Summer 17 lc combined

CYCLIST Summer 2017

Your voice for a cycling city WILL NORMAN LONDON BOULEVARD TOURING IN TIBET CHILTERNS RIDE GUIDE BEASTWAY AT 25 BIKE REVIEWS

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CONTENTS

Your voice for

a cyclingRow, city 2 Newhams London SE1 3UZ n 020 7234 9310 n lcc.org.uk EDITORIAL

Editor: John Kitchiner, londoncyclist@lcc.org.uk Design: Anita Razak Contributors: Ashok Sinha, Tom Bogdanowicz, Simon Munk, Rob Eves, Olivier Nilsson-Julien, Katy Rodda

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Jacob Holmes, 01242 259249; jacob.holmes@fellowsmedia.com

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. n London Cyclist is printed by Wyndehams on paper made from 100% FSC sustainably-managed and carbon-balanced forest.

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CHILTERNS’ COUNTRY LANES

Thame

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Hampden House

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Chalgrove Field

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COVER & CONTENTS: Fred Whitton Challenge, Lake District PHOTOS BY: Steve Fleming

CBP0007421307115017

LCC Members’ Legal Helpline

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JOHN HAMPDEN SHIP MONEY MONUMENT [1] Charles I ran into deeper and deeper trouble, and debt, during the 1630s. His policies towards the Scottish Protestants (‘covenanters’) had lead to outbreaks of rebellion in the north, and he also failed to avoid expensive warfare in Ireland.

Knowing that the policies causing the uprisings were unpopular with many in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, he simply refused to call parliament to sit, and this meant that he could not follow procedure to raise new taxes. In desperation, he tried to revive an old tax that had been levied on coastal locations to pay for coastal defences in earlier times. In landlocked Buckinghamshire, far from the sea, Hampden refused to pay, maintaining that the tax was illegal.

Backed by other key parliamentarians in both houses, Hampden narrowly lost his stand in court but gained the moral victory against tyranny for

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the parliamentarian cause, holding the king to account on behalf of all his people. The ship tax was increasingly unpaid and the king was forced to recall parliament after an interval of 11 years.

GREAT HAMPDEN CHURCH [2] Hampden was mortally wounded on 18 June 1643 at the Battle of Chalgrove Field. He died six days later and his body was brought back to Great Hampden. However, the site of his grave was kept secret so that his remains, unlike those of Pym and Cromwell, were not dug up and dismembered at the 1660 Restoration.

HAMPDEN HOUSE [3] Hampden was born into a wealthy family in 1595.

The Hampdens had lived at Great Hampden since before the Norman Conquest and had long been active in public life at court, parliament and local

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government. Sons of William Hampden and Elizabeth Cromwell, John and his younger brother Richard (born 1596) were first cousins to Oliver Cromwell, who later became Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland.

John Hampden gained a reputation as a shrewd parliamentary tactician, challenging the moves of Charles I’s closest advisors in the Privy Council; he was one of the ‘Five Members’ who narrowly escaped arrest by the King on a charge of High Treason in January 1642.

Hampden House is still privately owned. It is available for hire for weddings and other events.

CHINNOR [4] The early part of 1643 did not go especially well for the Parliamentarians; they lost ground to the Royalist forces in a number of places. However, Charles I had difficulties of his own. Short of money, his army was constantly on the verge of disbanding due to lack of pay. With this shortage in mind, his ally Prince Rupert of the Rhine (Charles I’s cousin) decided to go after a Parliamentarian pay wagon passing through the countryside east of Oxford.

On the night of 17 June 1643, a Parliamentarian army was scattered in billets across the countryside near Chinnor; it was an unsatisfactory arrangement and when Rupert ambushed the village early in the morning of 18 June, the

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Parliamentarian response was disorganised.

However, Hampden and the Earl of Essex between them managed to rally some troops to respond to the Royalists.

CHALGROVE FIELD [5] After the daybreak skirmish at Chinnor, the Royalists began a planned retreat that eventually drew the Parliamentarians after them until they reached Chalgrove Field. Here Prince Rupert’s tactics proved superior and when the Royalists left the field heading back towards Oxford, they had inflicted the greater casualties.

At about 9.30am John Hampden was seen leaving the battlefield, “his head hanging down and his hands leaning upon his horse’s neck”. He had received a bullet wound to his shoulder, or possibly an incorrectly-loaded pistol had exploded in his hand. He went first towards Pyrton Manor (you passed a turning for Pyrton about 10 minutes before reaching Chalgrove) but was sent on, in agony, to Thame.

There was one good outcome from the battle for the Parliamentarians: Prince Rupert failed to find the pay wagon. It vanished, cargo intact, into the wooded hills of the Chilterns.

1643 he died in a building in the centre of this small market town, where a plaque is placed.

Hampden is commemorated widely: as well as numerous street names (including the Hampden Terrace that gave Scotland’s national football stadium its name) there are towns across the world as well as ships, a WWII bomber, and an electric locomotive named after him.

John Hampden’s name is still used to rally support for campaigners for constitutional monarchies and those seeking democracy. In the early 19th century, political associations known as ‘Hampden Clubs’ discussed constitutional reform, and in the early 20th century an offshoot of the women’s suffrage movement, the Women’s Tax Resistance League, adopted Hampden as its figurehead.

Hampden’s statue stands at the entrance to the central lobby to the House of Commons, close to the spot where Speaker Lenthall addressed the king as he came to arrest John Hampden, John Pym and the other members of ‘The Five’.

All that now remains of the route are seven peaceful miles on the Phoenix Trail; you can catch a London-bound train direct from Princes Risborough. Or instead enjoy a sharp climb back into the Chilterns and a pint in The Hampden Arms (Great Hampden) or The Cross Keys (Great Missenden).

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THAME [6] Hampden went to school in Thame before entering Magdalen College, Oxford. On 24 June

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Ship Money monument

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Gt Hampden Church

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Cycle instructor and history buff Katy Rodda guides us on a quiet loop just a short train hop from the capital his ride takes you to some key locations associated with the parliamentarian John Hampden (1595-1643). Until the 1850s, John Hampden was more famous than Oliver Cromwell for his role in the Civil War and anyone who knows their dates will see that Hampden died well before Charles I was beheaded (1649), leaving his hands conspicuously clean of the monarch’s blood.

Navigationally the route is very straightforward, but there’s three options from the station: n OPTION 1 — turn left for a tough, direct climb on the main road up to Prestwood where you turn right at the NCN route 57 sign. n OPTION 2 — turn right, then right at first mini-roundabout, then go straight through the village (past Roald Dahl museum) and along the valley road until the Nag’s Head pub. Turn right, go under the railway bridge and then immediately turn right through part of Little Kingshill. Go uphill until you spot the NCN route 57 sign. Turn right here and keep going in a straight line on the NCN route 57 and across the main road. n OPTION 3 — follow the route uphill offroad through Angling Streams Wood, until you join NCN route 57.

ROUTE

ROUTE

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London Cyclist is published by London Cycling Campaign n Find out more about our aims (lcc.org.uk/strategy) n To become a member (lcc.org.uk/joining-options) n To make a donation (lcc.org.uk/donate)

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.

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CONTENTS

15 FEATURES Road cycling Europe’s best sportive-style events Riding a sportive 50 tips for novices and improvers Interview Will Norman on his plans for London Campaign Introducing the ‘London Boulevard’ London Celebrating 25 years of ‘Beastway’

FEATURES 08 14 20 24 28

Campaign Assessing the Mayor’s first year Travel Taking the high road in Tibet Route Historic loop in the Chilterns

OPINION Injury claims and law changes Ashok Sinha, LCC chief executive

REVIEWS 35 40 58

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Editor’s Choice 07 Stylish summer cycle jerseys Bikes 48 2017 Longtermers & Sportive bikes Product 57 Laptop-friendly urban backpacks

MEMBER OFFERS Gift someone an LCC membership Free books for you and a friend

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NEWS

LCC PARTNERS WITH DENNIS EAGLE This year lorry maker Dennis Eagle will be working with LCC to support our Lorry Safety Project. The company is developing new ‘direct vision’ lorries and has sponsored LCC to run a campaign which will provide educational materials for new cyclists on how to share the road safely with lorries.

Through this partnership we are aiming to raise awareness among thousands of cyclists of the dangers of lorries, through on-street and online activity, as well as raising awareness among lorry operators of the benefits of safer lorries.

We will create an educational

area on the website collating videos and safety facts for new cyclists.

LCC plans to have events throughout the summer and autumn where we will be giving out lorry safety cards and promoting safer vehicles.

Dennis Eagle, part of the Terberg Group, pioneered the ‘direct vision’ vehicle concept, and has been exclusively making this type of truck since 1991. Most traditionally used for refuse applications, its Elite model was designed to integrate within the community, with safety for both driver/crew and other road users at the forefront of the design process. In a recent report

BECOME AN LCC TRUSTEE The London Cycling Campaign (LCC) is a membership-based charity; we are governed by our trustees, and our policies are set by members. This is your chance to step forward to be one of those trustees and/or to table a motion for this year’s AGM, which will take place in October at a central London venue to be announced.

represent the diversity of Londoners.

We therefore welcome nominations from women, black and minority ethnic, and disabled candidates. You don’t need to have been active in LCC before, or to have previous

board level/management experience.

However, we especially seek nominations from members with backgrounds in finance, human resources and income generation as we have several key vacancies

on these sub-committees.

For an informal discussion about standing in the Board election, please contact the Chair of the Board, Mustafa Arif (mustafa@lcc.org.uk).

TRUSTEES Ten trustees (who must be LCC members) form the LCC board.

Elected by the membership, each serves a two-year term. This year there are six vacancies, for which nominations are invited. Voting in the trustee election takes place in the run up to, and at, the AGM. The board meets every two months; members also chair or get involved in board sub-committees.

Beyond that, it’s up to you how involved and active you get.

We believe the board should

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commissioned by TfL to map HGV blind spots, the Elite outperformed all other models on the market, proudly claiming the top spot for direct vision between the driver and the outside world. Dennis Eagle now manufactures a range of Urban Safety Vehicles, including Tipper, Skip Loader and Logistics models.

LCC is delighted to be working with Dennis Eagle on this project — it is the first time LCC has received support for a Lorry Safety Project from the vehicle manufacturing industry. This is a big step in partnership working to reduce fatalities across our city.

Fancy taking on one of the UK’s top sportives? LCC has a very limited number of charity places available in both the Chiltern 100 and L’Etape London. The Chiltern 100 tackles the toughest riding in this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, while L’Etape London offers three route lengths to suit different experience levels. Both are guaranteed to be days to remember. All your fundraising efforts will help LCC continue to campaign for a healthier, happier, greener London. n Chiltern 100, Sunday 16 July 2017 (humanrace.co.uk). n L’Etape London, Sunday 24 September 2017 (letapeuk.co.uk).

Find more info at: lcc.org. uk/teamlcc. n TeamLCC@ lcc. org.uk; 020 7234 9310

& 2017 AGM HOW TO APPLY 1) Complete the nomination form, which you can download at lcc.org. uk/pages/trustee-election-2017.

You’ll need two LCC members to propose you.

2) For your candidate web-page, you should submit a statement/ manifesto explaining why you’re standing. We’d recommend 500 words and you’re welcome to include links to other sites/ documents/media. At least one paragraph should say what skills and experience you bring, and how you could contribute these experiences to the LCC board 3) Supply a photograph of yourself.

The deadline for receipt of all of the above is Wednesday 16 August.

E-voting will open in mid-September.

Results are announced at the AGM. POLICY Policy motions are required to go through a pre-AGM scrutiny process

with the aim of clearing potential amendments, allowing the AGM to concentrate on discussing the substance of each.

Between now and the deadline of 23.59 on 7 July, any member can submit motions. LCC committees will then scrutinise motions and may propose amendments to them.

As a motion proposer, you have the right to participate in the scrutiny process. The outcome will be a set of motions and committee responses that will go forward to members and the AGM. STANDING IN THE ELECTION & SUBMITTING MOTIONS Full details on how to stand for election and submitting motions (including the scrutiny process) will be posted on the LCC website at the beginning of June and advertised in LCC’s regular e-newsletter. To make sure you are receiving the e-news, please visit lcc.org.uk/enews.

NEWS

TACKLE MAJOR UK SPORTIVES WITH TEAM LCC

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Stylish summer cycling jerseys

HACKNEY GT Camo Jersey hackneygt.com Joining an already eclectic range comes this dose of camo colour, which we reckon might just be our favourite Hackney GT design to date. It’s a ‘race’ fit jersey made from quick wicking polyester in the main body, with Lycra side panels and sleeves for comfort.

Full-length zip for venting, three large rear pockets (plus phone stasher). Feels great on and washes up a treat. £75.

QUECHUA Techtil 100 decathlon.co.uk Listed as part of Quechua’s hiking line-up, we’ve been using two of these ‘tech tees’ for six months, for mtb’ing and touring, and been very impressed.

