle lanes

to get to their destination by the most direct route, avoiding the need for backstreet detours.

By adding these lanes to a road with heavy traffic, it can transform it from one that only the most hardened cyclists would attempt to use into a route that can be used by everyone — and on a bigger range of bikes, from cargo bikes to adapted cycles used by people with mobility issues.

Because of the importance of this, in 2016 LCC campaigned for and won a commitment from the Mayor, Sadiq Khan, to triple the length of London’s protected tracks by the end of his term.

WHAT DOESN’T IT LOOK LIKE: a thin painted cycle lane on the road that offers no protection from the traffic. Or a bus lane (where cyclists share the lane with buses), or a segregated cycle track that ends before a junction, chucking cyclists back into the traffic at the most dangerous point on the road.

Illustrations: Boing Graphics

Often seen as the jewels in any cycling city’s crown, high-quality, physically protected cycle lanes make travel a doddle for all kinds of cyclists. By separating them from the cars, buses, vans and lorries, people on bikes can move around easily at their own pace.

Importantly, they also mean that cyclists can completely avoid many dangerous and intimidating situations, including close passing or ‘tailigating’ from impatient drivers.

And by placing physically protected cycle lanes on main roads, it often allows cyclists

By investing in creating streets that worked for walking, cycling and public transport, [the Dutch] turned their country into one that is now synonymous with cycling

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WHAT IT DOES LOOK LIKE: A wide track, purely for cyclists. It can be separated from the traffic by a kerb, ‘wands’ (posts sticking upright out of the road), or smaller plastic humps that run along the edge of the lane — anything that will stop traffic physically taking your cycling space. Famous examples in London include some of the Cycle Superhighways, such as the East-West Cycle Superhighway that runs along the Embankment, or Cycle Superhighway 5 from Oval to the north side of Vauxhall Bridge.

Quieter neighbourhoods When we imagine a residential road, we picture quiet, leafy suburbia — streets that are designed for the benefit, convenience and use of the people who live on them. However, with apps like Google Maps, Waze and others turning little known cut-throughs into busy rat-runs, our residential roads are being overrun by motor traffic, bringing with it noise, air pollution and added danger to these

streets, and the health consequences that go alongside all these impacts.

But by reducing the traffic in our residential areas, we can make it enjoyable and safe to walk and cycle everyday journeys, which means people are more likely to leave the car at home.

It can help us build healthier and stronger communities by providing public space to talk to each other in, and makes it possible for children to roam and walk or cycle to school.

LCC successfully campaigned for the previous Mayor, Boris Johnson, to provide funding to local councils to create quieter neighbourhoods, called ‘Mini-Hollands’ in Waltham Forest, Enfield and Kingston. Mayor Sadiq Khan has also provided funding for quieter neighbourhoods through the Liveable Neighbourhoods programme.

WHAT THIS DOESN’T LOOK LIKE: grey, busy roads, with traffic disturbing the peace, and thousands of vehicles using smaller streets to avoid the main roads.

Bollards & planters: can be used to ‘filter’ traffic in residential streets

By reducing the traffic in our residential areas, we can make it enjoyable and safe to walk and cycle everyday journeys

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CAMPAIGN

WHAT IT DOES LOOK LIKE: quiet roads, where the traffic levels are so low that people feel comfortable walking and cycling local trips.

They can be created by blocking some roads with bollards or big pots full of plants, which people on foot and bike can pass through, but cars can’t. These mean that people living there can still drive to their home, but people can’t just drive through their road. High-quality examples of this in London can be found in Waltham Forest and Hackney.

Less traffic In London, we have illegally high levels of air pollution, which is causing the equivalent of 9,000 premature deaths per year. Motor vehicles (cars, buses, vans and lorries) are the largest source of this in the city, and to reduce the levels of air pollution, we need to reduce the number of people using these vehicles. Especially as one third of all the car trips made by London residents are less than 2km — that’s walkable in 20 minutes, cycleable in 10. We also have a rising congestion problem — in 2016, traffic jams cost London £6.1 billion, and given the rapidly expanding population of London, that’s expected to rise to £9.3 billion by 2030. We need to cut the unnecessary car journeys in order to keep London moving and reduce air pollution —

and to do that, we need to make it easier for people to choose other ways to get about.

By making our roads much safer and more enjoyable to walk and cycle on, we can enable people to leave the car at home. This is why, when you build cycle lanes or quieter neighbourhoods, you don’t see all the traffic moving onto other roads. As people choose other ways to make their trips (walking, cycling or public transport), traffic ‘evaporates’ — in the Waltham Forest Mini-Holland, making their streets more cycle and walking friendly led to a 56% drop in traffic.

Alongside the Mini-Hollands, LCC is working with local councils and our local borough groups to help them produce highquality Liveable Neighbourhoods to reduce car use.

WHAT DOESN’T IT LOOK LIKE: Leaving our streets as they are — most of our roads make things easier for cars, whether people are travelling in them or storing them on the roads, often at the expense of people on bikes, foot or public transport.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE: Making things easier for cycling, walking and public transport — that includes building more cycle lanes on main roads, creating quieter neighbourhoods and creating lots more cycle parking.

Parking solutions: Cyclehoop’s clever bike port fits 10 bikes in the same space as one car

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Slower speeds

Joined up: London needs a fully linked network of cycle tracks

On roads where cyclists need to share the road with traffic, slower speeds can make a huge difference to the risk and feel of the road. An increasing number of roads across London are implementing 20mph speed limits based on the wealth of evidence that slower speeds save lives.

Not only does this give drivers much more time to react to changing road situations, leading to fewer accidents, it also reduces the likelihood of a serious injury and increases chances of survival in the case of collisions. If someone walking is hit by a vehicle at 30mph, they are five times more likely to be killed than if they were hit at 20mph. Slower speeds also make sharing the road a much more pleasant and less intimidating experience for cyclists.

However, just putting up a 20mph sign is not enough. The police can enforce the limit with speed cameras and road patrols, handing out

fines for breaking it, but this isn’t possible for the whole of London. In addition to enforcement by the police, we can also design our roads to encourage drivers to stick to the limits.

Making roads narrower, adding speed humps, removing the central line, changing the road surface, making corners tight to turn into, or removing the line of sight can all encourage drivers to cut their speed, making the speed limit self-enforcing.

LCC has long campaigned for 20mph as standard on London’s roads.

WHAT DOESN’T IT LOOK LIKE: Wide, straight roads where drivers can speed.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE: A lot more roads across London that are 20mph, where the lower speed limit is backed up with changes to the road that mean it’s more likely to be followed, such as making the road narrower or adding bends to the road. Excellent examples

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CAMPAIGN

include New Park Road in Lambeth, where the updated road design (including narrowing it and changing the road surface) resulted in a 27% reduction in road speed.

A proper network While we are starting to see more high-quality Dutch-style infrastructure across the city, it still only covers a tiny percentage of Greater London. That means that even if you know London’s roads intimately enough to pass ‘The Knowledge’, there are few journeys that can be completed comfortably door-to-door.

Cyclists in London regularly encounter cycle lanes that end short of their destination, or have to navigate some nasty junction or busy road in order to finish their journeys — not a lot of fun if you are a new cyclist. By contrast, in the Netherlands, people can confidently set out by bike, knowing that they can get from A to B safely regardless of their destination.

By linking our safe cycling spaces, and creating links that go to the places people want to go — work, local shops, schools, community centres and suchlike — we can begin to build a network of safe cycle routes, which is vital if we want everyone one to be able to cycle all their everyday journeys.

WHAT DOESN’T IT LOOK LIKE: A number of disjointed sections of cycle track and quiet neighbourhoods that are broken up with big roads or dangerous junctions.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE: Being able to hop on your bike and get to wherever you are going safely and comfortably — whether you are traveling on main roads, residential streets or a mixture, each is linked properly to the next.

Better junctions With lots of vehicles turning in different directions, there is a lot going on at junctions, which is what makes them so dangerous for cyclists — over 70% of serious injuries and fatalities occur at major junctions in London.

As such, they present a major barrier to cycling; they’re intimidating for experienced

Over 70% of serious injuries and fatalities occur at major junctions in London. As such, they present a major barrier to cycling... riders and and scary for those starting out.

Our sprawling city holds a huge range of junction types, and luckily there are a huge number of ways that they can be made safer.

A few years ago, an Advance Stop Line (ASL) would have been the extent of the cyclist safety effort at junctions — a box at the lights, meant only for cyclists, with the aim of making them more visible, and to help reduce the ‘lefthook’ risk, where vehicles turn across bikes.

However, they are regularly ignored by drivers who occupy the space and offer no protection to cyclists approaching the junction on a green light. Now we’d expect to see a much more ‘Dutch’ approach to junctions — one that seeks to keep cycles and motor vehicles apart, so that turns can be made without the risk of colliding with other road users.

Making junctions safer is also vital if we want to create a proper network. LCC has campaigned hard for the most dangerous junctions in London to be fixed, quickly, and is pushing Mayor Khan to meet his commitment to finish making the 33 worst junctions in London safer by the end of his first term.

WHAT DOESN’T IT LOOK LIKE: Large complicated junctions, where the priority is getting cars through the junction at the expense of cyclists’ safety, and/or where the only attempt to make cyclists safer at the junction is a few ASLs. WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE: Separating the cyclists and motorists completely, which eliminates the conflict and risk at those junctions, while making sure that cyclists don’t end up sat at a red light for minutes on end. You can find high-quality examples in London at Blackfriars Bridge north and Vauxhall Bridge south.

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OF CYCLE CAMPAIGNING As LCC celebrates its 40th birthday, Tom Bogdanowicz looks back on a few of the highlights from the last four decades

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A

The early years

US STUDY of 30 cities shows a clear link between more advocacy and more cycling and walking. What the study doesn’t show is a causal link — which came first?

Which is where London Cycling Campaign (LCC) comes in. Time and time again, our campaigns have had an impact: to install a cycle crossing, save cycle funding or secure the political will to deliver Dutch-grade bike lanes.

Between 2000 and 2016 cycling in London grew from fewer than 300,000 trips per day to more than 730,000 — ­ an increase of nearly 150%, and annual investment in cycling rose from £8m to more than £100m. LCC was at the heart of that growth, pushing and pulling on a daily basis.

1970s

LCC was created by 19 local cycle campaigning groups with a launch in 1978 at the Cheshire Cheese pub in Fleet Street, and marked by a ‘commuter challenge’ between cyclists, motorists and public transport — unsurprisingly won by the cyclist. LCC’s first chair, Nick Lester, recalls that the group’s first direct action was to campaign for a cycle crossing at Albert Gate, next to Hyde Park, by erecting a crossing using white tape and cardboard. Local authorities initially rejected the proposal but it was implemented in 1982.

1978

LCC LAUNCHED Campaigning groups from across London joined forces, with the first direct action taken at Albert Gate.

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HISTORY

Another demand was that the Greater London Council (GLC) spend 1% of its transport budget on cycling. Two protest rides, one of 1,500 riders, secured a result: Paul Moore, vice-chair of the Transport Committee for Ken Livingstone agreed to the ‘1% of budget’ allocation for cycling (calculated at £1.7m per annum). Another bonus for LCC was a £12,000 GLC grant in 1982 to employ a full-time worker, plus two part-timers.

The next four years were promising ones for LCC, and for cycling, with a total of 87 cycle schemes approved in the capital, driven by a 20-strong Cycling Projects Team at the GLC. The ‘Somers Town’ route in Camden opened in 1984 and remains in use. By 1984 LCC members were being co-opted onto council committees to present cyclist views; the organisation was also being consulted on GLC road schemes.

The Congestion Charge led to the first significant boost to cycling levels since the 1970s’ oil crisis — cycling mileage increased by 28%

Abolition of the GLC The poor relationship between the Conservative government and the London administration resulted in the dissolution of the GLC in 1986. Its powers were handed over to more than 100 organisations and boroughs.

The head of the GLC Cycling Projects Team, Brian Lyus, told LCC’s Daily Cyclist: “Frankly I’m worried. There will be a lack of qualified and cycle-sensitive staff, a shortage of money and nobody will have a London-wide overview.”

Lyus was right. There was no elected politician with London-wide powers who could be lobbied by LCC and the Cycling Projects Team was disbanded. LCC had to lobby through the London Cycling Forum (LCF), a sub-group of an advisory group to central government.

Nonetheless LCC submitted a proposal for a 1,000-mile London Cycle Network (LCN) in 1988; it was accepted as a principle and became the focus of LCC’s campaigning in the 1990s.

1980s

While sections of the LCN were built, delivery depended on London boroughs, and the planned network was disjointed and of low quality.

Protected space for cycling: a result of major LCC campaigns

Return of a London Mayor and elected assembly LCC’s fortunes, and the fortunes of cycling in London, improved with the re-establishment of London government and an elected London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, returning as an independent, in 2000.

The Mayor re-installed a cycling unit at

1982

FIRST STAFF EMPLOYED Thanks to a GLC grant (£12k), LCC was able to finally employ a full-time worker plus two part-timers.

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The CC triggered the first significant boost to cycling levels in London since the 1970s’ oil crisis. Car and minicab mileage in the CC zone fell during charging hours by 34% in the first year, while cycling mileage increased by 28%. LCC teamed up with other campaigners to make the case for investment in cycling and walking to the TfL board. The effort paid off with the forecast budget for cycling programmes rising from £12m in 04/05 to £30m in 09/10.

The progress of LCN , the largest cycling budget item, varied by borough. Despite LCC’s input to more than 200 cycle route assessments, the project stalled with LCN officers producing a document which listed 140 barriers where completion (due in 2010) was at risk.

+

Congestion charging: led to 34% drop in car and cab mileage in its first year alone

Transport for London, albeit a small one, and thus delivered one element of LCC’s election manifesto. The head of the new ‘Centre of Excellence for Cycling’ was Rose Ades, formerly volunteer policy adviser at LCC. In close collaboration with LCC, TfL conducted a review of the partly-completed LCN and concluded that a higher quality network was required. The renamed LCN had a target of 900km of cycle route and a budget of £8m per annum.

The new LCN almost vanished in 2001 in a TfL budget cut, but intensive lobbying by LCC saw funding reinstated.

+

+

Congestion charging Livingstone’s major transport disrupter was the congestion charge (CC), in 2003. LCC backed this and ran a campaign to promote cycle use as an alternative to paying the charge, at a time when TfL did not publicise cycling. LCC group Tower Hamlets Wheelers displayed a giant banner across the major Bow Road saying ‘Cycle for Free’ using the congestion charge symbol for the letter ‘C’.

+

Behaviour change measures and events Behaviour change measures fared better than LCN . LCC’s popular cycle route maps were re-issued in partnership with TfL. The 14 free maps became the most popular cycling publication in the world, with more than 2 million distributed in four years.

The Tour de France came to London in 2007 and LCC’s numerous guided rides to the event were a precursor to the, even more successful, London Freecycle on closed streets in central London. The ride was the brainchild of LCC vice-chair David Love who lobbied for several years, with LCC backing, for its realisation. LCC volunteers led dozens of well-attended rides to the Freecycle, contributing to attendance of an estimated 50,000.

LCC’s active involvement in projects like maps, rides and community cycling grants led to its staff team of seven in 2003 increasing to 13 by 2010.

+

1990

1990s

1999

LONDON CYCLE NETWORK The LCN was the primary campaigning focus for LCC in this decade; later renamed LCN+

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HISTORY

Cycling in the TfL business plan The combination of congestion charging, route improvements and behaviour change measures helped boost cycle use and the Mayor’s 80% target for growth in cycling (from the year 2000 level) set for 2011 was exceeded in 2006 confirming LCC’s argument that it was not sufficiently ambitious.

Mayoral advisers at last recognised the potential of cycling as a partial, and relatively cheap, solution to the capital’s chronic congestion problems. Cycling became a formal line in the TfL business plan with a new longterm target of a 400% increase in cycling (from 2000 levels) by 2025, equating to a modal share of 5% or 1.5 million trips.

Boris Johnson’s first term The 2008 mayoral election saw Tory MP Boris Johnson defeat incumbent Ken Livingstone.

Pre-election, Johnson held back from fully supporting LCC’s cycling manifesto though he did promise more funding and made a commitment to retain the previous Mayor’s target of trebling cycling journeys by 2026.

Johnson progressed two cycling programmes that TfL had researched for Ken Livingstone: shared cycle hire (based on the Paris Vélib model) which was generally received well with bikes dubbed ‘Boris Bikes’; and the newly named ‘Cycle Superhighways’ which were quickly described as “just blue paint”.

When plans for Cycle Superhighway 2 (from Whitechapel to Stratford) were released in early 2011, LCC wrote to TfL saying that unless the quality of the infrastructure was improved the project should not go ahead. Tragically, two people died along the blue painted, but largely un-segregated route shortly following its implementation in 2011. Both were hit by lorries, which typically account for half, or

2000s

more, of cyclist fatalities in the capital. LCC’s campaigning stepped up with growing protest rides and candle-lit vigils in 2011 and 2012.

In February 2012, during a parliamentary debate on cycling, 2,000 people joined an evening protest in Parliament Square organised

by LCC together with leading London cycling bloggers Mark Ames and Danny Williams (both LCC members). Ahead of the May 2012 mayoral election, politicians in London were well aware of cyclist concerns about road danger and the lack of quality cycling infrastructure.

Love London, Go Dutch Led by CEO Ashok Sinha, LCC took a different approach to campaigning ahead of the election.

We focused on a single, member-selected, issue: Dutch-grade cycle infrastructure. Backed by a London-wide petition and a mass ride just ahead of election day, Love London Go Dutch (LLGD) became London’s largest and, most effective, public-facing campaign to boost sustainable transport — it secured 42,000 petition signatures and attracted 10,000 people

Question time: LCC’s cycle hustings have become a feature at elections

2007

TOUR DE FRANCE LCC led dozens of guided rides to Le Tour, a precursor to the huge ongoing Freecycle events of today.

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HISTORY

Imagining a better London: 2016’s Sign for Cycling campaign

on the ‘Big Ride’ finale to the campaign.

LLGD was supported by strong visual images of high-grade cycle infrastructure at iconic London locations, like Parliament Square and Blackfriars Bridge in central London, and Stratford High Street next to the 2012 Olympic Park (cycle tracks have now been installed at each of these locations).

Securing the support of mayoral candidates for Dutch-grade infrastructure required negotiation until the last day before the ‘Big Ride’, but all leading candidates, including Mayor Boris Johnson, signed up.

The outcomes were: an increase in the total cycling budget to almost £400m over three years, including a commitment to deliver future Cycle Superhighways “close to international standards”, and three ‘miniHollands’ in outer London, plus £100m for implementing a ‘Better Junctions Review’.

As we recommended, Johnson appointed a Cycling Commissioner (journalist Andrew Gilligan). Gilligan spoke to LCC, visited LCC local groups and talked to cycling bloggers before turning to the task of implementing Dutch-grade infrastructure.

The legacy of LLGD includes the East-West Cycle Superhighway along the Embankment and the first section of the North-South Cycle Superhighway across Blackfriars Bridge.

Supporters will remember the strong opposition from black cabs and leading developers.

Concerted action by LCC and its supporters, including the backing of 180 London businesses helped ward off the prospect of long delays.

2010s

Space for Cycling 2014 The Space for Cycling campaign at the 2014 local elections set a new challenge for LCC according to Ashok Sinha: “To promote cycling from the bottom up — to normalise cycling as a political issue at the rank and file level of party politics.”

The award-winning and complex campaign asked local LCC members to identify 629 (one for every electoral ward in London) wardlevel ‘asks’ which formed the basis of email messages to the 7,000 candidates standing for election. Almost 90,000 messages were sent to candidates and nearly half of the elected councillors signed up.

Sign for Cycling 2016 By 2016 political will to support increased cycling was common to all leading political parties. However, while the N-S and E-W Cycle Superhighways had been implemented and the ‘mini-Holland’ project in Waltham Forest was progressing, the remainder of the programme was faltering.

LCC identified delivery as the key issue and our Sign for Cycling campaign called on mayoral candidates to deliver a tripling of protected cycle routes, a mini-Holland in every borough and an end to lorry danger.

Working with The Times newspaper, LCC held a hustings at which all leading mayoral candidates backed LCC’s proposals.

The new Mayor’s Transport Strategy now specifies an increase in sustainable modes from 62% today to 80% of all trips by 2041, along with zero deaths and serious injuries on the roads.

As readers well know it’s now a street-bystreet struggle and we have to keep at it if the 80% target is to be reached. Here’s to a successful next 40 years...

2012

LOVE LONDON, GO DUTCH The year the Olympics came to town also saw LCC’s biggest ever campaign, with 10,000 cyclists joining the ‘Big Ride’.

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Close passing is intimidating, dangerous and, in the worst cases, life-threatening for cyclists.

So what can we do about it, asks Rob Eves?

T

HE ISSUE of ‘close passing’ — when drivers overtake cyclists without leaving enough space — has been gaining significant profile in recent years. More cyclists are using helmet cameras to film their journeys, which means footage of the worst incidents has been shared widely online, several cycling organisations have started campaigns to raise awareness of the issue, and some police forces have started to take action by running close pass operations.

At the start of July, LCC launched Stay Wider of the Rider — our campaign to tackle close passing in London and beyond.

We kicked things off with an event at the House of Commons, hosted

by Ruth Cadbury MP, with Jeremy Vine speaking.

On the same day we launched

a website with information and advice for road users, a petition to the Department for Transport and an interactive map so we can all help to identify locations where the problem is most acute.

Our partners at Continental Tyres even persuaded Olympic medal-winning triathletes, Alistair and Jonny Brownlee, to appear in a film to promote the campaign. And support from Uber Eats has meant we’ve been able to produce even more stickers and materials so as many people as possible can help spread the word.

Why is this important?

There’s overwhelming evidence that the main reason people don’t cycle is the perception that it’s dangerous. That perception arises mainly as a result of the speed and volume of the motor traffic on our roads.

Research has found that people

prefer to cycle in environments with lower traffic, or apart from motor traffic completely. And such preferences are expressed even more strongly by women and less experienced cyclists.

That’s why providing highquality cycle lanes and creating more low-traffic neighbourhoods will remain the main focus of LCC’s campaigning for the foreseeable future. The most effective way to persuade Londoners to cycle for more of their journeys is to provide more Dutch-style infrastructure — cycle tracks that are physically separate from the road surfaces that are used by motor vehicles.

But even in the Netherlands a significant proportion of cycle journeys still take place on roads where drivers and cyclists need to share space. The same will almost certainly be the case in London for years to come.

So as well as agitating for more

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CAMPAIGN

Pointing the way ahead: Jeremy Vine at LCC’s Westminster launch

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Drivers need to realise that even when they think they have enough space to overtake, often they don’t, especially if vehicles are coming in the opposite direction too.