The organic cotton/polyester mix wicks well, though not super fast, but controls odour effectively. The looser stretch fit is really comfy on longer trips too. Part of a rolling range, there’s five designs this summer. £6.99.

RAPHA Canyon/SRAM Core Jersey rapha.cc As worn by current British road race champion Hannah Barnes — and arguably the coolest design in the women’s pro peloton — there’s now men’s and kids’ options, plus matching shorts, gilet, socks, even snood. Made from light-stretch polyester, it has raglan sleeves and contoured side panels for on-bike comfort. Three cargo pockets and one for valuables. £75.

VULPINE Merino City Jersey vulpine.cc Also available in plain charcoal, navy or a pink/red combo, this extrafine loose-fit top is one for city cyclists and tourers. Breathable and totally odourless, we found it dries really quickly after a wash. A good pick in mixed weather conditions. £77.

Editor’s note — as we went to press, Vulpine was entering administration, though still trading online.

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SPORT

Europe's best CYCLOSPORTIVES With so many great road cycling events on the calendar, John Kitchiner suggests a few favourites that shouldn’t be missed

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SPORT

FRED WHITTON CHALLENGE (UK) fredwhittonchallenge.co.uk Location: Lake District Date: May Distance: 180km Kirkstone, Honister, Newlands, Whinlatter, Hardknott, Wrynose — the Fred Whitton (pictured left) is a banquet of the most brutal road passes the Lake District has to offer. The route stays the same each year, there’s no shorter options, it’s either the full 180km (112 miles) or nothing. Factor in the 3,950m of climbing and the likelihood of less-than-favourable conditions and you’ll understand why so many people rate it at least as hard as many alpine sportives.

Named in honour of the Lakes Road Club’s former secretary who died in 1998, the event has only missed one outing in the last two decades and that was due to 2001’s foot and mouth epidemic.

Average completion time is around 8hr45mins and with gradients reaching a ridiculous 30% on Hardknott Pass, it’s the one event where you might want to consider fitting seriously low gears.

Walking’s no shame, mind — it’s a beast, a truly magnificent beast.

L’ETAPE DU TOUR (France) letapedutour.com Location: Alps/Pyrenees Date: July Distance (2017): 178km

such is the event’s popularity that in 2011 and 2012 two separate races were held. Organised by the same people who run Le Tour, L’Etape attracts mainstream television coverage and a fair number of retired and wannabe pros — a good time or placing is about as prestigious as it gets for amateur cyclists.

For 2017, the route follows Stage 18 of this summer’s Tour, starting at Briançon, popping over the Col de Vars and finishing atop the Col d’Izoard (2360m), where the final 10km are above 9% average gradient.

PHOTO: Steve Fleming

No list of the world’s greatest sportives would be complete without mention of L’Etape. It wasn’t the first, but it has arguably captured the imagination more than any other due to its connection with the Tour de France. First held in 1993, the route for L’Etape changes each year and follows an exact stage of that year’s TdF, usually comprising iconic climbs like Alpe d’Huez, Les Deux Alpes, Mont Ventoux, Col du Tourmalet, Col du Galibier, Col d’Aubisque or Col de la Croix de Fer. Roughly 15,000 riders take part annually and

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MARATONA DLES DOLOMITES (Italy) maratona.it Location: Dolomites Date: July Distance: 55km/106km/138km The first Maratona took place in 1987 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of a local cycling club; it attracted 166 riders and the route snaked over seven notorious Dolomites passes. Fast forward 30 years and the event now welcomes around 9,000 participants from 60 different countries, of which ten percent are women.

These days there’s three route options: 55km (with 1,780m of climbing), 106km (3,130m of climbing) or the monster 138km (4,230m of climbing). That’s nearly the height of Mont Blanc in ascent for those taking on the full circuit from Corvara! Taking in six major passes and a couple of smaller ones, seasoned roadies put the Maratona at the top of their tick lists. Luckily there’s half-a-dozen feed stations on the course and, as anyone who has cycled in Italy will know, that’s usually reason enough to sign up in the first place...

PARIS-ROUBAIX CHALLENGE (France) parisroubaixchallenge.com Location: Roubaix Date: April Distance: 70km/145km/172km If the prospect of scaling precipitous passes doesn’t appeal, then Paris-Roubaix throws up an all-together different type of challenge. Run 24 hours before the pros race the legendary spring classic of the same name — which has been held since 1896 — the PRC forgoes altitude for a battle against fearsome cobbled (pavé) sections such as the Arenberg Forest and the Carrefour de l’Arbre, before finishing at Roubaix Velodrome. It’s called L’Enfer du Nord (Hell of the North) for good reason as it’s a teeth-rattling affair that needs special bike preparation. Wider 28mm tyres with puncture protection (plus spare tubes), doublewrapped bar tape or gel pads, metal bottle cages (to hold your drinks tighter) — all these minor modifications will aid your comfort and enjoyment. With so many pros now using Strava, it’s also a great chance to see how your cobble times compare to the very best.

FIVE OF THE BEST: REST OF THE WORLD CAPE TOWN CYCLE TOUR (SA) capetowncycletour.com Location: Cape Town, South Africa Date/Distances: March/109km LAKE TAUPO CYCLE CHALLENGE (NZ) cyclechallenge.com Location: North Island, New Zealand Date/ Distances: November/various AMY’S GRAN FONDO (Aus) amysgranfondo.org.au Location: Lorne, Victoria Date/Distances: Sept/45km or 120 km GRAN FONDO NEW YORK (USA) gfny.com Location: New York City Date/Distances: May/80km or 161km HAUTE ROUTE ROCKIES (USA) hauteroute.org Location: Boulder to Colorado Springs Date/Distances: June/815km in 7 stages

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MALLORCA 312 (Spain) mallorca312.com Location: Mallorca Date: April Distance: 167km/225km/312km A longtime favourite winter training destination for roadies, Mallorca was a natural location for sportive events. Originally conceived as one large loop around the island, the long course here

L’EROICA (Italy) eroicagaiole.com Location: Gaiole, Chianti Date: October Distance: 46km/75km/115km/135km/209km Prefer a more retro-styled challenge? Then the original L’Eroica is the one for you. You’ll need a vintage road bike (pre-1987) conforming to a

covers 312km and over 5,000m of climbing.

These days — to ensure the event can take place entirely on closed roads — after the hefty ascents of the Tramuntana range such as Puig Major, Col de sa Predissa and Col de Feminina, the route turns back north via the town of Arta.

Some 6,500 riders signed up in 2016 and it’s comforting to know you can decide on your chosen distance up until the last minute, depending on how your preparation’s gone.

host of regulations regarding shifters, pedals, wheels, even saddles; bikes can be hired locally if you don’t own one. Wool jerseys and old-school accoutrements are positively encouraged (in fact modern technical clothing is banned).

There’s five route distances to choose from, with the 209km biggie comprising 3,700m of climbing and requiring a candle-lit start.

Handlebar ‘taches and/or whiskers optional.

RIDELONDON (UK) prudentialridelondon.co.uk Location: London & Surrey Date: July Distance: 74km/160km

Compared to the other entries in this feature, RideLondon is very much an ‘entry-level’ sportive, appealing to a wider spread of ages and abilities. A legacy of London 2012, the course closely follows that used in the Olympics, starting at the Olympic Park and heading out into the Surrey Hills, before ducking back into town for a finish on The Mall. Box Hill and Leith Hill are the only real lumps on the course, so there’s plenty of time to enjoy racing through iconic London streets and parks without a car in sight!

What’s even more unique about the RideLondon-Surrey 100, however, is that it’s just part of a wonderful weekend of summer cycling in the capital, which starts with the familyfriendly FreeCycle (an easy 8-mile loop with music, entertainment and a festival-like atmosphere) and ends with the Classic (a one-day race attracting 150 of the world’s top pros). So whether you’re a parent with young kids, an aspiring roadie or simply a cycling fan, there’s plenty to keep you busy. n You can join Team LCC for many of the UK’s biggest sportives, including RideLondon. We’ll secure you an entry and all you need to do is commit to some fundraising to support our campaigns. Find our more at lcc.org.uk.

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50 Steps for a successful sportive

Cycling coach Olivier Nilsson-Julien explains how to make the most of your next sportive Whether you’re doing l’Etape or RideLondon, chances are you want to give it your best shot.

Your feeling of achievement will be boosted by proper preparation and anticipation; the greater the commitment, the better the mental and emotional pay-off. Here’s our 50-step roadmap with tips in each section going from general to more advanced, offering tips for first-timers (marked n) and improvers (marked n):

Motivation 01

Know your motivation. Is it fitness, a bet with a mate, impressing your loved ones, or just the pleasure of taking the scenic route? Pinpointing your drive will be a lifeline when you start wondering why the hell you’re doing this?

Equipment 02

If you have a half-decent road bike, don’t be talked into buying a new one. Just have it serviced. If it needs upgrading, start with wheels and tyres. Rotational weight has the greatest impact on performance.

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Try a few saddles, remember to try them uphill too — your position will change with the terrain.

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Pick good quality bib shorts with a padded chamois. This is the main ‘contact point’ and when it starts to hurt, there’s nowhere to go. Even pros say the saddle is the worst thing about cycling.

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Stick to 25mm clincher tyres for comfort and smoothness. Narrower tyres will just make for a bumpier ride and not add any speed.

If you’re doing a sportive with cobbles or uneven roads, go for 28mm tyres.

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Use clipless pedals. It’s an easy upgrade that will transform your cycling. Practise

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Don’t overlap wheels! If the rider in front of you swerves, his back wheel will bring you down.

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Practice cornerning and descending.

Check out the Insight Zone on the British Cycling website for more on skills and techniques.

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Improve bike handling skills by trying other cycling disciplines. Try track cycling at Herne Hill Velodrome, one of the talent hotbeds of British cycling, or head out to the world class cycling centre at Lee Valley VeloPark.

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Be realistic about your availability for training. Can the base training be integrated into your daily life through an extended bike commute? The better the training fits into your life, the more sustainable.

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Determine your fitness level at the beginning of the training journey. Using ‘benchmark’ tests, you can establish ‘training zones’ which can be related to perceived effort or data on a cycling computer (heart rate, cadence, power, speed, etc) for effective training.

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Make a training plan based on the initial tests and your available time. Look at the British Cycling website and other resources for suggestions, bearing in mind that every rider is different and one training approach doesn’t fit all.

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Consider finding a coach to accompany you on the journey and agree what level of support you require. Maybe you just need some testing, a one-off chat, or training prescriptions and feedback for the whole training period. Whatever the case, it’s rewarding to work as a team. unclipping in a safe spot to avoid the embarrassment of falling over at a traffic light.

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Have a bike fit.

Set your goal. Is it to achieve the gold standard time set by the organisers, simply to finish, or to help a friend complete the challenge?

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Establish the requirements of your goal.

What’s the distance, metres of climbing, overall riding time, terrain, likely weather?

Prepare for the worst. It can only get better.

Have a medical test to make sure you’re fit to train. Some events require a medical certificate.

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Keep it fun and varied. Include rides where you head out for fun without a plan, maybe discovering new routes. If you ride with others, take turns in designing routes and discovering new cake stops.

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Join a cycling club to improve your group riding skills and find training mates.

Knowing how to draft and work with other people will make your sportive safer, easier and more enjoyable. If you share the workload and take turns sitting at the front of a group, you’ll save loads of energy — drafting saves up to 30% compared to sitting in the wind.

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Learn to ride rollers and include a session every week. Turbo-trainers give you strength, but rollers will give your pedalling smoothness and efficiency — souplesse, the trademark of a good rider.

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Master the basics. Even the most banal manoeuvre or gesture can be broken down to an art form. Easy riding will make you faster in the end. As your technique improves and becomes more effortless, you become a more accomplished rider and ultimately you will go faster, whether it’s your goal or not.

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The easy rides also teach your body to tap into a different energy system. You will burn more fat, as opposed draining the glucose in your blood which requires constant refuelling.

PHOTO: DragonRide/raceatlas

Training 08

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LEFT: enjoying some respite from the hills during last year’s Etape Loch Ness

MILLTAG &TEAM LCC

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Rest! This is the easiest but most neglected aspect of most athletes’ preparation.

Training is pointless without proper rest and recovery. This includes quality nutrition (see below), sleep and resisting the urge to get on the bike at every occasion.

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Make a training plan. If you don’t have a coach, the 80/20 principle is a clear and reliable starting point for an endurance-based event. That means doing 80% of the training time at low-intensity — i.e. below the work rate where breathing abruptly increases, the ‘ventilatory threshold’. The other 20% are done above the ‘lactate threshold’, where talking becomes uncomfortable. The problem with most endurance training is that it tends to be ‘sort of hard’, in the moderate zone between the ventilatory threshold and the lactate threshold.

It’s beneficial, but roughly an 80/20 split between high-intensity and low-intensity has proven much more effective. The main challenge is to stay at low-intensity when most other riders will be doing a moderate effort. Stick to your guns.

Don’t meddle in middle.