TIM LENNON, LCC MEMBER

and better space for cycling, it’s also important we make close passing and other forms of dangerous driving socially unacceptable, both in the city and across the UK.

several things. The size and type of vehicle being driven will be a factor, as will the weather and road conditions. But of primary importance is the speed the vehicle is being driven at.

Our advice to drivers is: n When overtaking a cyclist follow the Highway Code and leave as much space as you would when passing a car. n At 30mph, 1.5m is the minimum safe distance. n At faster speeds drivers should allow 2m. n In slow moving urban traffic (below 20 mph), never overtake cyclists unless you can leave at least 1m. n If there’s not enough space to pass safely, travel behind the cyclist until space becomes available.

What is the Met doing? the centre of the lane to prevent close passing, 32% reported having changed routes to avoid close passing, and another 22% said they avoided busy routes altogether.

Our survey said…

So what is a safe passing distance?

It’s important to keep in mind that this isn’t something that only happens occasionally — when we surveyed LCC members and supporters 23% of you said you experienced close passing every time you cycle. With another 45% saying it happened ‘frequently’.

The online survey also found that cyclists employ a number of different coping strategies — 50% of respondents said they cycle in

The Highway Code advises drivers to leave as much space as they would when passing a car. And if there’s not enough space to pass safely, to travel behind the cyclist until space becomes available.

It’s good advice but it is open to interpretation. And at LCC we’d like to see stronger guidance given to drivers.

We advise that the safe distance for passing a cyclist depends on

The Metropolitan Police Cycle Safety team are following the lead of other police forces and running close pass operations in London.

These involve plain clothes officers on bikes radioing colleagues ahead to stop offending drivers who pass them too closely.

They’re also on the lookout for ‘tailgating’ and turns across the paths of cyclists. Drivers have had their vehicles and insurance checked, been shown police presentations on the dangers of close passing, and also been given warnings telling them that if they were stopped for close passing again their vehicle could be seized.

The Met currently gathers information on where to conduct operations from a number of

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CAMPAIGN

Up and running: Olympians Alistair and Jonny Brownlee, and Ruth Cadbury MP, back the new campaign.

sources, and we’ll be giving them data generated from our close pass map so they can use that too.

There are three things you can do at staywider.org to help support the campaign:

passing hotspots. If you’re closepassed by a motor vehicle when you’re cycling please drop a pin on the map and tell us about the incident. We’ll send all the data on to the Met so they can use it to inform decisions about where they run close pass operations.

Sign the petition

Request a free sticker

We’re calling on the Department for Transport to initiate a major public education campaign to tackle close passing. Please sign our online petition and get your friends, family and colleagues to sign it too!

We need to make sure drivers and cyclists are aware of the issues and the campaign. You can help us get there by putting a close pass sticker in your car window, on your bike or somewhere else you think people will see it when you’re out and about.

Go to staywider.org to sign the petition, drop a pin on the map, or request a free sticker pack.

How you can help?

Drop a pin on the map We’ve developed a close pass map so together we can identify close

A FEW THANKS...

We’d like to extend a very big thank you to our sponsors — Continental and Uber Eats — for their support. And to Pedal Power Association of South Africa’s CEO, Robert Vogel, who has kindly let us borrow their ‘Stay Wider of the Rider’ campaign slogan.

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Why I

LCC?

As we reach our landmark 40th anniversary, we asked a quartet of members why and how they first got involved with LCC and its work Isabelle Clement As director of Wheels for Wellbeing (WfW), can you briefly explain how you’re increasing awareness of disability cycling?

WfW is a small, Brixton-based charity that has been around for ten years. We’re passionate about helping disabled people realise they can cycle, and we campaign to remove the many physical, financial, attitudinal and legal barriers which stand in disabled cyclists’ way.

Cycling is easier than walking for many disabled people, therefore it can mean cheap, accessible door-to-door transport and be a wonderful way to keep fit. Often, the first hurdle is to find the right cycle and/or the right adaptions. We own a vast fleet of cycles of all types and hold sessions at three South London venues, five times a week (see cyclingforall.org).

cycling, and challenging ourselves to stop thinking about the two-wheeled bicycle being synonymous with cycling. Through your local LCC group, or as an individual, you can also point local politicians and officials to our guide to inclusive cycling.

What changes do you hope to see across London as a result of your campaigning?

We want to see cycles recognised as mobility aids when ridden by a disabled person (on a par with wheelchairs). We also want to see cycle hire schemes expanded to include e-bikes and non-standard cycles, and cycling infrastructure to be more inclusive and accessible. Ultimately, we want a cycling environment built and organised around the needs of the people who need to cycle most.

How can people get involved?

We’re inviting disabled cyclists to complete this year’s survey to help us update the data we collected last year, accessible through our website (wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk).

Why did you join LCC and how does it help you achieve your wider aims?

Together we can expose disability inequality in cycling and that starts with including disabled cyclists in conversations about

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Justin McKie What was your first involvement with LCC and why did you become a member?

I was introduced to LCC as part of discussions around CS11 and the proposed plans with regards to Regent’s Park. I’ve been a member ever since.

Olawale Ajibola How did you get involved at Newham Cyclists?

I first got seriously involved with LCC’s group in Newham in 2014 after an out-of-the-blue phone call from the local group coordinator; at the time I was involved with a neighbouring LCC borough group. Having been active in the group for about a year, I was formally asked to be the Local Cycle Scheme lead, which later led to becoming the Infrastructure Rep last year.

My responsibilities now include responding to all council infrastructure consultations, attending quarterly ‘catch-up’ meetings with the council’s Sustainable Transport Officer, and participating in local cycle scheme/Road Works Patrol (RWP) audit rides.

You completed a 500km ride around Regent’s Park to raise money to plant cherry trees there, as a thank you for cyclists using the outer loop for exercise and training. What other spots in London can you recommend for sportier riders?

Both Regent’s and Richmond Parks are super popular for road cyclists — they have a massive range of riders, from beginners through to former Tour de France winners. It’s not uncommon to see Sir Bradley Wiggins doing some laps of Regent’s Park; it was his go-to as a lad growing up in Kilburn. The Regent’s Park Cyclists Facebook page is a good place to find out what’s going on there. In fact there’s dozens of clubs that will help beginners learn the ropes.

I encourage every cyclist to head to the Lee Valley Velodrome too. There are taster sessions indoors on the

What are the most memorable campaigns or changes you’ve been involved in?

The Stratford Town Centre Improvement Scheme and the 2014 road mapping/cycle audit work for potential local active travel permeability schemes.

For someone new to cycling in London, what’s the best way they can get involved and what tips do you have about what to look out for in terms of the changing infrastructure on our roads and how to navigate it?

Get involved in the LCC/Living Streets ‘My Liveable London’ campaign and seek to understand the principles of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTN) in terms of your local area and borough.

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LONDON

track and it’s a wonderful experience. Herne Hill Velodrome also has open sessions for riders of all levels. Both are great training resources

For those after a real challenge, what kind of events and rides can people get involved in?

There are so many rides and events try, and lots of them are highlighted on the LCC website.

RideLondon is an obvious focus for many — but there is something for everyone. For older competitive cyclists, there are Vets racing leagues. Or for those that want an endurance challenge, perhaps try an Audax ride where distance and navigation, rather than time, is the key aim. Sometimes it’s easy for experienced cyclists to forget how intimidating cycling in London can be, and how difficult it can be to find people to ride with.

What advice do you have for those inspired to saddle up after watching the TdF success of Geraint Thomas?

Julie Plichon These days you’re joint coordinator of Tower Hamlets Wheelers, but how did you first get involved with this local LCC group?

It was in 2014 when I moved to Mile End. I used to cycle everywhere in Bordeaux, France and the cost of public transport here incentivised me to get a bike from day one. I soon realised how tricky cycling in London could be, especially how inconsistent the network was. Another thing that struck me was the style of cyclists, particularly all the road bikes and technical clothing — I had never pictured myself as a ‘cyclist’ before, it had always been second nature back home. I found the Wheelers online and they made me feel welcome. I got more involved in the campaigns and I also took a year to study urban planning and urban design in London, which gave me the confidence to comment on borough schemes in a more

Cycling in London can be a challenge at times and I take my hat off to those that ride to work every day — they are helping pave the way for better infrastructure, which in turn will hopefully inspire more potential cyclists to get out of their cars and onto two wheels.

London is a busy place, so my advice to those that would like to cycle in peace — or meet other like-minded riders — is simple. Get up really early and head to one of the parks for laps before work. I am there most mornings just after 5am, before vehicles are allowed in (at 7am). It’s honestly the best part of each day. n Justin McKie is an active LCC

member, rides with Islington CC, and races track and road for the TORQ Fitness team. In just his first year focused on track racing, Justin picked up 3 National Masters titles, a European Masters title and a World Masters Bronze.

technical way. Then last year I teamed up with Alex Jenkins to become coordinator; it’s worked well as we support one another and have complementary skills.

What are some of the most memorable events, rides or campaigns you’ve been involved in?

A highlight this year has been putting together our manifesto for the local elections — and getting all the candidates signing up to it. It was great building consensus and feeling that our proposals were perceived as a sensible, logical rationale from all sides of the political spectrum.

If someone is new to cycling in London, what are your tips for getting started?

Join our rides! They’re easy, fun and interesting.

We regularly explore hidden gems in the East End, mostly away from traffic, riding along parks and canals at a gentle pace. Plus every year we also organise our famous ‘glamour ride’ which is brilliant fun.

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Winterize

your

Bike

Olympic track racing superstar Sir Chris Hoy passes on his top tips for prepping your bike for the inclement winter months

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ADVICE

T

HESE STEPS will help you to prepare your bike for the rigours of winter, for riding in a wet climate and if most of your riding is done off-road.

Grit, dirt and sand thrown up by the wheels combines with lubricant to form a grinding paste on any moving parts. Water and salt, which is often used to treat roads where ice is likely to occur, will corrode metal parts.

Regular cleaning and replacing old lubricant helps prevent damage, but preventing as much grit, sand, salt and water reaching the delicate parts of the bike in the first place helps even more.

Spray protection Spray-protection devices shield you and your bike in wet weather. When you ride along a wet road your wheels pick up water, the rear wheel sprays it up your back and the front onto your legs. It’s even worse in a group if you are following somebody with no mudguards, because their rear wheel sprays water right into your face. This is not too bad in summer, although water coming up off roads can carry germs, which you end up swallowing.

Seriously, cyclists have got ill through this.

Spray protection comes in many forms, from simple flaps that clip onto saddles to full mudguards that bolt to the bike’s frame. Saddle flaps and short guards that clip onto the bike’s seatpost will block a lot of spray from the back wheel. There are also guards that clip to the frame and are secured in place with zip-ties, which catch spray coming off the front wheel.

Wet and wild: Sir Chris swaps the track for the road to pass on his tips

Photos: Chris Terry

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ADVICE

Clip-on spray catchers are great for summer conditions because you can add and remove them as and when you need to, but full mudguards provide the best protection from spray. There are two types: mudguards that bolt to custom eyelets on the bike’s forks and rear drop-outs, and temporary mudguards that fasten to the seatstays and fork blades and are thin enough to fit race bikes. Modern race bikes do not usually have mudguard mounts.

Weatherproofing the drivetrain Clean your bike’s chain in winter as often as you do in summer, plus after every wet ride, which is good practice at any time of year.

Apply the same light lubricant that you use in the summer, so it works down into the chain and coats everything, then apply a heavier 'wet' lube over the top to prevent everything washing off quickly.

Dribble lubricant on the pivots around which the front and rear derailleurs move.