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Repeat the benchmark test every couple of months after a recovery period to assess your progress. Make any necessary adjustments to your training and increase the workload as your fitness improves.

Keep a training diary with a record of your completed sessions, your perceived efforts and how you feel after each session. Take your resting heart rate once a week and record sleeping hours if you can. You can use this info to monitor your training or if you contact a coach for advice.

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Beware of symptoms of overtraining (bad sleep, irritability, lack of motivation, high pulse...).

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Do regular strength and conditioning exercises. They are beneficial for general health and cycling.

30

Develop a ride routine that you can use on the day of the event, but remain flexible — there could be delays/changes to the programme.

Nutrition 31

Before training sessions, eat foods with low to moderate glycemic index to ensure longer-lasting release of glucose into the blood. For sessions longer than an hour, have around 40g of carbs per hour. This could be sports drinks, bars or bananas for instance. Find what works best for you. There are lots of recipes available online for homemade bars, rice cakes, flapjacks and other goodies. Include small amounts of protein during the rides, as this will allow muscle recovery to start earlier. In everyday life, apply a well-balanced diet including 60-70% carbs, 20-25% fat and 10-15% protein. Regarding carb-loading with pasta in the days before a sportive, this endurance ritual is now considered obsolete. As long as you keep consuming carbohydrates during your ride, you will do just as well.

LCC has been working with Milltag, a London-based specialist in sportswear for road cyclists. Milltag has supplied the jerseys for Team LCC riders at the major sportives, including RideLondon, for the last few years.

We have also recently trialled the design and manufacture of kit for an LCC-affiliated group of cyclists in Kingston.

Milltag has made kit for Team GB and Tour de Yorkshire riders, so it understands the demands of cyclists racing at the highest level.

However it is not all skinsuits and race-fit clothing — Milltag also applies its experience to clothing for club riders, offering an in-house design service, as well as a variety of materials. The designs are printed out on special paper which is transferred to sheets of material via a heat treatment process. The material is then cut up and each garment is individually stitched together. There’s a range of sizes available, plus sizing charts and sample garments that can be sent out to get the fit just right. The designs are scaled to suit the size of each garment — a nice touch that you don’t get from many manufacturers.

Some members of Team LCC have been wearing Milltag kit for two years now and can attest to its fit, durability, and remarkable fade-resistance. It’s fun to ride as part of a recognisable group and handy to be able to spot the rest of your group in a large pack. Sign up to join Team LCC for the major sportives (lcc.org.uk/teamlcc) and you’ll get a free Milltag-designed jersey too!

Jim McCarthy

PHOTO: Etape Loch Ness

Include standing and seated hill reps at different cadences and signpost sprints in your 20% of high-intensity training throughout the year. When doing high-intensity intervals or repetitions, remember that the recovery periods count towards the highintensity time.

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Bespoke cycling kit is what makes cycling clubs instantly recognisable. There has recently been a growth in the number of kit manufacturers and having your own design on jerseys, caps, shorts and all the other cycling paraphernalia is now well within the reach of the smallest cycling groups.

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SPORT

Logistics and Planning 32

Take the bike in for a final service before the event.

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Book any travel and accommodation in advance. Research the best hotel location to make it easy on the day of the event.

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Develop a checklist for the trip, the sportive itself and the recovery afterwards.

Keep it in an accessible place where you can easily update it.

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If you’re flying, pack a bag of essentials to take as cabin luggage — helmet, shoes, papers, kit, gloves, everything to allow you to ride, even on a bike other than yours.

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Include a ‘speed link’ for your chain in your repair kit. It’s the smallest of items, but it can save you in a big way. Also make sure your multi-tool has a chaintool.

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Pour tyre sealant into the inner tubes. It could save you having to stop to fix a puncture when you’re totally knackered. Or it could save you from crashing in an Alpine descent.

On the day 38

Have a big breakfast. Porridge, egg on toast, whatever works for you. Don’t overeat. On a long sportive it will be just as much about your capacity to keep fuelling throughout the day.

39

Check the tyre pressure in the morning. If you’re running 25mm clinchers 80-90psi will be fine, unless you’re an unusually heavy rider.

40

Break down the event into chunks and ride within yourself, one stretch of road at a time.

41

Remember that a sportive is not a race.

It’s meant to be a civilised ride. Be patient and considerate. Don’t litter and respect the Highway Code. Be predictable and communicate with other riders.

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Be autonomous. Know the route and be ready for all eventualities. Don’t let a flat, ripped tyre or lack of fuel undermine your goal.

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Don’t miss the briefing and follow other riders blindly. They may not have listened either and lead you astray.

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Pace yourself. You’ll lose much more time if you go into the red, than you’ll win by pushing a bit harder when you feel good. Go out steady, give your body the time to ease into it. If you have anything left in the tank in the last stretch, by all means...

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Know your limits. Stay with riders of similar ability. If an effort feels good, but requires concentration to sustain, chances are you will pay the price half-an-hour up the road. You may be able to stick to other riders’ wheels but unable to take a turn at the front. Expect them to try to ditch you asap. No one likes freeloaders, unless you’re in distress, need help and admit it.

Then solidarity on wheels will kick in.

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Don’t forget to fuel and drink (water, electrolytes, sports drink, not pastis) even if you aren’t hungry or thirsty. When you are, it’s too late. Stop at food stations. They structure the ride, help you break it down and offer a chance to chat to others. Don’t even skip the first one, even if you feel great. Don’t stop too long though, no need to seize up.

money or a bet, that’s fine too. These are desperate times. Once the body start hurting and the mind tells you to give up, you need a powerful carrot.

50

Celebrate your achievement! Whatever the outcome, you have worked hard towards your goal and completed the journey.

A few weeks after the event, take stock and set a new goal. What worked, what didn’t, how would you do it differently next time? If it went perfectly you’ve got it sussed. If not, this could be a good time to find a coach and discuss possible strategies with your experience as a starting point, If you explore these steps, your knowledge will branch out in a big way and you’ll pick up even more know-how and experience along the way — cyclists love to share their passion.

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Be prepared for changes in weather. If it’s a mountain sportive, it could be boiling in the valley but winter-like at the top, not to mention the freezing descents. So include rain cape or gilet, proper gloves, leg and arm warmers to cover all eventualities.

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Have a change of clothes, towel and cleaning products, as well as recovery food, ready at the finish.

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Be mentally prepared. In spite of all your work, you may struggle on the day. It helps if you’ve decided that quitting is not an option.

When the going gets tough, look for external motivation — e.g. remember the satisfaction of finishing a similar event. If you’re doing it for

Olivier coaches track and road at Herne Hill Velodrome and Lee Valley VeloPark. He takes group sessions as well as prescribing individual training for sprint and endurance riders. He is a VC Londres club coach, lead coach of the Eastern Region Youth Track Team and a regular Rouleur Magazine contributor. Contact: onjcoaching@gmail.com

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INTERVIEW

WILL NORMAN London’s new Walking & Cycling Commissioner chats to Tom Bogdanowicz about his plans and priorities during the current mayoralty You had a good job at Nike, why did you apply to be Commissioner?

My job there was fantastic and before that I worked at the Young Foundation which is a centre for social research and innovation. One of the pieces of work was on young people, levels of inactivity and its impact on people’s health, social interaction, community cohesion and a range of other things. Part of that involved working with Nike and other sports companies which obviously have a vested interest in getting people out and about. The role at Nike was to see what part it could play in increasing levels of activity among kids.

We’re seeing levels of activity plummet around the world. In the UK it’s fallen by 32% in two generations, whereas in China it’s fallen by 45% in half a generation.

This obviously has massive consequences in terms of health outcomes; for example, in China you are talking about 250 million people being type two diabetic or pre-diabetic. It has the potential to really bankrupt economies.

I increasingly became convinced that how we design physical activity into our daily lives is the critical thing that will drive the change that we need to see. It is the most important health issue for the 21st century. And we can’t do it just by encouraging sport, it has to be going about our daily business in a more physically active way.

Cities have the agency to drive most of this change. So when I saw the job in London, to essentially increase cycling and walking

around the city, it seemed like an opportunity to work in an area where there was the greatest chance to make a change in people’s lives.

And what happens in London influences people around the world.

You’re not an established figure in cycling — what do you bring to the job that others don’t?

I wouldn’t define myself as a cyclist, though I cycle every day, I’m just a person who lives in London who uses loads of ways to get around.

I bring a range of things to the job.

Part of the work I’ve done before has been about working in partnership, bringing together different parts of the public and private sectors. Working in

support and are well understood by the public.

Where does the greatest potential for cycling and walking lie?

The great potential lies in getting those people who are not currently cycling to cycle — which sounds obvious but we’re talking about how we diversify the appeal of cycling.

The real potential is how we bring the benefits of cycling — better health, mental wellbeing, the economic benefits — to all Londoners. For me it’s about how can we widen the appeal to people of all ages, all genders, different socio-economic groups and people from different cultural backgrounds.

How do we do that? I think all the

and making sure we are adding to the number of cycle routes: we have a Mayoral commitment to triple the amount of protected cycleways in London (made to LCC in the election campaign) so that is a high priority.

But I come back to the issue of how do we get people who don’t currently ride to get on their bikes and enjoy it — and it’s partly about that infrastructure. But one of my priorities is encouraging a real behavioural shift, getting more people back on their bikes as a means of getting around the city.

What, in your opinion, is the balance between infrastructure and soft measures like promotion and training, in getting more people to cycle?

You are seeing myths emerging — that cycling is somehow creating congestion, that it’s increasing air pollution. These myths need busting... partnership will be particularly important as we move forward.

But also I think we are beginning to see a considerable backlash against some of the cycle schemes; you are seeing myths emerging — that cycling is somehow creating congestion, that it’s increasing air pollution. These myths need busting, so I think there is an important communications task too. How can we bring all the stakeholders together to really challenge some of these myths? But we do need to make sure that the changes that we are bringing forward have popular

evidence shows the importance of safer cycling routes. Perceptions of safety and fear of danger are what put people off. But also, once people try it, it’s vitally important that those experiences of cycling at an early stage are positive experiences.

What are your priorities for the cycling side of your job?

We have some ambitious targets: we want to increase the number of cyclists so that there are 1.5 million cycle journeys per day by 2026. So increasing the number of cyclists,

Both of those need to work together.

Clearly safer routes are critical to get more people thinking about cycling, but what I’m looking at is how we support behaviour change and what some people might call softer measures: how do we encourage people to take up cycle training; how do we work with local communities to increase the number of schemes; how do we target some of those groups that aren’t cycling and align that to the infrastructure investment.

The last Mayor’s flagship Cycle Superhighways schemes ran into

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INTERVIEW PHOTOS: Ben Broomfield

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INTERVIEW opposition but have been very successful in attracting cyclists.

The current Mayor promised LCC he would triple the amount of protected space for cycling — how will you achieve that?

There are a number of schemes coming up for consultation. Cycle Superhighway 9 (CS9), from Hounslow to Olympia, will go out to consultation this year, as will CS4 from Woolwich to Tower Bridge. The work is starting on the north-south extension to King’s Cross this summer. And on CS11 the work at Swiss Cottage is starting in the autumn and we will be publishing details of how we’ll be dealing with the Regents Park end of that route.

So there’s work in progress but also, excitingly, I’ve been working with TfL on mapping out where the potential for future routes lies both in terms of radial routes into central London and also where that cycling potential exists in some other parts of the city. At the moment a lot of the investment has gone into central London and we can see the changes and the benefits that has brought, but I’m keen on seeing some of those benefits go to the outer areas as well.

The Quietways programme, which was partly aimed at outer London, did not meet expectations. What can you do to change that?

through some of the challenges and problems. There are challenges and local resistance is being seen. And that’s where we are looking to work closely with LCC at a local level: how can we counter the myths that are emerging, how can we make sure there is a positive story being told on this? I think we need to make sure the benefits of cycling, and cycling schemes, are being well understood by local residents. And benefits not just for people moving through those areas, but also for the residents themselves. And the Quietways can offer some of those more localised journeys and some of the benefits associated with that.

One of the reasons why I think the Healthy Streets approach is so important is that it is beginning to expand the scope — thinking not only about cycling but also creating benefits for pedestrians too. A lot of the concerns of residents in their daily lives is around traffic pollution, or safer crossings, or how to get to school or walk safely to work.

Bringing those two projects together will help shift the conversation from one mode of transport and bring benefits to a wider group of people.

The Mayor is proposing a Liveable Neighbourhoods programme, akin to the previous Mayor’s miniHollands but with a much lower level of funding. How can you

What I would like to see, is for that to be used strategically by the local authorities to begin that change and bring incremental benefits to those local areas which most need them.

Obviously we have to work with the boroughs, but the money is coming through TfL and, for the LIPs (Local Implementation Plans) proposals, as well as the Liveable Neighbourhoods proposals, to be successful they will have to meet the criteria set out by the Mayor and by myself, the Deputy Mayor and TfL. Proposals won’t be funded unless they meet those criteria.

What role do you see for the Cycle Hire scheme?