Use a heavier, wet lubricant here instead of the one you'd use in drier months. Every time you dribble lube like this, first flush out the old stuff by dribbling some degreaser on the pivots and letting it sink in for a few minutes.

Cleaning & lubricating the pedals Apply heavier, wet lubricant on the retention mechanism of clipless pedals after treating the moving parts with degreaser. The heavier lube will not wash off as easily as the dry versions.

Regularly clean off old lubricant with degreaser

and apply new lubicant in order to prevent the accumulation of grit and the consequent increase in pedal wear.

Clipping in and out of your pedals needs to be seamless and without stress, and a buildup of dirt and grit can slow down your pedal action and erode the mechanism.

Protecting weak spots If you ride a lot in a very wet climate, it might be worth taking some extra steps to prevent water from damaging your bike.

The point where the seatpost enters the frame can be a problem, especially on steel or aluminium bikes, as moisture getting in here will cause corrosion and can eventually cause the seatpost to stick. One tip to prevent moisture getting in, is to use an old road bike inner-tube to cover the area. Remove the seatpost (marking your usual post height for later), pull a section of cut inner-tube over the seat-tube/clamp, then re-insert the seatpost through the inner-tube.

Now secure the rubber in place with a zip-tie.

You can also buy waterproof headset covers, which you might consider if you have an older bike from the days before modern A-headsets became standard. A similar idea to the seatpost solution above, these protectors fit over the headset without removing any components and are held in place by Velcro.

In an ideal world you’d have a winter bike with mudguards and a summer bike without (although in the UK the weather often takes a turn for the worse, even in the summer).

And as you can see in the photos here, I’m not practising what I preach regarding mudguards (or overshoes) in bad weather — luckily it was only a short ride!

BUY THE BOOK

How to Ride a Bike

by Sir Chris Hoy is published by Hamlyn, £20. To buy a copy go to amzn.to/2OWHjMr 58

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Natural

Corse

From sparkling coastline to mountain cols, it’s easy to see why Corsica is such a popular destination for road cyclists.

David Hall from Saddle Skedaddle shares the inspiration he’s found on this magical Mediterranean island.

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TRAVEL

I

T WAS way too early to be waking up but I was relieved to see the slivers of sunlight picking their way through the gaps in the shuttered window of our hotel room.

The last thing I remember before nodding off the night before had been a sense of nervousness as I’d listened to a storm bouncing around the craggy rocks surrounding the tiny fishing village we’d called home for the last couple of days. Thunder and lightning don’t normally bother me but I’ve had to ride over Corsica’s highest mountain road in the rain before and was in no hurry to do it again.

Refusing to admit defeat in his battle with consciousness, Nicolas, my Corsican colleague and guiding companion, mumbled something and buried his head — I sensed that we were in agreement!

As we sat on the small breakfast balcony sipping coffee and shovelling down croissants smothered in homemade fig jam, the sun finally rose high enough to warm the morning air.

And with not a hint of the tempest that had upturned café tables only a few hours earlier, it seemed that if ever there was a perfect day to climb the Col de Vergio, this could be it.

Long and winding: classic mountain descents in the rugged interior

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Changeability and unpredictability are things one has to get used to in Corsica and that doesn’t apply only to the weather. Some say that these are the defining characteristics of the island and its inhabitants, and the route we’ve taken through its ever-changing and alwayssurprising terrain has added some weight to that argument.

As the crow flies we’re only about 75km from where our journey started four days ago, but where’s the fun in choosing the most direct route? “Keep the sea on your right-hand side today and you’ll be ok,” we told the guys as we rode away from Bastia’s improbably picturesque harbour. Within minutes we’d left the hustle of the city and were heading for Cap Corse, the

finger-like peninsular which extends due north and points almost directly to Genoa on the other side of the Ligurian sea. Genoese watchtowers in various states of ruination still punctuate the coastline and are a permanent reminder to preFrench rule and the island’s tumultuous history.

The transition from rolling morning to lumpy afternoon came quite suddenly after our early coffee stop. The climb over the Col de la Serra, the peninsula’s ‘fingernail’, began at Macinaggio on the eastern side of the cape and led us over to the west coast. It wasn’t a major climb by any stretch of the imagination but it was significant enough to put more than 10 minutes between the first and last riders in our party.

The 21st-century juxtaposes with a more traditional

It is a stark yet outstandingly beautiful terrain which old maps of the island used to refer to as Le Desert

Coast to coast: with a dozen mountains en route

MAINLAND FRANCE

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Corsica here and with the whirring of turbines from the island’s first windfarm in our ears we admired the magnificent panoramas from Moulin Mattei as the last few riders appeared over the brow. Reunited, we began our journey back down the jagged coastal road; its high cliffs and sharp drops couldn’t have been more different to the route we’d taken that morning and nor could it have been more dramatic.

The Scented Isle After an evening spent in the seaside town of Saint Florent, our second stage took us away from the coast to give us our first taste of the island’s famously rugged interior. Within minutes the road began to rise, rather sharply, into a region known as Les Agriates. It is a stark yet outstandingly beautiful terrain which old maps of the island used to refer to as Le Desert — whether or not this small corner of the island ever met the technical definition of a desert is debatable but it is undeniably dry and there’s very little in the way of a population.

Mostly what grows here today is maquis, fragrant, low-growing scrubby shrubs and herbs, the scents from which carry on the sea-breeze and are the reason why Corsica is sometimes referred to as ‘The Scented Isle’. It wasn’t always the case, however, and historically inhabitants of Cap Corse would brave the inhospitable, surrounding coastline in small wooden boats, specifically to cultivate the surprisingly fertile soil in the natural terraces which look out over the Mediterranean.

We dropped out of Les Agriates via a steep and technical switchback descent and headed for the heart of La Balagne which lies between

RIDE HERE

CALVI

CORSICA

AJACCIO

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS: the descent through the Scala di Santa Regina between the Col de Vergio and Corte; chestnut beers in Corte; Castagniccia – Corsica’s most unspoiled region of chestnut forest, wild boar and traditional rural villages

the coastal resort towns of Ile Rousse and Calvi and is famed for its artisanal culture. We followed the scenic Strada di l’Artigiani (Route of the Artisans), although without actually entering the villages evidence of any artisans was fairly scant.

We reached Calvi in the late afternoon and in time to enjoy a cold Pietra, the local chestnut-flavoured beer, in the beautiful harbour which nestles in the shadows of the town’s majestic 13th-century Genoese citadel.

Wild chestnuts grow extensively throughout Corsica and together with charcuterie, various cheeses, honey, fruits and herbs from the maqui make up the Produits du Terroir Corse, all of which featured on the menus of plentiful local restaurants that evening.

The following day we picked up the coastal road once again and, knowing very well what lay ahead, I told the team to make the most of the first few kilometres of smooth tarmac on the way out of town. Forewarned is forearmed and I know from experience that the boneshaking surface that followed could be a shock to the system for the ill-prepared.

Thankfully, for most riders at least, the views of turquoise coves which pepper crags below the road are enough to divert attention away from what might be happening between saddle and chamois cream.

The bumpy road took us past the bay of Argentella, the site of proposed nuclear testing during the de Gaulle era and the first act of organised armed resistance against the French since the Napoleonic times. Thankfully things settled down when de Gaulle backed down.

The potholed road began to settle down for us too just before we reached Galeria and, what felt like glass-smooth Tarmac greeted us, as we headed up over the Bocca di Palmarella, the main climb of the day, and all the way to Porto where we spent the last two evenings.

Although the first of these days was billed in our itinerary as an optional rest day, everyone chose to ride at least the morning’s stage of the former. Our destination was a clifftop village via the Calanches di Piana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Calanches, or Calanques as they are known in mainland France, are steep-sided coastal valleys or inlets usually caused either by river erosion or by the collapse of cave roofs. Corsica’s Calanches are, unsurprisingly, amongst the most dramatic to be found anywhere around the Med and are characterised by a series of magnificent, LONDON CYCLIST Autumn 2018 63

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sometimes eerie, rock formations which rise like natural sculptures from the roadside. The way up through the Calanches is a must-ride route and Nico and I were planning to ride it ourselves, even if everyone had opted for a day off the bikes.

Some in the party decided to call it a day upon reaching Piana and, after a quick bite, returned to Porto via the same road. Those who still had the energy joined us to complete a challenging circuit, which took in some of the most remote, not to mention steepest roads of the entire week. As dark clouds gathered in the angry sky overhead, we finally made our way to our nominated restaurant.

The final day was the ‘Big Day’ and immediately after breakfast we noticed that everyone was assembled in the hotel car park; they were early, dressed for action and ready to ride. It’s always amusing how the biggest day of a tour can have that effect on the riders — no matter where they might have ridden before, there is always a sense of anxiety when we get to the climax.

Porto to Corte via the Col de Vergio, is this

week’s big day. The road peaks at a bracing 1,477m above sea level and is the highest on the island. Compared to some of the monsters of the Alps and Pyrenees this might not seem particularly high, but how often does a 35km climb start at sea level? In this sense Corsica really is a ‘Mountain in the Sea’, yet another of its many nicknames.

In reality, on a good day when the weather is fine, there is little to be anxious about and although there are occasional steep ramps, especially in pine forest of the latter reaches, the average gradient from the Porto side of the mountain is just over four percent.

The winding road takes us through the fantastically-named and stunning 2km between the villages of Ota, the nearest hillside settlement to Porto and Evisa, almost twothirds of the way up the mountain. Although the road is a popular tourist route there’s rarely much traffic and you’re more likely to encounter herds of goats and families of chestnut-munching pigs than you are oncoming vehicles.

We proposed staggered starts, setting the more-

Magical Med: easy to see how it got the L’île de Beauté nickname

The narrow road twists, almost tumbling down the hillside as it threads its way for 15km through a deep gash

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TRAVEL

leisurely riders away first and sending the speedier folks back into the hotel for another coffee. Experience has told us that, assuming there are no punctures, mechanicals or other issues, a 30-minute gap will see us all arriving at the summit at more or less the same time.

The plan came together perfectly and, as suspected, it was chilly at the summit where we all regrouped to don extra layers for the descent and heed Nico’s insider advice to “watch out for cows on the road”.

Alpine-style descents Now I really enjoy climbing the Col de Vergio, there aren’t many sights or sites quite as magnificent as one which points back down towards the coast from Evisa over the Spelunca Gorges. For me it is here that Corsica best lives up to its reputation as ‘L’île de Beauté’.

But it is the descent which follows the climb that keeps me coming back to Corsica. The whole thing is 44km from start to finish and depending on how hard it is ridden, it can be exhausting. We decided to tackle it in two halves and had given instructions to regroup in a café in the village of Calacuccia to allow for a Hidden gems: from hilltop villages to deserted coves and quaint cafés

little recuperation before tackling the Scala de Santa Regina, the more technically demanding and loveliest part of the descent.

I hung back at the summit a few minutes so that I could act as sweeper. By the time I caught up with the main party, the temperature had risen dramatically and Nico, sitting in the driver’s seat of the support vehicle, had been virtually buried in jackets and arm warmers as everyone had peeled off the layers.

Another bike count at the café revealed that everyone was present and correct and the attentive café owner delivered a cold Coke to my table before I’d even ordered. Sometimes it’s nice to be recognised.

The scala (literally a ladder or stairway) was beckoning so we gathered the troops, rolled out of the village and prepared to make our way down it. Described by a rider on a previous outing as “the most fun you can have with your pants on”, I’ve always imagined that the opening scene from Star Wars was inspired by a ride through this beautiful gorge — the narrow road twisting, turning and in some places almost tumbling down the hillside as it threads its way for 15km through a deep gash in the earth’s crust.