I think the bike hire programme is fantastic. Data shows that 50% of those people using hire bikes are

A lot of the investment has gone into central London and we can see the benefits... but I’m keen to see some of those benefits go to outer areas as well Quietway 1 is open, Quietway 2 is due to open in June, there is work all around London on progressing Quietways and we will continue to support those and work with the boroughs in delivering them.

What if the boroughs are not cooperative?

One of the key things we need to do is work with the boroughs to drive

ensure that relatively low-cost Liveable Neighbourhoods deliver in terms of bums on saddles and feet on pavements?

The Liveable Neighbourhoods programme is aligned to the Healthy Streets agenda in terms of prioritising both walking and cycling. The budgets will be in the region of £1m to £5m and the criteria will be going out soon.

non-cycling people who wouldn’t necessarily term themselves ‘cyclists’ or haven’t regularly cycled before, so it is a really important gateway into getting, as you said, more bums on saddles. It’s also a great symbol of cycling in London.

Whenever I’m out I see tourists, families, all sorts of visitors to the city using hire bikes, as well as people using them to get to stations or on their daily commute. But I think we

need to look at how cycle hire can reach other areas. We are also seeing exciting new innovations in cycle hire around the world (Ed — TfL has received several ‘dockless’ hire proposals). Considering those and how they might work for London is going to be part of a longer term strategy. Brompton is doing some work in this space too, so I think we are going to see a range of different options emerge.

Despite the doubling of cycling in London we’ve seen next to no growth in children cycling to school, something that’s ubiquitous in Holland. Will the Liveable Neighbourhood programme address this?

It’s not just the Liveable Neighbourhood programme, the LIPs funding will include a ‘Healthy Routes’ approach which will make sure people are taking more active routes to schools. A lot of the boroughs are being very pro-active about this. But I also think the out-reach work and the training in schools through Active School Travel and other programmes is really important. Those (active) behaviour trends are set really early on and last a lifetime so I’m really keen to work with schools to get more kids cycling.

Also the Mayoral Transport Strategy is going to be looking at how we are going to prioritise walking and cycling, and reducing the vehicles on the roads, and I think around school sites that’s particularly important.

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CAMPAIGN

LONDON’S FIRST

HEALTHY STREET?

We want the Mayor to turn an iconic route into his first Healthy Street. Simon Munk introduces the ‘London Boulevard’...

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any London cyclists will know only too well the stretch of streets between Old Street and Tottenham Court Road. These A roads — Old Street, Clerkenwell Road, Theobalds Road, Bloomsbury Way and New Oxford Street — feature some of the highest cycling flows on UK streets outside of the new Cycle Superhighways, yet lack even a lick of blue paint; indeed often there’s not even much of a cycle lane.

These roads are not for the faint-hearted — a quick look at any map of collisions shows a series of junctions that are infamous for the danger posed to those who brave the route. Goswell Road, Old Street, Roseberry Avenue are all hotspots, but even some of the side streets feature dense clusters of serious collisions. Yet, at the same time, these roads form a key east-west cycle route from Hackney, Islington and further afield straight into central London. Nearly 7,000 people cycle along some sections of the route daily according to the DfT — although our observations would suggest some sections might see over 10,000 daily.

We’re now stepping up our calls to the Mayor, City Hall, and Camden and Islington Councils to make the long-campaigned-for ‘London Boulevard’ a reality — to tame this tangle of

horrifically dangerous streets. But also to make what should be an iconic link between London’s historic West End and the emerging East End far better than just safe.

Rejuvenating iconic streets The Mayor, City Hall and TfL are absolutely keen on the new ‘Healthy Streets’ initiative. This means looking at streets and routes holistically — not just considering cycling or walking, or public transport, but all at once and public realm too. To make places, not just points to pass through. And the London Boulevard should be absolutely stuffed full of places people stop and interact, but it’s not.

Traffic is so dominant here, the environment is so hostile, that some iconic stretches of streetscape — with links left, right and centre, heritage buildings and incredibly high densities of office development — see only hardy souls scurrying along the street, ducking into doorways and never stopping for a second. Often narrow pavements, run-down and grimy shop-fronts and noisy, polluted air mean the people who live and work in the areas along the route simply avoid it as much as possible. So where better for the Mayor to plan an iconic Healthy Street scheme?

The place is right — in terms of potential

transformation and use. And the time is right too.

There has long been a campaign to fix the ‘Clerkenwell Boulevard’ and indeed both councils the roads fall under are keen, as is TfL. But now there are several reasons why this campaign is more urgent than ever.

As well as the opportunity for the site to be an iconic Healthy Street, our Give A Beep campaign with Hövding has highlighted just how much those who cycle along its route hate it. And there’s also the matter of Oxford Street.

Nearby projects coming to fruition The Mayor’s backing to remove motor vehicle traffic from Oxford Street (apart from possibly deliveries during some off-peak hours) is forcing a strategic reappraisal of the bus network and indeed motor vehicle network in the West End. At the same time, several major projects are moving forward now that will only further boost both the numbers of people who risk cycling along the boulevard, but also make it of greater strategic importance.

Old Street roundabout at one end is finally due to be fixed. While the arrival of Crossrail at Tottenham Court Road, the removal of motor traffic from Oxford Street and the ‘West End Project’ on Tottenham Court Road and Gower

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CAMPAIGN LEFT: an aerial illustration of how some of London’s most iconic streets could be transformed.

BELOW: current cycle use along the route is very high.

Design experts show what’s possible One of the first things we’ve already done is prove how viable the London Boulevard is. We’ve had Dutch engineering design consultancy

Witteveen+Bos look at the entire route and design up key junctions. On top of that, LCC staff have looked in depth at two of the key sections of the Boulevard — around the Gray’s Inn Road/ Roseberry Avenue junction and Clerkenwell Road (see page 26), and on Old Street around Bunhill Row. In-depth reports prepared for both areas demonstrate how it is possible to design junctions along the route that not only retain existing motor vehicle traffic capacity, but provide far safer segregated facilities for cycling at the same time, and improve space for pedestrians. Wider pavements, stepped tracks and protected junctions, bus stop bypasses and improved crossings — plus places to sit, trees for shelter — what’s not to like?

Having demonstrated the very real viability of the idea, we’re also fleshing out alternative and more radical approaches too — hugely boosting pedestrian space and the opportunities for public realm improvements by making some sections of the route ‘bus and cycle only’, for instance.

And we’ve developed a business case for the viability of the London Boulevard, proving to TfL, the Mayor and the boroughs what should be blindingly obvious anyway. That case not only looks at the increased vitality of the area as a

business district, but also its potential to improve access, loading, staff journeys, land values etc. In other words, making it a better place to work and be based; it also looks at the business case for the political bodies.

We have estimated that the benefit/cost ratio of tackling the toughest junctions like Roseberry Avenue alone would be 14:1 — and even a few hundred metres of the route improved would generate savings to the public purse of circa £5 million annually (factoring in health benefits, savings from collisions avoided, and costs due to any increased congestion).

Building the London Boulevard would, in other words, save the Mayor and the boroughs millions every year. The scheme would likely pay for itself well within a year.

Working with local businesses Now we’ve proved that the idea is viable, we’re approaching businesses based in the local area, and with an interest in that community, to support our plans publicly.

We’re also beginning an escalating series of events and actions to demonstrate to the Mayor that his first big Healthy Street should be the London Boulevard, and to create the political will to make that happen in the boroughs.

PHOTOS: Witteveen+Bos; Simon Munk

Street at the other, adds to the strategic importance of this route for walking and cycling.

And in the middle, the extension to the NorthSouth Cycle Superhighway (CS6) is due to bisect the route at Farringdon.

Given just about everyone is keen, and the route is such a clear strategic win, why hasn’t it happened yet? As ever, with London streets, the answer is complex. The London Boulevard features TfL junctions, but also borough streets — and it’s split across two boroughs.

Camden Council appears keen to tackle its sections — but has the West End Project and Holborn gyratory to take on first; the latter being a key enabler to creating the boulevard. Islington has gone arguably further and has produced a feasibility report for TfL. The problem is, it appears, a mix of other priorities coming first, concerns around motor traffic capacity and the complexity of mix of stakeholders. That’s why, with our campaign, we’re aiming to make it impossible to ignore the need for the London Boulevard any longer.

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CAMPAIGN

CASE STUDY

GRAY’S INN ROAD/ ROSEBERRY AVENUE

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his complex pair of interlinked junctions features unused outdoor seating, high pollution and noise levels, and far higher numbers of collisions than there should be compared to the average Camden junction. There are high flows of bikes north-south daily (circa 1,500 each direction), but even higher east-west (well over 6,000). People cycling outnumber motor vehicles on some arms and overall in peak hours. And motor traffic volumes have steadily declined for the last 15 years.

There are buses going east-west along the route most minutes (and north-south every two minutes). Very few turning movements in many

directions were observed by either motor vehicles or those cycling.

Pedestrian numbers are high — but low compared to many other busy parts of central London. And pedestrians here are not lingering.

Pavements and shopfronts are cluttered, dirty, rundown.

Down the hill on Clerkenwell Road, numerous turnings have also seen too many collisions. And the very same turnings lead to local amenities that people should be using. Hatton Garden and the food market at Leather Lane should be easily reachable. Instead they’re too often narrow cut-throughs for through traffic that are the cause of many collisions.

SAFER JUNCTION: one Witteveen+Bos design, assuming a later scheme for Gray’s Inn Road; new cycleways shown in pink.

THE JUNCTION The hugely inefficient current junction design means several arms of the junction are ‘under capacity’, with lots of signal time unused. At the same time, based on TfL’s London Cycling Design Standards Cycling Level of Service (CLoS) and Junction Assessment Tool ( JAT) assessments, the junction is a clearly hostile barrier for both cycling and walking, with aggressive interactions the norm; the junction notches numerous ‘critical fails’ under TfL guidance.

OUR PROPOSAL 2-metre stepped tracks along Clerkenwell Road, 20mph speed limits, and wider pavements are achievable if the centre hatching is removed. If bus stops are staggered, bus stop bypasses are possible too, albeit with slightly narrower cycle tracks.

Some junctions should be modally filtered to remove or discourage through traffic going north-south on narrow streets and to really boost the vitality of streets like Leather Lane and Hatton Garden. The north-south Cycle Superhighway extension will also help.

Even better would potentially be removing all motor vehicle traffic along Clerkenwell Road except buses, but this would require careful design of modal filter cells in the area to avoid just displacing traffic to smaller streets.

At the junction, banning some turning movements would deliver enough space and capacity to create safe space through the junction for cycling and wider pavements, with improved public realm opportunities and wider, better pedestrian crossings. Again, banning turns means more green time for both cyclists and pedestrians.

THE RESULTS Using standard TfL assessments, our proposal for this junction could see higher CLoS and JAT scores than most of the newer Cycle Superhighways and bigger wins for pedestrians and public realm too, with no ‘critical fails’ for safe cycling.

Again, using TfL’s standard assessment techniques, the business case for these designs is overwhelmingly positive. A benefit-cost ratio of 14:1, full recouping of investment in under a year, and nearly £5 million annual benefits from the scheme. So, what are you waiting for Sadiq?

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LONDON PHOTOS: Geoff Waugh ADDITIONAL TEXT: John Kitchiner

As the capital’s longest-running mountain bike series hits the quarter century mark, Bruce Mackie assesses its enduring popularity

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LONDON

LEFT: Brixton Cycles sponsored the series for nearly 20 years (shop veteran Lincoln Romain in race action).

ABOVE: youth racing has always been well supported.

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ack in the early 1990s mountain biking was still a fledgling sport. The first fat-tyred bikes had been around since the previous decade but it wasn’t until 1990 when the first World Champs were held in Durango, Colorado. British stars like Tim Gould and David Baker were quickly racing to podium places on the global stage and their success was to inspire a generation of riders on home soil. And it would spark interest in mtb racing across the UK, including one celebrated series in east London...

Eastway — or ‘Beastway’ as it’s always been known to racers and fans alike — is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and continues to provide exciting, inexpensive, informal and friendly midweek mountain bike racing. There’s a new course each week, using every inch of the superb Redbridge Cycling Centre facility to create the best possible showcase.

But Beastway’s origins stretch way back to before it found a home at Hog Hill. Founded at the Eastway circuit (from where its name derived) between Hackney and Stratford, the course was built on the site of an old dump. Eastway actually opened as a road circuit in 1975 and was the first purpose-built cycling facility of its kind. The land it stood on quickly became protected metropolitan open land that should have seen it continue to

exist indefinitely, especially as it evolved to provide a perfect venue for all types of cycling. In fact the series remained at this site for the best part of 20 years until London’s bid for the 2012 Olympics came to fruition. At that point, Eastway went from being a quiet backwater to being the focus of large financial interests along the daisychain of redevelopments around Docklands.

Losing its spiritual home to the huge Olympic Park and its associated infrastructure, that’s when Beastway was forced to relocate a bit further east.