I waited at the bottom, monitoring the width of the smiles and counting the seconds to the inevitable and first of many “can we do that again?” petitions. Then with one final and thankfully short lump to negotiate we set off to complete our journey together.

Corte, the island’s ancient capital and our final destination, was waiting for us just over the summit, twinkling like a small jewel surrounded by the imposing snow-capped peaks. Our adventure was almost done — if ever there was a perfect day to climb the Col de Vergio this just might have been it.

FACT FILE n HOW TO DO IT: Saddle Skedaddle (skedaddle.co.uk, 0191 265 1110) offer two road cycling holidays on the island of Corsica, one which concentrates on the north of the island (The Beautiful Isle) and another which explores the south (Southern Secrets). Each is a guided 8-day trip, including 6 days of riding. Departures usually take place in Spring and Autumn, head to their website for further details. n TRAVEL OPTIONS: easyjet offers the most convenient direct flights, flying into Bastia Airport.

Indirect flights can also be taken via Paris and Nice.

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RIDE GUIDE

THREE PEAKS OF THE

SOUTH DOWNS Katy Rodda guides us on a loop of classic South Downs climbs

Orro Bikes

L

ONDONERS HAVE been visiting Brighton for around two centuries now, and the coastal city welcomes thousands upon thousands of visitors from the capital every year.

The London to Brighton Bike Ride may be especially familiar to some, but there’s more to explore around the South Downs.

This circular road ride into the South Downs National Park brings together two other good climbs to go with Ditchling Beacon:

Steyning Bostall and Devil’s Dyke.

There’s also the option of a bonus climb, Streat Bostall, which is near Ditchling Beacon.

The route include urban streets, quiet lanes and a few miles on slightly busier (category A or B) roads. These are fairly wide and are well-used by cyclists in Sussex.

There is also an off-road option for part of the route back into Brighton, for gravel/CX or hybrid bikes that can cope with non-technical off-road trails.

You can also do the ride in two sections, as there is a route back into Brighton from Devil’s Dyke, at just over the halfway mark.

FACT FILE n DISTANCE: 69km (43 miles) n ASCENT: 610m (excluding the additional climb of Streat Bostall). n SUITABLE FOR: gravel/cyclocross, light hybrid, touring and road bikes (with a decent spread of low gears). n BIKE HIRE: you can hire reasonable hybrid bikes from Cycle Brighton, based just by Hove station (cyclebrighton.com); the seafront is signed from Hove station. Brighton Bike Share bikes are not recommended for this route, unless you are after a really masochistic challenge… n NEAREST STATIONS: Brighton (regular services to London mainline stations), or Hove.

SOUTH DOWNS: THE THREE MAIN CLIMBS

START: BRIGHTON

1

2

STEYNING BOSTALL 22km (144m high)

DEVIL’S DYKE 38km( 206m)

3

DITCHLING BEACON END: 56.5km (249m) BRIGHTON

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RIDE GUIDE

Route Guide THREE PEAKS BRIGHTON

3 A Bostal, or Bostall, is the rather

the North Laine onto the seafront, and then ride west past Hove Lagoon (windsurfing and FatBoy Slim’s café) onto Basin Road South. This is the back of the Shoreham Port industries. You need to pass over the road marking saying ‘No cars and motorbikes’, before turning right towards the lock just a couple of yards before Gate 10.

modest Sussex dialect for ‘a small road leading up a hill’. There are two options up Steyning Bostal. The eastern option (east-west on the map) sees an initial climb followed by a flat section, a pretty steep middle section, then an easier final third before the top. The other route, to the west, is more brutal, kicking up hard without any real chance for recovery. The two routes join up about halfway up the hill. Either way, you’re up and over in less than ten minutes, half that if you’re a young racer.

Now you’re turning round to head back via Steyning village and on to Bramber, Beeding and Fulking. At Poynings, wiggle upwards on a small, broken-surfaced lane, which saves time grinding up the main road. Watch out on the right turns here, first onto Saddlescombe Road and then the turn off towards Devil’s Dyke — the largest dry valley of its kind in Europe.

SHOREHAM

2 PORT

The locks are in regular use by commercial and leisure shipping, and you might face a short wait depending on river traffic. Now you’re officially in Southwick, which becomes Shorehamby-Sea over the next mile or so. Our route on the NCN2 goes through the northern part of Shoreham, but nearer the Adur is a pretty old town with cafes, bike shops, and a shared foot/ cycle bridge to Shoreham Beach. If you decide that the hills aren’t for you, keep going on the NCN2 to Worthing.

The route crosses the start of the Downslink, which runs mainly off-road on an old railway line to Guildford.

Cross the old toll bridge over the Adur (now foot/cycle only). Pass the corner of Shoreham Airport beneath the towering Lancing College Chapel, before the signalled crossing of the A27 into Coombes Lane.

You cross the cable access point from Rampion offshore windfarm and the South Downs Way (SDW); if you join it to the right, it will take you to the Downslink again. Coombes Lane becomes Botolphs Lane, and you’re pretty much at the foot of Steyning Bostall.

DEVIL’S

4 DYKE

You can return to Brighton from here; go back to Saddlescombe, go straight on and soon join NCN 82. Otherwise enjoy a cracking downhill from the Dyke. You pass Rushfields Garden Centre and turn off at the Ginger Fox. Watch out for horses on New Way Lane. At the end of this tiny road, you

may be able to see the Jack and Jill windmills above Clayton. Enjoy the ride along Underhill Road. If you want to do Streat Bostall but do not plan to use the SDW to get back to Ditchling Road, head straight across the bottom of Ditchling Bostall here.

DITCHLING BOSTALL

5 Ditchling Bostall is probably

easier than you expect and it helps to understand it a little. The ascent is clearly stepped, until the roadbuilders got bored halfway up and just dug the road straight up the hill. But the sharper bends on the lower reaches are unusually on a very mild incline; just hit that bottom gear and stick with it. There’s a car park at the top where you often find an ice cream van.

You have options at this popular SDW crossing point. (1) continue along Ditchling Road to Stanmer Park, and back to Brighton, (2) return down Ditchling Bostall and head east to Streat Bostall, or (3) hang a left onto the SDW and head for Streat Bostall.

STREAT BOSTALL

6 Streat Bostall isn’t as long as Ditchling, but it is very steep, and the surface is not maintained. You’ll be fine on a hybrid or ‘gravel’ bike, as long as your gears don’t let you down. Then return to Ditchling Road along the SDW or head back down to Underhill Road.

To enter Stanmer Park, you can either go about a mile along Ditchling Road and turn sharp left into the woods (hybrids/gravel bikes only), or go about two miles further until you reach the Lodge Cottages car park.

Technically you’re now on a bridleway until joining Lewes Road to Brighton.

©Crown copyright 2018 Ordnance Survey. Media 060/18

Orro Bikes, John Kitchiner

STEYNING BOSTALL

1 From Brighton station head via

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RIDE GUIDE

3

2

4

1

CUT-OUT AND KEEP

5

6

THREE PEAKS OF THE SOUTH DOWNS

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HOW TO

LOCK A BIKE

A bit of extra care can ensure your bike is properly protected against the risk of theft.

John Kitchiner explains the basic do’s and don’ts

John Kitchiner has been editing bike magazines and books for 20 years

For ultimate peace of mind you’ll need a pair of Sold Secure Gold-rated locks, either D-locks or chains — these offer the highest level of protection against thieves’ cutting/breaking tools. Brands like Kryptonite, Abus, Hiplok, Litelok and OnGuard produce a range of sizes for all levels of security. Avoid cable locks completely as these can be cut in seconds with pliers.

John Kitchiner

1

2

TWO GOOD LOCKS — THE SAFEST WAY A few years ago LCC Silver-rated) and they need launched its ‘Two Good to be long enough to secure Locks’ initiative — this both frame AND wheels to a is still the simplest and stand at BOTH ends. safest way to lock a bike.

It’s critical that you feed You ideally need two Sold the locks around frame AND Secure Gold-rated locks (or wheels (and stand) or you at least one Gold and one risk the easiest of thefts.

FAIL 1 — ONLY SECURING FRAME Probably the most common can usually be unbolted in bike locking mistake of them seconds and removed. all. People tend to do it as it’s If you only have one quick and they think they’re lock (and it’s long enough), locking the most important remove the front wheel, part of the bike to the stand. place it between the rear But they totally neglect wheel and stand, then the wheels — and these secure it all together.

FAIL 2 — ONLY SECURING WHEELS The other major mistake is ensure that the lock goes only locking the wheels to around wheels AND frame a stand. Again it only takes before attaching to a stand. seconds for a thief to undo And by wheel we mean the wheel skewers and lift the wheel rim and tyre, not the frame away — leaving just pushing a lock through the two wheels sitting the spokes (see inset). Spokes there on their own. So take are easily snipped and cheap the extra time and care to for a thief to replace.

ADDITIONAL SECURITY OPTIONS Sadly, even if you’ve locked skewers or bolts (pictured) your bike properly, there’s still which require special ‘keys’ a chance that individual parts and can’t be tampered with. can be nicked — more so You can also superglue ballon expensive bikes. Saddles bearings or put Sugru into the are the most common theft, head of allen bolts. but pedals and gear/brake Finally, ensure your bike is shifters disappear too. One marked and registered with solution is dedicated security bikeregister.com.

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HOW TO

FIX A FLAT

Mending a puncture is a simple job that all cyclists should know how to do.

And doing it yourself will also save you money as Richie Barnett explains

Richie Barnett is one of London’s leading mechanics, trainer and course assessor

Fixing a puncture can seem intimidating to new cyclists, or too much of a faff for regular riders. All too often shops are asked to do this simple task — and charge up to £20 to do it (including a new inner tube). But once you know how it’s really only a 10-15 minute job.

And a quick repair is much cheaper than fitting a new inner tube every time you flat...

REMOVE THE TYRE & LOCATE THE PUNCTURE Start by removing the wheel caused the flat. To find the from the bike and the tyre puncture site inflate the inner from the wheel rim. You tube and listen for a hiss, or may need to use tyre levers feel for escaping air with your if the tyre is tight. Once hand. You can also submerge removed, check inside the in water and look for bubbles. tyre for thorns, glass, nails or Mark the hole with chalk whatever sharps might have or a felt-tip pen.

PREPARING THE DAMAGED AREA Your standard puncture Use the sandpaper repair kit should contain to lightly rub around the three things: rubber patches, damaged tube in the area rubber solution (glue) and of the hole to provide a sandpaper. If yours is missing keyed surface for the rubber the latter, then any fine grain solution to grip. You only sandpaper from the local DIY need to prep an area the size shop will do. of your rubber patch.

ADDING THE RUBBER SOLUTION Now you need to apply a you don’t want to apply the coat of the rubber solution patch until the solution is just to the sanded area and the right consistency. leave it for 30-60 seconds.

As before, you don’t need Remember this isn’t to go mad, just apply enough convential glue so it needs to to cover an area the size of be treated differently — you the patch. And you don’t need the solution to go tacky need a massive amount of (runny is no good at all), and solution either.

STICKING ON THE PATCH While you’re waiting, remove otherwise it won’t seal the the silver foil or backing tube and you’ll have to start from the patch — but avoid all over again. It’s worth touching the underside as holding the patch against the you don’t want to get dirt on tube for about a minute to it. Now carefully apply the make sure the whole thing is patch to the inner tube. Press securely stuck down. it down evenly and ensure Now you’re ready to that it’s all seated properly inflate it and refit the tyre.