Continuing the Eastway tradition Though things looked shaky after Eastway’s closure, Michael Humphreys and his planning protest vehicle, the Eastway Users Group, quickly found interim provision at Hainault Forest before Hog Hill could open. After London 2012, when it became obvious that the new mtb facilities at the Lee Valley Velopark wouldn’t be able to host mass-start events, it seemed like the end was near, with long-time organiser John Mullineaux — a former chair of LCC — even publishing an ode to the series on LondonCycleSport website titled 19 Years And Out. That’s when yours truly foolishly stuck his head above the parapet and took up the reins of promotion. With the help of Lee Valley Youth CC and Russ Jones of Hackney GT, we managed to

keep things running. More recently Michael Humphreys has been promoter and the series has been backed by a variety of cycling clubs, including Epping Forest MTB, London Phoenix, Dulwich Paragon and Lee Valley Youth.

Though Hog Hill is not as close to central London as Eastway, it’s really not too far to ride out. A slick sign-on system now means last-minute arrivals rushing from work are catered for.

Post-race bragging rights, race incident anecdotes and hard luck stories are very much a part of the whole affair, along with copious cups of tea and cake served by Sylvie and Julie (just like the old Eastway days), before it’s time to attach lights and head back home.

Lost opportunity at the Olympic Park Seeing the Olympic Park now in its multi-million pound manicured glory, it’s unsurprising to find that little remains from the original Eastway facility. Older Beastway riders might be able to pick out the odd stand of trees or features that the redevelopment has failed to completely obliterate.

Yet while the velodrome and BMX track seem to attract a constant stream of people, and there’s sometimes even a handful of roadies pounding the tarmac loop, it’s extremely rare to see even a single rider on the mountain bike trails. And that’s hugely disappointing, a very poor showing when

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LEFT: back in the early 90s rigid steel bikes with narrow tyres, flat bars and canti brakes were the norm; these days you’ll see everything from drop-barred cyclocross bikes to XC racers and even the odd downhill rig.

ABOVE: longtime Beastway organiser (and former LCC chair) John Mullineaux briefs riders at the start line.

compared to Hog Hill, the Cyclopark in Kent or the Hillingdon circuit. Likewise, a trip to Herne Hill Velodrome or Welwyn’s track provides a very different experience through their vibrant community atmospheres.

It seems like the Olympic Park has fallen between two stools as far as the cycling community is concerned. The traditional model where groups of volunteers each take turns to run inexpensive low key events so everyone gets a chance to ride or race is under pressure.

Expectations seem to have risen and participation has become more pay-and-play, with event businesses increasingly providing a service for riders who neither have the time or will to volunteer for the greater good.

Luckily, Beastway continues in the old tradition by serving the mountain biking community and being staffed by unpaid volunteers. From the founding years, started by the ‘Structureless Tyranny’ group — including John Mullineaux, Bill Wright, Ray Blackwell, Sarah Strong, Andrea Hofling, James Lyon and a host of other volunteers — Beastway rapidly became a major fixture for racers in the London area, with Brixton Cycles providing the necessary support.

Indeed John still fondly remembers his trepidation on the first night as everything came together. But he must have enjoyed it, coming back each week for nearly 20 years. Nowadays the series is supported by Stevens Bikes and Hub Velo

in Hackney. Hopefully they will also continue in the spirit of TraderVan, the bike shop teams and other sponsors by donning the lycra and being frequent competitors themselves.

The 2017 Season This season kicked off in April with an Olympic XC format event to allow a longer race than the usual 60-minute thrash. Which left eight one-hour evening races planned up until 28 June.

Advance online entry through British Cycling saves you money on the whole nine races, or you can enter on the day. The series has always been a big supporter of youth racing with many great riders having come up through the ranks. Thanks to sponsor support entry prices have been set really low for the youth categories, with U12s able to enter all nine races for £8, U14s and U16s for £38.

You’ll need some form of off-road bicycle to take part; riders use everything from cyclocross bikes to full downhill rigs, though a cross-country (XC) mountain bike is usually the optimal choice.

All riders are welcome, you don’t need a British Cycling race licence and the short one-hour format means there will always be someone to race against. For more serious racers, it’s a BCsanctioned event, so mtb points are available if you’re fast enough. Hub Velo is also doing a regular feeder ride out from its shop in Hackney, which anyone is welcome to join.

From the start of Structureless Tyranny to the

present Beastway Org, the concept of mountain biking and ‘organisation’ may seem oxymoronic to many, yet a need to race and test abilities against your peers is deep-seated. That such a disparate group of individuals — including the likes of artist Grayson Perry — could somehow agree to meet up and thrash the living daylights out of each other on a weekly basis for the last 25 years must prove something! Beyond the races, it’s fair to say that without the behind-the-scenes team, there would be no cycle centre at Hog Hill and little else in the way of legacy.

Beastway’s continued success is very much a product of the riders who’ve raced it year in, year out. So whether you’re a first-timer or an old hand, head along to support this historic series.

BEASTWAY 2017 Stevens Beastway 2017 Race Dates: n Wednesdays from 10 May to 28 June — 1hr evening race. n Full Under 12s and Youth categories at each round.

Stevens Beastway and Hub Velo will be providing weekly and series awards. The organising team looks forward to seeing all their old friends and to meeting new ones. (beastwaymtb.wordpress.com).

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SADIQ’S FIRST YEAR REPORT

One year into the Mayor’s first term, what progress has Sadiq Khan made on his #signforcycling pledges and making London better for walking and cycling?

Simon Munk writes up the report card...

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on of a bus driver, Sadiq Khan swept into power as London’s first Muslim and ethnic minority Mayor, with the largest majority a UK politician has ever received. Before election he pledged to LCC to: “support LCC’s Sign for Cycling campaign”, “make London a byword for cycling”, and “continue the Cycle Superhighway programme, with a focus on segregated provision”. He concluded: “Making cycling a safer and easier choice for Londoners to take is central to my vision of the greener, more modern, more affordable transport network that London needs.”

In pledging to support our #signforcycling campaign, Khan agreed to triple the mileage of protected space on main roads, finish the Better Junctions programme, make funding available for a ‘mini-Holland’ in every borough and make ‘Direct Vision’ lorries standard in London. So, what has progress been like in the first year?

TRIPLING OF PROTECTED SPACE n Cycle Superhighways The Mayor has approved the extension to the North-South Cycle Superhighway, and TfL has consulted on a signalised version of the Snow Hill junction. But the East-West extension has been delayed, possibly beyond the first term, as the Mayor is asking TfL to re-route the scheme. CS11 has been approved, running from Swiss Cottage to the West End — but what scheme moves forward at Regent’s Park remains to be seen, partly due to Westminster Council opposition. Construction begins at Swiss Cottage this summer.

Deputy Mayor for Transport Val Shawcross has also announced that a consultation on CS4 from Tower Bridge (or London Bridge) to Greenwich (and possibly beyond) will be held this summer; as will a consultation on CS9, currently from

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LEFT TO RIGHT: from Mini-Hollands and Quietways to Oxford Street and Cycle Superhighways, there’s been plenty of behind-the-scenes work over the last 12 months, but progress on the ground has been mixed.

Hounslow to Olympia — avoiding Kensington & Chelsea (as the East-West extension was also planned to do). However, there’s little construction going on, just the last bits of the East-West. n Quietways 50km of Quietways will be complete by the end of 2017, with construction on 16 routes underway.

But too many sections of the ones constructed or consulted on remain far too low quality — notably, too many boroughs have only permitted very poor quality interventions, yet still receive funding. It remains to be seen whether Khan and TfL can implement a quality bar.

Westminster’s Central London Cycling Grid schemes are mostly on hold — partly because they don’t meet standards, while other CLCG borough schemes, such as in the City of London are moving forward (though some don’t meet standards).

BETTER JUNCTIONS PROGRAMME This programme consisted of 33 junctions that were identified as being in dire need of a safety upgrade. Again lots of talk, little action.

Westminster Bridge South is moving into build phase — and is excellent. A temporary scheme at Lambeth Bridge North was met with anger, but the permanent scheme, as well as the Waterloo roundabout, will be consulted on imminently.

Removal of the Archway gyratory is also garnering greater approval.

On top of that, Khan has announced a new ‘Safer Junctions’ programme that will use collision data to map the worst junctions in London. The 73 worst have been earmarked for priority treatment; 21 already treated are being ‘monitored’ to ensure they’ve sufficiently improved conditions.

MINI-HOLLAND IN EVERY BOROUGH While major TfL schemes have gone mostly nowhere, there has been real movement in two of

the three mini-Holland boroughs. Kingston finally finished its flagship Portsmouth Road scheme and is beginning work on other schemes. But compared to this fairly sedate progress, Waltham Forest and Enfield are streaking ahead.

Enfield is using mainly ‘orcas’ (low spaced lane separators to segregate cycle users from other traffic) for protection, and as a result mileage of protected space is increasing most days. Its first high-quality junction (the A105/Church Road) comes close to the Holy Grail of a UK ‘all green scramble’ where cyclists can go in all directions and from all directions at once, safely.

In Waltham Forest, the award-winning work continues with the council currently working on several main roads simultaneously, and demonstrating the scale of ambition there by even going after non-mini-Holland main roads with developer Section 106 and other funding streams.

LIVEABLE NEIGHBOURHOODS Khan pledged mini-Holland funding for every borough — these are now set to arrive in 2018, after local elections, renamed ‘Liveable Neighbourhoods’ and likely smaller in scale (circa £5 million per borough, rather than £30 million) than the original three mini-Hollands.

MAKING ‘DIRECT VISION’ THE NORM The final #signforcycling pledge from Khan was on lorry danger. Here he acted swiftly to initiate a process that will take several years. Khan announced the world’s first Direct Vision lorry standard, based on computer modelling of the driver’s direct view from the cab (ie what the driver can see without recourse to mirrors and screens) within months of being elected. He has proposed a scheme to ban all 0*-rated lorries (primarily vehicles designed for off-road use on construction sites with extra-high cabs) by 2020,

with a ban on lorries rated below 3* by 2024.

While this is very welcome, LCC continues to push the Mayor to ensure 5* lorries are the norm, and to move timelines forward.

OXFORD STREET As well as his pledges to LCC, Khan also promised to pedestrianise Oxford Street, as called for by Living Streets, and pledged to build a cycling and walking bridge from Canary Wharf to Rotherhithe, as originally proposed by Sustrans. Both of these schemes are moving forward, with LCC increasingly involved alongside Living Streets on how cycling on Oxford Street, or on parallel high-quality nearby routes, can best be designed in.

LEFTOVERS FROM THE LAST MAYORALTY Existing infrastructure schemes, with completed consultations and left over from the last administration, have been slow to move forward.

As well as delaying the East-West Superhighway extension (by re-routing it), the North-South extension is yet to begin construction. Similarly, while Westminster Bridge South and Archway are now being built, where is Old Street, Tottenham Court Road and Gower Street, Vauxhall Cross, any of Westminster’s Quietway/Grid schemes, Hammersmith Broadway and Highbury Corner?

THE BIG PICTURE So far there has been little visible progress on the Mayor’s infrastructure pledges. But there has been progress at the ‘big picture’ level — air quality and funding have been addressed and the new Healthy Streets approach introduced. And that appears to have formed the bulk of the work the Mayor, his deputy and team have done on walking and cycling in his first year.

Changes to the TfL Board also mean that it has more members committed to a sustainable city.

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To match the new emphasis of the board, Khan announced a doubling of the cycling budget — to £770 million over five years. This is part of a substantial £2.1 billion ‘Healthy Streets’ budget to include major infrastructure projects such as pedestrianising Oxford Street and potentially the pledged Canary Wharf-Rotherhithe bridge.

But the window of time for delivery is dwindling, particularly given the Mayor and his team emphasise a need to detoxify cycling consultations, and avoid the ‘bikelash’ with a longer community engagement process.

VERDICT All in all, Khan’s first year has seen fine words and background work to set things in motion, but arguably too little on-the-ground progress.

Given the previous Mayor had left a TfL ready and willing to do high-quality cycling schemes, several major examples of how to do them and more than a handful of shovel-ready schemes, the lack of progress on the ground so far is increasingly a concern. Khan now has only three years to fulfil his pledges to London.

PHOTOS: City of London

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WALKING & CYCLING Most visibly, and latterly, Khan has appointed the first Walking & Cycling Commissioner. Will Norman arrived in post in February, already nine months into the first year. But since his arrival, the behind-the-scenes pace has increased — with forward movement on planning for Liveable Neighbourhoods, on several large-scale schemes due to come to consultation soon and, most notably, with the ‘Strategic Cycling Analysis’, a map and data toolkit that identifies areas and routes of high potential for walking and/or cycling. This should form the evidence base for the Mayor, TfL and boroughs to work on new schemes.

Khan, Shawcross and Norman are also clearly concerned with ‘bikelash’, and the broader Healthy Streets agenda is an attempt to avoid that, as is a retooling of TfL’s consultation and engagement processes.

PHOTOS: Waltham Forest Echo; Sustrans

HEALTHY STREETS AND MORE Khan has championed TfL’s new ‘Healthy Streets’ agenda and concept. And TfL in turn has moved it high up the priority list, also agreeing to economically assess the impact of their major schemes for health benefits (or disbenefits). This will make road-building schemes such as the Silvertown Tunnel (and the new motor bridge in the QE2 Olympic Park) far harder to justify in the future, while cycling and walking-positive schemes should be much easier to get past concerns about increased congestion etc.

Healthy Streets represents one of Khan’s most visible and dramatic shifts from the last mayoralty.

And it has the potential to become a new and defining approach for cycling and walking — breaking down distinctions such as Quietways and Cycle Superhighways and replacing them (hopefully) with the appropriate scheme for the appropriate route or area, and by combining the power, voice and concerns of public transport users, pedestrians and those cycling rather than seeing them fight among themselves.

On top of that, Khan has embraced an anti-pollution agenda, extending and bringing forward the Ultra-Low Emission Zone and introducing a ‘T’ for toxicity charge on heavily

polluting vehicles and subsidies for taxi drivers that switch to electric (although taxis are curiously exempt from charges other diesel vehicles face).

On congestion, Khan has expressed mixed views — but his team and he have repeatedly accepted the drastic need for ‘modal shift’ away from private cars towards walking, cycling and public transport use.

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DIY INJURY CLAIMS A pending law change could seriously impact on cyclist claims, as Stuart Kightley of Osbornes Solicitors explains

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or those few of us unlucky enough to get knocked off our bikes and hurt in the process, there is at least the compensation of, well, compensation.

Under the current rules, if the injury sustained is more than trivial then the injured person can instruct a lawyer to pursue a claim against the insurer of the driver who caused the accident. If successful, they will recover damages for their injuries and other losses, together with most of the legal costs from the opponent (the cyclist’s contribution to costs is up to 25% of those damages), and if the claim fails those costs are waived.

Government plans to reduce whiplash claims will have the effect of removing the right to legal representation in the majority of these cycling accident cases by ensuring that all claims where the ‘value’ of the injury itself is limited to £5,000 are relegated to an expanded small claims court.

The small claims court has a no-costs recovery rule so that a blameless injured cyclist would likely lose all his or her compensation in legal fees and end up out of pocket — or else would have to conduct the claim against the insurers and their lawyers without legal advice or representation.

Of course cycling injury cases are not like whiplash cases. Cyclists are not protected inside a vehicle and typically they suffer impact injuries. At the lower end of the ‘value’ scale of severity these may include broken bones and dislocations, soft tissue injuries, damaged teeth, concussion and the like, which may involve a relatively long recovery

period, the need for treatment and the possibility of some residual minor but permanent effect such as facial or other scarring or psychological impact (aversion to cycling being a common one).

Damages limitation In England, injury damages are relatively modest.

So in a significant number of cycling cases the injury will be under this new £5,000 injury limit.

For example, a shoulder injury — a common injury among cyclists — will attract a damages award of £2,050 to £3,630. Compensation for loss of a front tooth is ‘worth’ only £1,840 to £3,300. If that is not already adding insult to injury, such cases will in future have to be run without legal assistance.

Cases at this level need careful consideration and medical evidence from an independent expert. Procedurally, they need to be navigated through an online process and, unless admitted, court proceedings are necessary.

Liability is denied in more cycling cases than not, and there are commonly arguments over contributory negligence. Those arguments cover a range of issues — including the claimant’s visibility (eg whether the bike was properly lit), their actions (arguments as to road positioning and priority, signalling, inattention, etc) and whether they were wearing a helmet and whether that made a difference.

There are usually other losses to be considered and calculated in addition to those for the injury, such as loss of earnings, physiotherapy or dental treatment, travel expenses, bike and clothing

repairs, but they will not be taken into account for valuing the claim for the small claims limit.

It is not impossible for an injured cyclist to run an accident claim themselves against an insurer, but it can be difficult and time consuming, they may give up if faced with a denial and are unlikely to recover their full losses. And frankly why should they conduct DIY litigation when their opponent caused the accident but will be fully armed to defend the claim.

Cyclists make up only a tiny fraction of the total number of road accident claims and so there would be no erosion of the effect of the whiplash reforms by removing that category of claimant from the small claims limit proposals.

Campaigning for law change Osbornes Solicitors, together with LCC and other cycling organisations, have made submissions to this effect to the government and to a parliamentary committee investigating these issues. At the time of writing the relevant legislative bill has been withdrawn pending the June general election, but is likely to be reintroduced later in the year. Then we shall see if the government is listening to the cycling lobby.

We have made the case to them, and if they do not change course they will either be intending that most injured cyclists be unrepresented or else will simply not care about cyclists being collateral casualties of reforms which are aimed elsewhere. n All LCC members receive FREE third-party insurance and legal advice. Sign up at lcc.org.uk.

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The Himalayas should be top of your cycling tick list, as Tim Dunsby discovers by tackling the Freedom Highway and route to Everest base camp

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wo weeks cycling through Morocco with David who was fitter, stronger, 20 years younger and liked doing 100-mile days, had been good preparation. But this was a step into the great unknown. How I would react to altitude? I was drawing my state pension later in the year.

I'd signed up with Redspokes Adventure Tours with whom I had already enjoyed trips to Laos and Kerala. This gave me a very rough idea of what to expect: responsible tourism, support for a local good cause, comfort rather than luxury and plenty of bang for my buck. However, while the aforementioned trips were classed as cycling holidays, Tibet was considered an 'expedition'.

The tour notes and equipment list told a tale.

Six high passes, five above 5000m, headwinds, 12 days camping at altitude, a good quality four-season sleeping bag, gloves suitable for the

Himalayas, two sets of thermals; it was not difficult to infer that there were tough times ahead.

Acclimatising in Lhasa gave us time to soak up the atmosphere of this part-Tibetan, part-Chinese city. The Jokhang temple and Potala palace teemed with prostrating pilgrims, right next to Chinese department stores containing goods that wouldn’t go amiss in Harrods. The Jokhang was a feast for the senses with its beauty and colour — worth the air fare alone. The Chinese quarter was very modern with large swathes being developed.

In fact all the Tibetan towns we passed through showed signs of heavy Chinese investment in infrastructure and housing; it left the sad impression that in a few years the Tibetans would be a minority in their own country.

Another big plus point was that our group was both diverse and fun-loving. We swapped room-mates every couple of days, so got to know each other quickly. We comprised quite a few

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business people and managers, two doctors, one nurse, two schoolboys and one senior citizen, all with a love of cycling.

After necessary time acclimatising, it was joyous to finally begin cycling through the Kyi Chu river valley with the snow-capped Himalayas as a backdrop. After riding at our own pace for 15 miles or so we would encounter our support vehicle at some picturesque spot and be offered refreshments. Very civilised.

At lunchtime, Locar, our Nepalese leader and cook, magically produced substantial warm food fuelling us for the afternoon’s endeavours. Could it get any better? Apparently yes, for on arriving at our first campsite at the foot of the Khamba La pass I was greeted with a hot drink and a bowl of warm water for washing. The sleeping and mess tents were all up and we sat outside in the sun, talking over the day. It had been a gentle 52 miles on the flat, not at all representative of what would follow over the next couple of weeks.

A MARATHON NOT A SPRINT The next day was a battle with the elements, from waking in a freezing cold tent to the gasping arrival at the top of a 1,200m climb that reared up in the first 15 miles. The road incline was sufficiently gentle for Chinese lorries to ascend but the lack of oxygen made it feel twice as steep for us. It was a painful learning experience, exerting myself even for a short period left me panting for breath, with jelly legs. Drinking and cycling at the same time led to the same symptoms. I resorted to a pace that avoided any sort of oxygen debt. After all, it wasn’t a race; we had all day to cover less than 50 miles.

Shortly before the top the tarmac surface disappeared, presumably destroyed through vicious freeze-thaw action, and the mountain bikes came into their own. Traffic was light but every passing lorry created a huge dust cloud making it even more of an endurance test. All we needed was a headwind and horizontal snow; luckily those treats were saving themselves for another day.

TOP LEFT: monks in Lhasa enjoying lively discussion as they shelter from the beating sun.

ABOVE: kids of every nationality love bikes and the Tibetans are no different.

RIGHT: colourful prayer flags signal your arrival at the gateway to Everest National Park.

Eventually we saw a multitude of fluttering prayer flags and were soon enjoying views of beautiful turquoise Yamdrok Tso lake far below and snow-capped Nazin Kang Sa in the distance.

It felt great soaking up the sun’s rays waiting for the rest of the group to finish their climb. Not everyone made it to the top though; either because of sickness or simply finding it too tough, having to resort to the not-altogether-jokinglynamed 'lorry of shame'. Everyone set out with a strong desire to ride all the way, but by the end there were only six of us who hadn’t spent time in the support vehicle. This is a fair indication of how tough the trip was.

We were often cycling above 4000m, through barren, sparsely-populated valleys devoid of greenery with an austere grand-scale beauty of their own. The rural settlements probably haven’t changed much since the 10th century. Fields were being worked by yak-drawn ploughs and groups of women with spades. Yak dung bricks drying on the walls seemed to be the only source of fuel for the fires. Smiling kids rushed out to greet us, reminding me how much quality of life is determined by where you are born.

Every day was memorable. The ride from the

base of Gyatso La to Shregar made the greatest impression. We awoke to snow with doubts about proceeding. No lorries were coming down from the top and there were fears that the pass may be blocked.

FOUR SEASONS IN ONE DAY Eventually we headed out in bright sunshine and, rewarded for our optimism, soon spotted a truck.

We regrouped a few miles before the summit for sustenance. There were fluffy innocuous-looking clouds on the horizon as I set out again, but by the time I caught up with super fit Henning, I was struggling with a strong crosswind, horizontal snow and drifts on the road.

We decided to carry on for six miles down to the proposed lunch stop. Shortly after Henning called out that he'd have to freewheel as his chain had frozen — at which point I also discovered that my shoes were freezing to my SPD pedals!

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FACTFILE DIFFICULTY: 9/10 AVE. DAILY DISTANCE: 75km/48 miles MAX ALTITUDE: 5,200m GETTING THERE: flight to Kathmandu.

VISA: a 30-day multi entry visa is required for Nepal, which can be obtained on arrival and costs $40US. All tourists visiting Tibet require a valid China visa and a special Aliens Travel Permit, which they can only obtain by joining tours organised by recognised travel agencies. Redspokes will arrange your Tibet visa, to be collected and paid for in Kathmandu (approx. $114US).

SUPPORT: for this tour a back-up vehicle carried the team's entire luggage. Guides carry a good tool kit, but you'll need to carry your own specialist spares too.

GRADE: the distances and gradient each day are not extreme, but the altitude and terrain make it a tough trip. You will cycle over 6 high passes, 5 over 5000m. Altitude, headwinds, long climbs all contribute to making this one of the hardest tours going.

Most of the time you will be cycling on dirt roads at altitudes over 4000m. Although you do not need to be an athlete, it pays to spend some time before the trip getting into the best shape possible.

ABOVE: spinning away happily in the snow en route to Everest base camp.

RIGHT: breathtaking panoramas (in both senses) are what makes Tibet so unique.

After seven more miles, still being hammered by strong winds, it didn’t feel safe to stop. We encountered a Chinese tourist on a motorbike who seemed euphoric to see us and insisted on a hug and having a group photograph. We pressed on down the increasingly bleak, desolate valley, stopping a couple of times to warm our fingers. It felt dangerously cold to me, but unsurprisingly my Norwegian colleague was better acclimatised.

Just when it seemed we would have to ride all the way to Shregar, I spotted a dilapidated sign advertising a tearoom in a scruffy roadside building. More in hope than expectation we entered. A woman gestured for us to sit down, while two men studiously ignored us and some children thought us an entertaining diversion from Chinese television. The woman eventually produced a large flask of tea and sat down beside me refilling my cup every time I put it back on the table. It was deliciously sweet and warming, making me feel vaguely human again. After my fifth cup, we noticed our group leader cycle past, clearly on a mission to catch us up; we rapidly departed in pursuit.

That night we stayed in a modest hotel. There was no heating and by morning the pipes had frozen, so no running water either. I was glad I was the first to use the toilet!

The 60 miles from Shigatse to the base of the Tso La pass looked gentle but turned out less so as

we had to battle another fierce headwind. We formed a peloton with four up front doing most of the work, the rest of us literally hanging on for the ride. Considering most of us had had little experience of group cycling it worked well and reinforced the strong sense of camaraderie.

VIEWS TO EVEREST Padu to Rongbuk was only 25 miles, but was the first day when I thought I might resort to the lorry of shame. I had had the runs for a couple of days and was feeling as weak as a kitten. The dirt road was horribly corrugated and I soon regretted putting rigid forks on my bike. One of the other guys was managing just fine rattling over the bumps on his drop-barred cyclocross bike, but I was desperately tired every slight incline felt (appropriately enough) like climbing up the side of Mount Everest. The eventual sight of Rongbuk monastery lifted my spirits considerably. I wasn’t too bothered that Everest was feeling coy and only granting us occasional glimpses.