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HOW TO

YOGA PRE-RIDE

STRETCH

Practicing 5-10 minutes of yoga before you ride is a great way to wake up the body, improve posture, and to focus the mind explains Polly Clark

Polly Clark runs Mountain Yoga Breaks in Mid Wales. mountainyogabreaks.co.uk

Hold each pose for at least 30 seconds. Don’t bounce or force the movement as your muscles will tighten in response. Find the point in the pose where you can feel the stretch; it might be mildly uncomfortable, but the sensation you are looking for isn’t pain. Tune into your breath, keep it smooth and steady.

1A

1B

STANDING FORWARD BEND HOW? Stand with your back, straighten the arms if feet hip width apart. Take possible. Allow the head to your hands to your hips, release down. soften the knees and fold WHY? Stretches hips, forward from the hips. hamstrings and calves.

Bend the knees deeper Releases tension in the if you have restriction in spine. Activates the the hamstrings. Interlace abdominals. Opens the fingers behind the shoulders and chest.

3A

3B

STANDING PIGEON POSE HOW? Start in Chair Pose: over the right knee. Push into feet together, bend the knees, your right heel and sink hips sink the hips back and down, deeper until you feel a strong keeping the torso upright, stretch on the outer glutes reach the arms up. Take a and hip. Use a wall or table few breaths here. Bring the for balance if needed. palms together in front of WHY? Activates the outer the chest. Lift up the left hips, stretches glutes and foot and cross the left ankle strengthens the quads.

4B

4A

LOCUST POSE TO CHILD’S POSE HOW? Start by lying face Repeat three times down, arms down by the before making your way side of the hips, palms back to Child’s Pose. facing down.

WHY? Locust Pose As you inhale lift the strengthens the lower front of the shoulders, chest back and core muscles as and rib cage away from the well as working the glutes, floor, lift the arms and legs adductors and hamstrings. It off the floor making sure to is also an invigorating pose keep the legs straight. Tuck which will focus your mind the chin slightly, hold this for and breath getting you ready 5 breaths. to ride.

Phill Stasiw

DOWNWARD FACING DOG TO PLANK & BACK HOW? Start on all fours, lower belly and front ribs, hands shoulder-width apart, then draw your shoulders tuck your toes under, lift the forwards over your wrists. hips up and back. Straighten Finally open the chest through the arms. Keeping forwards. Hold and then hips high, start to straighten exhale back to downward the legs, extending heels to facing dog. Repeat 5-10 times. the floor. Take 5 breaths here.

WHY? Stretches shoulders, On an inbreath come calves, hamstrings and back forwards to Plank pose. Start muscles. Plank activates by tucking your tailbone core muscles, as well as under, lift up through the strengthens wrists and arms.

2B

2A

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L ATEST | BIKES | GEAR | MEDIA

BIKES

CARGO 78

LONGTERMERS 85

REVIEWS

JACKETS 88

BOOKS 90

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As more people are ditching their cars, Katy Rodda explains why cargo bikes are a realistic alternative for families and businesses alike TOP TIP

Lights mounted over the front wheel light the road better

Thanks to London Green Cycles, Zedify

MODEL: URBAN ARROW FAMILY, £3,999. Pedal-assist; will handle loads up to 125kg HERE ARE many good reasons for trying hard to find out how little you need a car. Moving around outdoors every day is good for physical and mental wellbeing; the sitting position in a car is even worse than sitting at a desk all day; and air quality inside a car is no better than that outside. Car journeys in urban spaces are increasingly frustrating too — city centres aren’t built for cars, yet, incredibly, car use has increased since 2013. If fewer residential areas weren’t constantly rat-runned by cars on short trips, we might also see more happy, healthy street play.

The good news is that many people want to be part of the solution, and a broader definition of what human power can do is emerging. Even politicians are waking up to the common sense of ‘last mile’ logistics, where the

last stage of a delivery is split up into small-scale, low-carbon transportation instead of large motor haulage all the way to final destination.

It’s exciting to see haulage picking up on solutions that improve air quality and have the lowest impact on urban space.

Cargo bikes are becoming a regular sight on the streets of some UK cities, with companies such as Zedify (six cities nationwide), and fully-fledged logistics firms whose business models centre on low carbon and high efficiency.

Cargo bikes are an indicator of a healthy cycling culture: bikes are so normalised that people use them for a wide range of transport needs. But in private ownership in Britain, cargo bikes are even more niche than everyday cycles. You tend to see more ‘used’ by shops as static advertising than actually on the road.

HOW MUCH CAN YOU CARRY? If you can fit it in your standard car boot, you can usually fit it into a cargo bike. Standard loads include: children, dogs, groceries, suitcases, camping gear, garden waste, laundry bundles, picnics, sports kit, plants.

Even fridges and furniture on larger box bikes.

1m² – 3.5m²

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Martin Williamson

BIKE GUIDE

WHAT IS A CARGO BIKE? Cargo bikes are not new. The muchloved old postie’s bike was a ‘light cargo’ bike (you can buy reconditioned ones from Elephant Bikes), as were butcher’s bikes. Some Dutch bikes also convert to ‘light cargo’ duties. Arguably, anything that is properly adapted to carry an ‘additional’ load is a cargo bike. This isn’t the same as bolting on a child seat above a basic pannier rack or adding a fork-mounted front rack or basket.

Having a rigid frame with the loadpoint bearing directly into the rear axle – or at the front, a rack that’s integral to the frame – means that steering and balance are not compromised with a heavy load. Of course any bike goes faster unloaded, but that’s not the point; on a proper cargo bike the handling will be steady and controlled with a full load.

DIVERSITY Cargo bikes are where bike designers go wild; the bikes come in different shapes and sizes depending on the job they’re built for. However, there are three basic types of cargo bike. n ‘BAKFIETS’ (Dutch for ‘box bike’): these are bikes that carry the load in front of the rider. There’s two types: firstly, wide-load trikes, with the cargo box between a pair of wheels on a double axle and the single wheel (sometimes larger than the front wheels) beneath the rider. Instead of handlebars, they have a steering bar;

trying it out. You may end up just not using a bike if it is a truly unrewarding experience; and as we know, bikes should be comfortable and fun.

We first rode a proper e-cargo bike about three years ago, spending three weeks hauling four children (aged 3-5) and their accoutrements in a bakfiets trike around the Danish island of Bornholm. It was great fun; the kids loved it too. Our hosts used it KIDS TIPS in most weathers to take their Look for proper children to the nearest towns three-point seatfor nursery, as it had a good wet belts and fitted weather cover, and it was ideal rain cover for ferrying large suitcases 3km down the cycle track to the bus stop.

We’ve also ridden a similar trike and increasingly, wide bakfiets trikes without e-assist in Copenhagen and have e-assist. The other front-loader various front and rear-loaders in the type is an older style known as a ‘Long UK since. As with any bike, you need to John’: a two-wheeled cycle with a anticipate and make smooth gear shifts; longer, narrower box slung low in front this is crucial to enjoying a cargo bike, as of the rider. The front wheel is steered the drivechain elements are under more via rods that run from the handlebars stress and you get less feedback from underneath the cargo box. The wheel the road surface with heavier loads. under the rider may again be larger than the front wheel.

THINGS YOU MAY n LONGTAIL: the frame is extended NEED TO OVERCOME behind the saddle, usually just like a The main difficulty with a cargo bike very long touring-type hybrid bike, but in a British city is storage. You often sturdier. Even bikes like the 8Freight (p81), can’t lift one up a staircase or fit them which has a large cargo area slung low into standard bike sheds, and too many behind the saddle, rides like a longtail – UK homes do not have suitable secure though arguably it’s a bakfiets. storage for standard bikes, let alone n PORTEUR OR MINI-CARGO: these larger machines. So if you don’t beginning to look like ordinary bikes, have personal garage space or good, with the main luggage load in front of secure communal bike parking, you may the handlebars. These are built sturdily have to consider locking a cargo bike in with larger racks, often with a smaller a front yard, motorbike-style. front wheel.

The other undeniable element is cost; cargo bikes are not cheap. Though, WHAT ARE THEY they’re much cheaper than a new car, LIKE TO RIDE? and the running costs are low.

As a rule, the more like a ‘normal’ bike it looks, the more familiar the ride will feel, with a tendency towards the hybrid or upright Dutch-style sitting position. Many cargo bikes have e-assist options too.

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DOUZE

The LCC team tests four of the best cargo bikes

Martin Williamson

MODEL: DOUZE F10, £3,050 n douze-cycles.com HIS IS a handsome, sleek, nimble bike — and probably ranks as the best purchase we’ve ever made.

At 25kg, the F10 is 40% lighter than many rivals and the relatively steep 72-degree seat angle gives a riding position that will be familiar to accustomed cycling muscles. These two traits set the Douze apart from Dutch-style cargo bikes by making speed, distance and hills not just possible but enjoyable.

The clever cable steering is smooth and intuitive and you really appreciate the very tight turning circle riding in London.

The design has been thoroughly thought through and you’d look long and hard before finding

anything that could be bettered.

Build-quality is excellent with neat welds and silky paint.

There has been no skimping on components either. The bespoke elements, particularly where the two frame sections join, are clever and rock-solid.

This bike’s trump card is that the frame quickly separates (see inset photo of detached front end) to fit easily into a bike shelter or even a hatchback. We found it soon became central to our family life and we didn’t even want to leave it behind when we went on holiday.

Luckily myriad add-ons, like the inflatable rain canopy ensure it’s now the year-round familybike package. MW

FACTFILE

n The F10 has decent, rather than huge cargo space: two six-yearolds are about your limit and anything additional must go in panniers. That said you can carry a shopping trolley’s worth of groceries easily. n Two front frame options: the 600 and 800 offer different lengths. n Multiple gearing options: standard gears, Shimano Alfine 8 or 11, Nuvinci or Rohloff hubs gears, or Pinion gearbox. Plus it’s available in e-bike versions too.

VERDICT + Light and easy handling. + Frame separates to make storage much simpler. + Great value and huge range of add-on extras.

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BIKE GUIDE

8FREIGHT

Katy Rodda/BHCC

WE LIKED THE DIRECTNESS OF THE STEERING AND CONTROL

MODEL: 8FREIGHT CARGO, £1,895 n 8freight.com HILE YOU really need a reason to ride a bakfiets (we can’t imagine keeping one just for the fun of riding it), we found this longtail rather different. The 8Freight was designed by Mike Burrows, the man behond Chris Boardman’s iconic Olympic gold medalwinning Lotus bike.

It felt odd riding it for the first few minutes: your body leans over the front of the bike, and with only a 20-inch wheel it felt as if there was just nothing there and that the bike was about to somersault.

However, this feeling quickly subsided and we started notching up several positives.

The cargo space takes two big plastic crates within the height of

the container (a lot more would fit on top) and there is a sturdy rack over the rear wheel for additional/ long loads. We easily managed big supermarket trips and rubbish tip runs would be totally feasible too. In fact we reckon it would be ideal for someone with a small business and things to carry, and for multiple local deliveries.

Because the steering is right under the handlebars, the 8Freight mainly handles like a standard bike. You can easily stand up to pedal for extra power; or you can just cruise. We liked the directness of the steering and control, though other users/owners have said they felt the ride was harsh. Either way it’s a gentle intro to the wider world of cargo bikes. KR

FACTFILE

n Narrow profile: at only 60cm wide, you can still cut through traffic as on a standard bike. n Don’t try to U-turn in a smallish space: it does a 3-point turn on foot much more easily. It also took some getting used to for tight turns; we had to pull out into the road too for tight turns. n Low rear load: not only stable but you can carry large items like storage boxes and Christmas trees without obscuring your view of the road ahead.