BIKES: a mountain bike is a good option; front suspension will help, but it is not essential. A traditional touring bike could work, but it would need strong enough wheels, sufficiently wide tyres (37mm is about the minimum) and low enough gearing. Ideally you'd have a 22-tooth 'granny' chainring on the front, paired with an 11-32/34t cassette out back.

TYRES: for the mixture of poorly maintained tarmac and very rough gravel tracks, the best tyre is something like the Schwalbe Marathon XR. MORE INFO: travellers to Tibet often suffer some form of altitude sickness before becoming acclimatised, things like breathlessness and headaches. As Lhasa lies at over 3680m, you are likely to experience some minor symptoms until your body adjusts to the elevation. This can take from a few hours to a couple of days, depending on the individual. Take things slowly, but remember to drink plenty of non-alcoholic liquids. Proper hydration is absolutely critical.

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TRAVEL The next morning, we woke to more snow, three inches of the stuff. Henning and Bill intrepidly rode the few miles to Base Camp. It was a breeze for Henning as he'd spent the last four months commuting daily on snow-covered tracks to Oslo. Less familiar for Bill from Sydney in Australia. I associated slippery surfaces and SPDs with cracked ribs so opted to let the youngsters get on with it.

The stunning descent from Nyalam to the lush river gorge beyond Kodari is allegedly the longest downhill in the world. I felt as though I were in a video game, racing endless hairpins in the countryside and negotiating assorted hazards as I sped through narrow roadside towns. Huge white bales came off a lorry in front of me, cars reversed out blocking the road, chickens tried to decapitate themselves sticking their heads in my wheels. I thought I might pass ‘Go’ and ‘Collect £200!’

We left the barren Tibetan plateau in the morning, arriving in paradise by early afternoon — in a wonderfully green warm river gorge with white water crashing beside me, bougainvillea and strelitzia adding colour to the scene and a cold beer in my hand. Euphoria crept over me.

ENDING ON A HIGH Our penultimate day involved an afternoon climb of 800m in temperatures well into the 30s, finishing in the mountain-top town of Dhulikel.

Oxygen was being sucked into my lungs and I was confident that I could blast my way up without stopping. The Australians blossomed in the heat.

I felt strangely weak struggling to close the gap between us, not realising I was overheating. As the saying goes, 'there is no fool like an old fool'. The metal cleat plates in my cycling shoes were heating up and it felt as if the soles of my feet were blistering. Eventually I stopped and stood in a small puddle at the side of the road attempting to cool my toes. Another Aussie, John from Perth, thankfully rode with me while I struggled the last couple of miles to our mountain-top lodge.

The scenery and the cycling had been superb, but above it all it was the people that had made for

TOP LEFT: wherever you stop the local kids give you a smiling, playful welcome.

ABOVE: soaking it all in amongst the world's highest mountains.

LEFT: just a few of the dozens of hairpins you get to ride over Pang La pass.

KEY TRIP FEATURES such a great trip. The crew were fantastic; particularly Locar and ever-smiling Gumbu. I'd spent wonderful days on the road in the company of lovely like-minded people, including young twins and their ever-enthusiastic dad. How lucky to cycle in Tibet at 14 years old — I thought it a big deal to be touring Cornwall on my bike at that age.

So would I do it again? Possibly not. Would I do it having never done it before? Oh yes, it is one of the great cycle trips. If you can grit your teeth and knuckle down when it gets tough, you'll come away feeling proud of yourself, with wonderful memories — it's a genuinely unique experience.

n KATHMANDU: Durbar Square, Sagarmatha Bazaar. n LHASA: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple n EVEREST Base Camp. n PANG LA PASS: the 50 hairpin bends over the pass. n BRAILLE WITHOUT BORDERS: special charity visit. n SHIGATSE: Tahsilhunpo Monastery, seat of the Panchen Lama.

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BIKES

BIKE UPDATEatS

bsite Via the we witter dT an k .u lcc.org ycling @london_c

LONGTERM

TEST BIKES Second update on our Longterm test fleet

ROAD/ADVENTURE MARIN Four Corners

PHOTOS: Emma Lindley, James Blake

In a nice change of pace to the carbon arms race being waged across much of the bike industry, it’s great to see Marin embracing the old school with its all-steel Four Corners bikes. Even the retro paint job harks back to its 1980s mountain bike roots. Some of the components are unashamedly functional too, like the 3x9 Shimano Sora drivetrain which many might turns their noses up at but which delivers a huge gear range — perfect for fully-laden touring. Talking of touring, there’s pannier rack mounts at both the front and rear, plus three bottle mounts, and we’ve found the 40mm Schwalbe tyres are really well suited to weekday commuting and then something more adventurous on our days off. The geometry is more relaxed than racy and gives the sort of upright position we prefer for all-round, mixed riding; it sits somewhere between our usual city hybrid and our sportive-style road bike. It’s early days yet and our biggest, most challenging rides are planned for the summer months. So far it’s hard to fault though — the wider tyres, comfy WTB saddle and padded bar tape makes a noticeable difference when things get rough.

Remind me what’s wrong with steel? Matthew

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ROAD/ADVENTURE SPECIALIZED Diverge Expert “We already know it’s much more than just a ‘road bike’, the question is how much more...”

The first testing period had left me wanting to push the Diverge harder, on terrain that might have been deemed ‘unsuitable’ for most drop-barred bikes only a couple of years ago, just to see how it would fare. Not in some daft attempt to push components to their breaking point, rather to further assess the limits of the bike’s versatility. And short of tackling serious cross-country mtb trails — with the exception on one well-known alpine ‘balcon’ traverse — it’s handled the rough and the smooth with equal aplomb. In fact ‘handled’ isn’t quite accurate, it has generally excelled at most things.

As Americans often call such machines ‘gravel bikes’, we rode some suitably loose, long double-

E-BIKE

GIANT Road-E+1

We left off last issue having used the Road-E mainly for mid-length commutes, with the odd sortie out onto country lanes thrown in for good measure. We had little in the way of issues with any of the components and the battery was giving very consistent performance in all weathers. The thing is, it didn’t really sparkle, and on our rides to that point showed no negligible advantage over a regular geared bike. Off to the South Downs we headed...

Talk about a Jekyll and Hyde persona, it was like riding a totally different bike! The Road-E had found its natural home as we swapped between the lowest two modes to see how the pedalassist would, well, assist. As long as you change gears in the usual way, the motor kicks in seamlessly and made the nastiest climbs almost laughable. You can detect a mini acceleration as you move up a mode, otherwise it’s just like cruising. Switch it off for

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tracks in mid Wales and the Lakes — and thankfully while the chain rattled, our bones didn’t; the shock-absorbing capabilities of the carbon frame and fork, plus those 28mm Roubaix tyres, really shone. On the chalky South Downs, along pocked and rutted bridleways, the Diverge comfortably held its poise. Even on a fast-paced mates’ road ride it held its own, bettering a few true sportive bikes on the descents. I’d figured on swapping the tyres out for the more ‘offroad’ routes, but the stock rubbers impressed so much I’ve only done this once.

Fingers crossed, bikepacking’s up next and it’ll be interesting to see how the smooth ride is compromised by the extra weight of saddlepack, framebag and a sleeping bag slung from the bars.

Keep an eye out for Twitter updates along the way. JK

the descents and you’re flying.

So all good then? Well not quite.

On fast flats the pedal-assist doesn’t help and it became frustrating just bumbling along on such a hefty road bike. In our eyes, this Giant is one that’ll only hold appeal if you live, or ride regularly, in hilly areas. Otherwise you’ll not realise its full potential.

You could beat the pros up Alpe d’Huez though... Amy & John

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BIKES

ROAD/SPORTIVE CINELLI Superstar Since the last magazine, in addition to daily commuting, I’ve been bagging a series of longer 60-milers on board the Superstar in preparation for a busy summer of sportives and overseas trips. As more of an ‘endurance’ road bike than my regular racer, it took me a little while to adjust to the differing geometry; a stem swap and bar tweak soon had it all in order. And as a long-time Shimano user, it took even longer to get used to the Campagnolo groupset — but after 800+ miles I think I’m converted! Shifting is super precise, with a much softer lever feel and ‘click’ than I’m used to. I’ve found it easier and more natural — gears are eased in rather than forcefully sprung. The brakes too have been a revelation, phenomenally good in both power and modulation, very reassuring on rapid descents and the odd urban ‘surprise’. The 28mm tyres have aided long-distance comfort and run at a lower 90psi certainly absorb a lot more bumps. But I can’t sign off without mentioning the Superstar’s climbing prowess — in the Lake District it proved itself a real whippet.

The ultra light, sub-8kg frame helps, but it’s the full package that comes together really well. I’m actually looking forward to the Alps now! Dan

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BIKES

KIDS BIKE ISLABIKE Beinn 24 ‘WOW!” This was the immediate, unprompted response from young tester Elodie as she lifted the Beinn up for the first time. Wide-eyed and a little puzzled, she went over to her old bike, lifted it and smiled. “The new one’s so much lighter!”

She knows her stuff this girl — so we weighed the two and it turned out the difference was nearly 4lb. To an adult that’s not such an issue, but to a kid that’s a heck of a big deal, not just pedalling up little inclines or on rough tracks, but for simple things like lifting in and out of sheds. The positives didn’t stop there either. The narrow grips and very light action gear shifter were big hits, likewise the easy-to-reach brake levers. Such simple things, why don’t more companies do this?

Having ridden to school daily since she was four, on London roads and river paths, Elodie was already a confident cyclist — yet the Islabike has really helped improve her handling and control. Now the summer holidays are coming and she’s the one asking about bike trips away, which must be the biggest bonus of all! Emma

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G iV e a gIF T T H At GI VES B a C K Give someone the gift of LCC membership this sum mer Safer, cheaper, happier cycling for someone you love.

Lost Lanes / Wild Guide book set worth ÂŁ31 with ever y gift membership We go further when we #ridetogether

www.lcc.org.uk/summer17

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REVIEWS

ROAD SPORTIVE BIKES We test steel and carbon models for sportive riding and commuting GENESIS Equilibrium 10 £1,249 genesisbikes.co.uk Frame: Mjölnir steel with carbon fork Groupset: Shimano Tiagra with TRP disc brakes Wheelset: Fulcrum Racing Sport It’s 20 years since I’d last ridden a ‘proper’ steel road bike, so stepping onto the Equilibium was a pleasant trip down memory lane — though this beautifully-finished Genesis is about as far from the battered Raleigh that took me up the Col du Galabier in my student days as it’s possible to get!

The 10 is the cheapest of three Equilibrium disc brake models, and there’s a frame-only option if you want to build up your own mean machine.

Mjölnir may be a cheaper grade steel than the Reynolds 725 used on the other Equilibriums, but in tandem with the carbon fork and 28mm Clement Strada tyres, it makes rolling roads a pleasure and it’s easy to maintain speed. It’s a bike that clearly excels in different areas. It’s undeniably heavy compared to most equivalently-priced carbon or aluminium bikes, however it’s stiff enough to be a very capable descender. This is where the excellent brake modulation can be felt; even these mechanical TRP stoppers are light

years ahead of rim brakes. Turn upwards and things change; we found ourselves sitting and spinning more than our usual out-of-the-saddle thrashing. In part that’s also due to the very relaxed geometry. Then again on our long daily commute the bike reveals yet another face — with mounts for pannier rack and mudguards, it’s been

highly ‘fit for purpose’. Likewise for putting in the miles before the summer’s sportives, it’s been a well-appointed mile-muncher.

With wide range gearing and solid Fulcrum wheels, we’d call the Equilibrium a ‘cruiser’.

For work, for training and certainly for a first sportive, it’d be comfy and very reliable. CJ

RIBBLE Gran Fondo Disc £1,503 ribblecycles.co.uk

REVIEWS: Rob Eves, Chris Jubb

Frame: Carbon fibre frame & fork Groupset: Shimano 105 with hydraulic discs Wheelset: Mavic Aksium Disc For 2017 Ribble has redesigned its popular Gran Fondo with the sportive rider in mind — so the geometry’s been tweaked to give a more relaxed, slightly more upright position, ideal for longer days in the saddle.

Other up-to-date touches include the flatmount disc brakes, full internal cable routing (compatible with the latest electronic groupsets) and clearance for 30mm tyres. Our test bike actually came with 25mm tyres, perfect for training rides and daily commutes, though we would swap them for rougher routes.

From the first ride the GF’s taller head-tube and slacker head angle were immediately noticeable compared to more ‘race-oriented’ bikes we’ve ridden. Don’t think this makes it sluggish though, far from it. The bike’s still stiff where it needs to be, which means you get really rapid off-the-mark acceleration and steering feels highly predictable and controlled on sweeping descents. Having bolt-

thru axles instead of quick-release skewers also bolsters that stability.