VERDICT + Very lightweight for a cargo bike, at only 20kg. + Maximim load weight 100kg. + Stable, nippy and offers good visibility.

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OMNIUM WE HAD NO ISSUES WEAVING A WAY THROUGH BOLLARDS

Rob Eves

MODEL: OMNIUM CARGO, £2,060 n omniumcargo.dk/londongreencycles.co.uk HE FIRST thing that struck us when we first set off on the Omnium was just how unlike other cargo bikes it felt to ride. There was no circling the block a couple of times to get accustomed to quirky handling, and no extra concentration needed to make sure we kept our balance. We had no problems weaving through bollards where trikes and larger bikes might have struggled. And being light (our test model did come with carbon wheels) and manoeuvrable, it was pretty easy and quick to build up speed.

The Copenhagen-based brand produces three eponymous models of which this is the largest. It pairs a 700c (29in) rear wheel with a smaller 20in front wheel and a load

carrying rack out front. We didn’t load the bike up to anything like its full capacity, but we hardly noticed the weight we did add. For those who need to move heavier loads, it can carry 100kg, or 175kg including rider — that’s a very large weekly family shop.

Speed and manoeuvrability aside, there were two other details we really liked about the Omnium.

Firstly, the webbing that forms the bed of the load bay — this shaves weight and made it really easy to strap things securely into place. And secondly the kickstand — twin legs that expand and collapse make it really easy to park the bike quickly with little risk of it toppling over. It can also be stored upright balanced on its nose, a handy space-saver. RE

FACTFILE

n Rack area: can be adapted to various sizes/shapes of load, or for various types of child seat (not supplied with bike). Max load weight 100kg. n Tyre clearance: for added comfort, and greater traction in winter, there’s room for a 37mm front and 42mm rear tyre (both with mudguards fitted). n Range of frame sizes: unusually for a cargo bike, the Omnium comes in five adult sizes (S-XL), plus a dedicated kid’s size.

VERDICT + Rides like a standard bike. + Two wheel sizes means keeping two sizes of spare inner tube handy. + Easy to lift and store.

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BIKE GUIDE

Tom Bogdanowicz

TERN

MODEL: TERN GSD £3,995 n ternbicycles.com

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MAGINE A bike that can carry two people (or rider plus two kids) or a 100kg load, occupy less than a square metre of floor space in your home and sustain 15mph up hills. The Tern GSD does all this and more; versatility is its forte.

Tern has used small, 20in wheels with very fat tyres, to achieve a long stable wheelbase, a degree of foldability, a step-through frame, plus the load and passenger capacity of a cargo bike — all within the length of a standard bike (1.8m).

A Bosch 250W motor provides the pedal-assist and, unusually, you can fit two Bosch batteries on the frame, giving a whopping potential range of nearly 250km. We found the GSD a breeze to ride and using

a mix of power modes we were getting about 25 miles per quarter battery charge.

As you might expect of a cargo bike that doubles as a tandem, it’s heavy (27kg with one battery) and very hard work to carry up stairs, though in the vertical position (see inset photo above) it will fit most lifts. At home we propped the bike up on its tail for storage and it worked a treat.

Our one request to Tern is to up the security — our test model did not have a removable display which means that once through the wheel lock and chain, a thief can ride it away unless you’ve unlocked/ removed the battery. A removable display would make it a very slow, conspicuous getaway vehicle. TB

FACTFILE

n Load carrying options: for a touring-type set up, you can attach six panniers (four at rear, two at front), plus rack-top bag.

Or invest in Tern’s own monster ‘cargo panniers’. n Double ‘backies’: it’s super easy to give a friend a lift (the bike can carry 180kg), or two kids, one behind the other (using Thule Yepp Maxi seats (no special adapters needed). n Dual batteries: gives range up to 250km.

VERDICT + There’s no escaping the hefty price tag. + Too heavy to lift up stairs. + But it’s arguably the most versatile e-cargo bike yet.

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REVIEWS

ON TEST

Longterm BIKES

Our test team gets to grips with the latest bikes, from hybrids and city slickers to off-road adventurers and mtbs MODEL: REISE & MÜLLER DELITE RANGE n r-m.de/en-gb

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HERE’S eight bikes in the Delite range, all sharing the same DNA, and we spent most time on the very unique Mountain models: fullsuspension e-mtbs that include a long range 1,000Wh dual battery system, powerful LED lights and the option of an integral rear pannier rack. The top model even includes Rohloff’s incredibly tough 14-speed hub gear system with electronic shifting.

The Bosch Performance Line CX motor delivers enough power to get up any gradient — steepness is only limited by your ability to stay on the bike. The power is allied to a unique, rather funky yet practical frame design; there are plenty of lighter, sleeker e-mtbs out there for

faster-paced rides, but this bike has created its own niche as an ultradurable e-mtb with true touring potential over properly challenging terrain. You can choose either a regular Shimano XT drivetrain or the maintenance-free shifting of Rohloff’s hub gears (with over 500% range), plus the option of a Bosch Nyon display that, among much else, shows maps and real-time altitude profile. The Nyon links via Bluetooth to your smartphone so you can easily download gpx route files to follow (no need to carry expensive phones on handlebars).

And the hi-tech is allied with the latest mtb features such as wide 2.8in ‘plus size’ tyres, top quality Fox suspension that’s easy to lock

out for road sections and superconsistent hydraulic disc brakes.

With the two batteries the potential range is phenomenal and even on long tours around some of the South Pennines’ toughest gradients we’ve not got close to its limits. And we’ve also got plenty of exercise by tackling trails that even ultra-fit, much younger riders on ‘classic bikes’would find a truly extreme challenge. Richard Peace

VERDICT + Dual batteries are great for range, but add extra weight. + With optional rack it makes big off-road tours a possibility. + So many great touches like the clip-on Fabric waterbottles.

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REVIEWS

LONGTERMERS PERFECT FOR BIKEPACKING AND OFF-ROAD TOURING

MODEL: RALEIGH MUSTANG COMP n raleigh.co.uk

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T’S BEEN a case of ‘more of the same’ since our last update on the Mustang: hundreds of miles on the London streets on daily duties, married with out-of-town off-road adventures across the country. And it’s fair to say we’ve settled into a fairly comfortable relationship too, with no significant issues along the way.

As mentioned previously, as a long-time steel fan, I’ve come to appreciate the feel and ride qualities of the lightweight aluminium frame. And the lion’s share of the components have performed impeccably — no doubt helped by the ridiculously dry and very un-British conditions we’ve enjoyed this summer. Both the SRAM/Sunrace 1x11 drivetrain

and the hydraulic disc brakes rank as the standout parts, with only normal tweaks needed to the former during testing. You could swap for narrower, slicker tyres for improved road speed, but the 36c-wide Clement X’Plors proved a really reliable pick — they might not have fared so well in the wet, but in the dry they felt spot-on and soaked up millions of bumps.

From Bromley to Bealach Na Ba, it’s been a really fun ride. Jane Davis

VERDICT + Hats off to Raleigh for including XS in their size range. +B rilliant gears and brakes. + For many people it could be the ‘one bike’ for commuting and weekend adventures.

SCHWALBE CONTROL TYRES As not all tyres are equal, and tyres are so critical in how a bike rides and feels, we use different rubbers supplied by leading manufacturer Schwalbe to act as ‘control tyres’ in our testing.

On city bikes and hybrids we’ve been using Durano DDs or Marathons, on the cyclocross/adventure bikes we’ve run X-Ones and G-Ones, while on the mtbs we’ve been swapping between Nobby Nics and Magic Marys.

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G iV e a gIF T T H At GI VES Ba C K Give the gift of LCC membership Suppor t LCC with the ideal present for cyclists on birthdays or special occasions.

Includes third-party insurance, subscription to London Cyclist magazine and discounts in 100+ bike shops.

We go further when we #ridetogether lcc.org.uk /gift

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REVIEWS

SOFTSHELL JACKETS ROAD/SPORTIVE SANTINI

ALTURA

Compared to their outdoor/ adventure-based peers, ‘softshell’ means something different to most road cycling brands, with their products often being more like refned versions of their standard winter jerseys. This Santini jacket is a case in point — it looks much like a ‘normal’ long-sleever, but the devil’s in the detail. In fact the clue’s in the name of the chosen material — Breezewall — and different zones are designed to do different things. The more rustly front does a good job of staving off windchill, while the back and sleeves are insulated with a fleecy material for warmth. And the whole thing has been given a water-resistant treatment that worked better than we’d imagined. We liked the slim fit and drop tail, but, unsurprisingly, the simple elasticated collar, cuffs and hem don’t have any adjustment. Two colours; M-XXL

So the photo might make this jacket look like some kind of ninja wetsuit, but that’s hardly fair. It’s a new model from the people behind the best-selling ‘NightVision’ waterproofs and is essentially a windproof top with three whopping reflective patches at the chest, hips and rear. This ‘Darkproof Technology’ is best seen in the flesh, but take it from us it’s incredibly effective, making you visible under headlights from every angle. The flip is that these thick reflective areas aren’t at all breathable, so vents have been added to aid air flow when in the riding position.

Oddly the body is mesh-lined but the sleeves aren’t, which caused some clamminess when wearing short-sleeve jerseys beneath. Fit is closer than claimed, but there’s enough stretch in the material to allow free movement. One colour; S-XXXL.

DHB

MADISON

Echoing the ‘souped-up jersey’ take on softshells much like Santini, Wiggle’s in-house brand offers two roadie options: there’s either the retro-styled Classic we tested or a handful of more daring designs in their popular Blok range (£70), with both sharing the same construction and performance. Savings aside, the thing we like most about this jersey is the fit — clearly it’s subjective depending on body shape, but it was absolutely spot-on for us; front hem and tail sat perfectly when riding, sleeves were the ideal length and the collar wasn’t restrictive at all. A fleecy Roubaix fabric keeps you warm and is comfy with or without a secondary baselayer, while windproofing at the front and sleeves takes the edge off headwinds. Three colours; XS-XXL.

Looking and feeling like a cross between your favourite hoody and a winter fleece, the Roam is one of those tops that covers a lot of bases; stylish enough for the pub, but with enough discrete tech to keep you warm and dry.

The ‘heathered’ finish feels super snug in nippy conditions but you’ll notice the warmth if you up your pedalling pace; with no vents we had to ride with the main zip fully undone a couple of times. A roomy fit allows for layering, while both hem and cuffs are elasticated like a bomber jacket. Phones are best kept in the chest pocket as the hardwarmer ones aren’t zipped. A good pick for city cruising, there’s even some super subtle reflective detailing. Three colours; S-XXL.

Wind Protection Jacket zyrofisher.co.uk £109

Classic Softshell wiggle.com £45

REVIEWS: John Kitchiner, Jon Collard

URBAN Urban X Windproof altura.co.uk £119

Roam Softshell madison.cc £79

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ADVENTURE/MTB KEELA

Hydron Softshell keela.co.uk £149 At 600g on our office scales, the Hydron is double the weight of most tested here, but that’s because it’s a ‘proper’ softshell and the best bet for colder days, both on and off the bike. Super windproof, the proprietary Stretchtec fabric is by far the best rain repeller here too — and, as the name suggests, a lovely two-way stretch doesn’t feel restrictive when hunched over handlebars. The gridded inner face fabric feels really comfy next to the skin and this design helps with breathability too; when you feel yourself warming up, two large underarm vents can be unzipped to quickly let heat escape. Plenty of pockets for essentials, adjustable hem and cuffs, and a wellshaped hood make for a pretty complete package. We found it a little bulky for some tours, but we’ve been glad of it around the campfire this summer. Two colours; XS-XXXL.

PATAGONIA

Dirt Craft Jacket eu.patagonia.com £130 Like much of Patagonia’s outerwear range, this stretchy softshell comprises a high recycled content (60%).

The face is treated with a water repellent finish and we’ve found it more than adequate in short showers, though it’s no substitute for a full-on waterproof. The fit is slimmer than the Keela, but the 5% elastane mix provides a lovely give that’s immediately noticeable when moving around on the bike, twisting or looking over your shoulder — and there’s still room for a long-sleeve baselayer or jersey underneath. Velcro cuffs work well with gloves, the hem can be cinched up or loosened one-handed, and there’s zippered pockets for phone and wallet. There’s no pit-zips or vents but luckily the fabric is as breathable as a lightweight windshell. Two colours; XS-XL.

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REVIEWS

BIKE BOOKS

VENTOUX

REVIEWS: Tony Levene

Jeremy Whittle Simon & Schuster £8.99 One look at the steep profile of Mont Ventoux, the 1,912m high ‘killer mountain’ featured in so many Tour de France battles, is enough to convince anyone to stick to London’s pothole-riddled roads. As Whittle says, Provence’s extreme ascent is cycle racing’s most feared and revered climb. And it’s where Tommy Simpson died in 1967.

Introduced to the Tour in 1951, the climb’s ferocity is one reason why popping pills (and other substances) took such a hold. The author lives near Ventoux, has ridden up it many times and he’s interviewed famous and infamous riders including the likes of Eddy Merckx and Lance Armstrong. He avoids moral judgement on the latter though: “Armstrong learned cycling was a lawless sport with no boundaries.

So he exploited that just as others exploited him.” He was “disposable”. By contrast, Ventoux is not.

CYCLING LONDON TO PARIS Mike Wells Cicerone £14.95

With Eurostar being such a notoriously bike-unfriendly route to Paris, if your dream is to pedal up the ChampsÉlysées, then you could cycle all or part of the way from London. And there’s two routes detailed in this new guide, so you can head out one way and back the other.

At 490km The ‘Classic’ option is via Dover and Calais; it’s longer but there are more ferries, it’s flatter and goes through major towns such as Amiens and Beauvais.

The shorter Avenue Verte route (387km) depends on the longer, less frequent Newhaven-Dieppe ferry.

As much of each route as possible is on traffic-free paths, divided into stages (generally no more than 65km) for a leisurely journey.

The maps are excellent, with useful enlargements even for small towns — what’s more you can download them too.

Bon voyage it is then...

RIDE

Ray Hamilton Summersdale £9.99 Want to impress your mates with cycling trivia or win bike-oriented pub quizzes?

Then you’ll find the necessary nuggets here. Did you know (a phrase that comes to mind throughout the book) that those who claim cyclists mow down hapless pedestrians can trace that view back to the 1894 Commissioners in Lunacy report? It stated the circular motion of wheels led to a weakening of the cyclist’s mind!

Or how about John F Kennedy declaring “nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride”, designer Paul Smith wanting to be a pro cycle racer until he had an accident, and Eric Clapton choosing music over his bike — apparently even Cream album Disraeli Gears is a malapropism for ‘derailleur gears’.

But this book also has help for those new to cycling with pages of training regimes and maintenance advice.

GOOD MOUNTAIN BIKING GUIDE

Richard & Stephen Ross Active Maps £25 With a total of 500 routes outlined, there’s no doubting this guide is comprehensive.

But that’s both a pro and a con in this instance. By packing so much in, the detail on each route is sparse, barely a couple of lines in places, though there’s more on local cafes, bike shops and the like.

The maps too are a bit hit and miss — simple loops with little navigational difficulty are straight-forward, but longer, more challenging routes are so condensed that the extracts are hard to follow. Bottom line is that in most cases you’ll also need a proper paper map (or GPS) to navigate with. One neat touch is that the maps show regular spot heights, so when paired with a GPS you can quickly identify where you are on a given track. Each chapter ends with a list of local trail centres in the region, a nice addition. Maybe a ‘less is more’ approach next time? JK

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A GOLDEN AGE OF CYCLING

THE DESCENT

Charles James Pope Bonnier £16.99

Thomas Dekker & Thijs Zonneveld Ebury Press £8.99

For some, now is the best ever time for cycling. But for Pope the ‘golden age’ was nearly 100 years ago when the main roads were empty and the 50-tonne truck a distant nightmare. Born in 1879 in Hammersmith, Pope tells of his two-wheeled adventures between 1924 and 1933, unearthed by ‘diaries detective’ Shaun Sewell.

He talks about leaving home one Sunday in July 1925 for “a loafing day”, 84 miles to Chobham and Pirbright returning via Surbiton. And the following week, it was 102 miles to St Albans and Leighton Buzzard, meeting “two young bucks and three ill-favoured damsels”.

Whatever it was about them, it is not recorded. In fact we learn virtually nothing about his bike or equipment either. This is unadulterated nostalgia, celebrating what might well be the highpoint of pure leisure cycling.

Dutch cyclist Dekker was destined to be a winner.

But when he came into the professional circus around 2000, the only way of being on the podium came in bags of blood and packets of pills. This is the story of how his promise turned into a Porsche, drugs and downfall.

There’s graphic descriptions of his lying on a bed with a needle sticking out of his arm as he attempts to take in yet more blood — although sometimes it’s Dynepo from Slovenia, a banned anaemia drug which encourages red blood cell production. It helps to be a pharmacist to tackle some passages. There’s also the lifestyle: boredom relieved by hookers, booze and more IV drips. But equally damning is the blind eye from all concerned, especially sponsors, plus the collusion of team doctors. Grim reading and lessons to learn for any ‘elite’ sport, in any era.

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Member BENEFITS As well as insurance and legal benefits, LCC members receive hundreds of great discounts and offers on bike-related gear

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S YOU have probably already read, London Cycling Campaign celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, and we owe a lot of our successes over those last 40 years to the support of our members.

Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to launch some of the biggest campaigns across London, helping us to create our vision of a cycling London.

Being an LCC member means so much more than perks and benefits, but we work hard to ensure our members have all the tools they need to cycle happily and safely.

Here’s a round-up of just some of the great benefits you get as an LCC member...

Peace of mind on the road As an LCC member, you’re automatically covered by our free third party insurance and have unlimited access to our free legal advice helpline. Whether you’re riding to work, heading out over the weekend or even if you’re taking part in a sportive, you can rest easy knowing you have the resources and support on call if you are ever involved in a collision. We also offer our members preferential rates on bike theft insurance which includes worldwide cover, breakdown cover, personal accident cover and a great benefits package.

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MEMBERS

NEW! Discounts with cycle-friendly cafes Because what would a ride be without a café stop? The newest addition to our membership package, we’re pleased to introduce cafés including Stour Space Café, Electric Elephant Café and Festa sul Prato to the LCC family.

Members can enjoy discounts on coffee, cakes and more. Just make sure you take the latest copy of Conquista with you, the cycling quarterly that brings together some of the best writing and photography in the bike world.

Run a café or know of one who'd like to get involved? Then email sarah@lcc.org.uk for more information.

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1 1 STOUR SPACE CAFÉ: 10% discount.

2 ELECTRIC ELEPHANT CAFÉ: 10% discount on coffee.

3 FESTA SUL PRATO: 20% discount.

4 CONQUISTA: 30% off your first year subscription.

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Access to our network of bike shops We’ve got a fantastic network of over 100 bike shops offering our members discounts suitable for every kind of cyclist.

If you’re looking to visit a London institution while scoping out the latest frames and kit, look no further than Condor Cycles — the makers of bespoke bicycles since 1948.

1C ONDOR CYCLES 10% discount on accessories and parts.

2 LONDON BIKE KITCHEN 10% discount on drop-in hours, parts, accessories, classes and servicing labour.

3 LONDON GREEN CYCLES 10% discount on accessories, parts, labour and hire bikes.

More of a DIY-head? Head over to London Bike Kitchen, a DIY shop in Hackney that offers drop-in sessions, classes, servicing and more.

Or if you’ve jumped on the cargo-wagon then make a pit stop at London Green Cycles (just off Regent’s Park outer circle) for all things cargo bike related.

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MEMBERS

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A chance to get involved in the London cycling community We believe we all go further when we ride together, which is why connecting with the cycling community is central to what it means to be an LCC member.

Whether you’re interested in campaigning on a local level, want to volunteer at LCC HQ, or want to sign your club up as an LCC Affiliate — there’s a way for every cyclist, from every discipline, to get involved and make a positive impact on cycling in London.

Check out the website for details of our LCC Affiliates and share the #ridetogether hashtag.

Health and wellness for you and your bike There’s no denying that cycling is good for your health, but we think a little TLC once in a while for you (and your bike) can go a long way, which is why we’ve included a range of discounts to help keep you and your bike in good nick. Members can enjoy discounts on a range of fitness classes specifically suited to cyclists at The Klinik. Or get the perfect fit for the smoothest ride with Tim Allen, the man behind Soigneur Bike Fitting. And don’t forget your bike — our friends at Eat My Dirt have created their innovative Bike Shield to make cleaning your bike a breeze.

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VISIT THE WEBSITE To see our full membership package and all of the benefits you get as a member, visit membership. lcc.org.uk

1T HE KLINIK: discounted class packages for all LCC members (visit membership.lcc.org.uk for more info).

2 SOIGNEUR: 15% discount.

3 EAT MY DIRT: 15% discount.

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ICONIC BIKES

GRAEME OBREE’S

Old Faithful

In the first part of a new series, John Kitchiner remembers a homemade machine that went on to break world records

the bars under his chest, his elbows bent and tucked into his sides like those of a skier. Watching a washing machine spin at 1,200rpm led him to take the bearings, which he assumed must be of superior quality, and fit them to his bike.

Taken together, this innovative bike and position reduced aerodynamic drag by around 15 percent.

It all paid off though as Obree rode Old Faithful to a new World Hour Record at the Hamar Velodrome in Norway, riding 51.596km.

During 1993 and 1994, Obree also used his ‘tuck’ position to take World Championship individual pursuit and national time trial titles. However, worried that cycling was improving because of technological advances rather than human endeavour, the UCI banned it. When Obree countered with a new riding stance, ‘the Superman’ (arms stretched out in front), this too was banned. Many still argue that the UCI altered and invented rules deliberately to disqualify Obree at a number of cycling championships during the 1990s. n Old Faithful can now be seen on display at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

ILLUSTRATION: David Sparshott

S THE name suggests, the World Hour Record involves cycling as far and as fast as you can in 60 minutes. Henri Desgrange set the first record in 1893 and since then it’s been claimed by racing luminaries including Fausto Coppi and Bradley Wiggins. But on 17 July 1993, a relatively unknown cyclist from Scotland achieved something very special ­– he smashed this ultimate endurance record on a homemade bicycle.

Graeme Obree had been building frames at his shop for a while and when the business went under he turned his thoughts to ‘The Hour’, having already spent years experimenting with aerodynamics and durability. And for a serious record attempt he realised he’d need a unique bike that brought together all his ideas. After much prototyping ‘Old Faithful’ was born, the likes of which the cycling world had never seen before.

Obree made the bottom bracket deliberately narrow and shoes were fixed to the pedals, decreasing resistance against the cyclist’s body. Instead of traditional drop handlebars it had straight bars like those of an early mountain bike; he placed them closer to the saddle than usual and rode with 98

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