The Gran Fondo Disc options start at £1,199 but our ‘recommended’ build came with a Shimano 105 groupset and hydraulic disc brakes. Shifting was trouble-free, with plenty of range for London hills. Worth noting is that one tester found a little

discomfort from the lever hoods, while others raved about it — so try a few before settling on your ideal build. Also check the sizing chart carefully too, as we needed to go up a size to ‘large’ instead of our regular ‘medium’. All told, we reckon all the revises are positive — and you still get an awful lot of bang for your buck here. RE

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REVIEWS: John K, Tom Bogdanowicz, Stewart Dring

BROOKS Hackney £155

CARRADICE Rydal £99

brooksengland.com

carradice.co.uk

Capacity (litres): 24-30L Weight: 940g Dimensions (cm): 30 x 47-55 x 16

Capacity (litres): 25L Weight: 1.3kg Dimensions (cm): 32 x 46 x 17

Brooks saddles have long been favourites with cycling fashionistas (as well as many diehard tourers and endurance riders) and its bag range is aimed squarely at this market; the Hackney sits in the middle both in terms of price and capacity. The canvas-style main textile is claimed to be waterproof but we should stress the bag itself isn’t; we found the seams aren’t sealed and can leak so used a plastic bag to hold valuables on rainy days. There’s a laptop compartment and three inner pockets, plus a further two outside. The capacity’s big enough for a small supermarket shop, with the roll-top allowing it to expand, but lack of padding on the straps proved uncomfortable with heavier loads over longer distances — it’s very much an ‘about town’ bag in our eyes. We particularly like our ‘lime-flecked’ sample’s colour, but there’s four other options if this one doesn’t float your boat. SD

‘Why didn’t anyone else think of that?’ Our first thought on seeing the retro toe-strap on the Rydal’s main compartment; it’s functional, witty and a nod to the company’s cycling heritage.

Another neat touch are shoulder straps made from car seatbelt webbing. They’ve not scrimped on the heavy-duty waterproof cotton duck fabric or substantial leather base either, as it withstood 30 minutes under the shower as an initial test. The tartan-lined interior is closed with a drawcord and we found it could swallow two large box files.

Externally there’s two pockets, a minimally padded back panel, carry handle and LED light loop. Surprisingly we didn’t miss a chest-strap because the pack sat firmly, albeit a little higher on the back than usual. Overall, it’s hats off to Carradice for making a pack which shares the quality of its saddlebags. TB

MANHATTAN PORTAGE Harbor £250

MISSION WORKSHOP Sanction £175

manhattanportage.co.uk

missionworkshop.com

Capacity (litres): 20L Weight: 500g Dimensions (cm): 29 x 16-41 x 14

Capacity (litres): 20L Weight: 1.1g Dimensions (cm): 30 x 46 x 13

By far the lightest of the packs in this test, the Harbor also has a different feel and construction, more akin to a super-stylish, waterproof pannier. The incredibly tough nylon fabric features a rain-repelling membrane and welded seams; not a drop of rain has penetrated inside even during torrential showers, a real godsend when carrying expensive tablets and cameras. The roll-top and side compression straps use metal hook closures, there’s a waterproof external pocket for wallet, keys and small items, while inside there’s a removable laptop sleeve (15in Macbooks fit fine) with organiser pockets. The straps are strong but perhaps not the most ergononically-shaped and the back panel is lightly padded. It’s perfectly stable when riding around town, though seems to sit best when half-full and the loose base insert can be taken out. Functionally it’s top drawer, however there’s no escaping that premium price tag. JK

Compared to the larger 40-litre MW packs we’ve tested over the years, the Sanction is a more ‘everyday’ option with so many clever storage ideas that we had to double-check its stated capacity.

The outer’s made from a robust cotton canvas that easily resists scuffs and showers, the back panel has a mesh-covered foam pad (you can still get a little clammy though), the shoulder straps are wide and well-shaped, and the foldover closure is adjusted using Velcro strips and buckles. The entire interior is lined with tarp-like waterproof material, as is the zipped laptop compartment, while there’s also two waterproof external pockets, one large open stasher and a lower pocket that we’ve been using to hold a midsize D-lock. Fully laden with electronics, spare clothes, bike spares and lunch, it feels comfy and doesn’t sway around when you throw the bike into quick turns. A lifetime warranty adds icing to the cake. Very impressive. JK

REVIEWS

URBAN BACKPACKS

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CHILTERNS’ COUNTRY LANES Cycle instructor and history buff Katy Rodda guides us on a quiet loop just a short train hop from the capital

Thame

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Chalgrove Field

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his ride takes you to some key locations associated with the parliamentarian John Hampden (1595-1643). Until the 1850s, John Hampden was more famous than Oliver Cromwell for his role in the Civil War and anyone who knows their dates will see that Hampden died well before Charles I was beheaded (1649), leaving his hands conspicuously clean of the monarch’s blood.

Navigationally the route is very straightforward, but there’s three options from the station: n OPTION 1 — turn left for a tough, direct climb on the main road up to Prestwood where you turn right at the NCN route 57 sign. n OPTION 2 — turn right, then right at first mini-roundabout, then go straight through the village (past Roald Dahl museum) and along the valley road until the Nag’s Head pub. Turn right, go under the railway bridge and then immediately turn right through part of Little Kingshill. Go uphill until you spot the NCN route 57 sign. Turn right here and keep going in a straight line on the NCN route 57 and across the main road. n OPTION 3 — follow the route uphill offroad through Angling Streams Wood, until you join NCN route 57.

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JOHN HAMPDEN SHIP MONEY MONUMENT [1] Charles I ran into deeper and deeper trouble, and debt, during the 1630s. His policies towards the Scottish Protestants (‘covenanters’) had lead to outbreaks of rebellion in the north, and he also failed to avoid expensive warfare in Ireland.

Knowing that the policies causing the uprisings were unpopular with many in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, he simply refused to call parliament to sit, and this meant that he could not follow procedure to raise new taxes. In desperation, he tried to revive an old tax that had been levied on coastal locations to pay for coastal defences in earlier times. In landlocked Buckinghamshire, far from the sea, Hampden refused to pay, maintaining that the tax was illegal.

Backed by other key parliamentarians in both houses, Hampden narrowly lost his stand in court but gained the moral victory against tyranny for

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the parliamentarian cause, holding the king to account on behalf of all his people. The ship tax was increasingly unpaid and the king was forced to recall parliament after an interval of 11 years.

GREAT HAMPDEN CHURCH [2] Hampden was mortally wounded on 18 June 1643 at the Battle of Chalgrove Field. He died six days later and his body was brought back to Great Hampden. However, the site of his grave was kept secret so that his remains, unlike those of Pym and Cromwell, were not dug up and dismembered at the 1660 Restoration.

HAMPDEN HOUSE [3] Hampden was born into a wealthy family in 1595.

The Hampdens had lived at Great Hampden since before the Norman Conquest and had long been active in public life at court, parliament and local

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Hampden House

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Gt Hampden Church

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Ship Money monument

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Chinnor

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government. Sons of William Hampden and Elizabeth Cromwell, John and his younger brother Richard (born 1596) were first cousins to Oliver Cromwell, who later became Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland.

John Hampden gained a reputation as a shrewd parliamentary tactician, challenging the moves of Charles I’s closest advisors in the Privy Council; he was one of the ‘Five Members’ who narrowly escaped arrest by the King on a charge of High Treason in January 1642.

Hampden House is still privately owned. It is available for hire for weddings and other events.

Parliamentarian response was disorganised.

However, Hampden and the Earl of Essex between them managed to rally some troops to respond to the Royalists.

CHALGROVE FIELD [5] After the daybreak skirmish at Chinnor, the Royalists began a planned retreat that eventually drew the Parliamentarians after them until they reached Chalgrove Field. Here Prince Rupert’s tactics proved superior and when the Royalists left the field heading back towards Oxford, they had inflicted the greater casualties.

At about 9.30am John Hampden was seen leaving the battlefield, “his head hanging down and his hands leaning upon his horse’s neck”. He had received a bullet wound to his shoulder, or possibly an incorrectly-loaded pistol had exploded in his hand. He went first towards Pyrton Manor (you passed a turning for Pyrton about 10 minutes before reaching Chalgrove) but was sent on, in agony, to Thame.

There was one good outcome from the battle for the Parliamentarians: Prince Rupert failed to find the pay wagon. It vanished, cargo intact, into the wooded hills of the Chilterns.

THAME [6] Hampden went to school in Thame before entering Magdalen College, Oxford. On 24 June

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1643 he died in a building in the centre of this small market town, where a plaque is placed.

Hampden is commemorated widely: as well as numerous street names (including the Hampden Terrace that gave Scotland’s national football stadium its name) there are towns across the world as well as ships, a WWII bomber, and an electric locomotive named after him.

John Hampden’s name is still used to rally support for campaigners for constitutional monarchies and those seeking democracy. In the early 19th century, political associations known as ‘Hampden Clubs’ discussed constitutional reform, and in the early 20th century an offshoot of the women’s suffrage movement, the Women’s Tax Resistance League, adopted Hampden as its figurehead.

Hampden’s statue stands at the entrance to the central lobby to the House of Commons, close to the spot where Speaker Lenthall addressed the king as he came to arrest John Hampden, John Pym and the other members of ‘The Five’.

All that now remains of the route are seven peaceful miles on the Phoenix Trail; you can catch a London-bound train direct from Princes Risborough. Or instead enjoy a sharp climb back into the Chilterns and a pint in The Hampden Arms (Great Hampden) or The Cross Keys (Great Missenden).

©Crown copyright 2017 Ordnance Survey. Media 036/17

CHINNOR [4] The early part of 1643 did not go especially well for the Parliamentarians; they lost ground to the Royalist forces in a number of places. However, Charles I had difficulties of his own. Short of money, his army was constantly on the verge of disbanding due to lack of pay. With this shortage in mind, his ally Prince Rupert of the Rhine (Charles I’s nephew) decided to go after a Parliamentarian pay wagon passing through the countryside east of Oxford.

On the night of 17 June 1643, a Parliamentarian army was scattered in billets across the countryside near Chinnor; it was an unsatisfactory arrangement and when Rupert ambushed the village early in the morning of 18 June, the

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WHaT gOEs AROund, COmeS ArO ND Bring a friend to LCC Introduce a friend or colleague to LCC and we’ll give you both a set of cycling books to show our appreciation.

We go further when we #ridetogether. lcc.org.uk/MGM17

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OPINION

ASHOK SINHA Creating places that are better for walking and cycling should be seen as symbiotic says LCC’s chief executive

L

et’s talk about walking. It’s something that all of us who are able to, do. It’s one of the key developmental milestones in the growth of infants. The fascinating Human Evolution Gallery in the Natural History Museum — well worth a visit — tells us that primitive bipedalism first appeared in our ancient ancestors perhaps six million years ago. The ability to walk and run long distances was critical in our species’ evolution from tree and forest dwellers to far-ranging animals that have come to dominate the planet.

From the peripatetic school of philosophy in ancient Greece to today’s walking and talking clubs, strolling as a means of freeing the mind has a long provenance.

We also know that a city that is fit for walking and cycling — one in which motor vehicle movements are minimised and tamed — is a healthier, greener, less fragmented place. That’s why the first key test we set for the last Mayor in our successful Love London, Go Dutch campaign in 2012 was to create three flagship local schemes to promote both walking and cycling. The end result was the Mini-Hollands projects now delivering greatly enhanced quality of life in Waltham Forest, and on the way to doing so in Enfield and Kingston.

LCC believes in walking as well as cycling.

As we reported in the last issue, bright minds at TfL have wisely put walking and cycling at the heart of its new Healthy Streets concept — a set of indicators that will govern how public money will be spent on making streets and places in London better. Sadiq Khan and his administration appear excited and persuaded by this thinking, and it is logical that the role of Cycling Commissioner (created by previous Mayor Boris Johnson and acquitted with dynamism by Andrew Gilligan)

should evolve to include walking in the brief.

Welcome therefore and good luck to Will Norman, who now occupies the hot seat (see Interview, page 20).

Co-operation, not competition But caution is also needed: it is of singular importance that we do not allow ourselves or the authorities to slip into a situation where walking and cycling are traded off against each other.

Consider the recent spat about whether there should be a ‘hierarchy of modes’ on our streets, with walking accorded top priority, followed by cycling, public transport, commercial transport and finally private motor car use.

The Deputy Mayor for Transport, Val Shawcross, and Mr Norman recently averred that this would be the norm going forwards (in contrast to the approach of the previous Mayor, for whom focussing on safety and leaving the rest to the market was the guiding principle); this

Walking and cycling go hand in hand... building activity into sedentary lifestyles precipitated opprobrium not just from the usual quarters but from some cyclists too.

This dissonance stems from posing the question in an unsophisticated way: if the objective is to maximise a switch away from motor vehicle use for personal transport within urban areas, then investment in cycling clearly delivers

the greatest bang for buck: cycling must accordingly be first in the queue for hard cash.

On the other hand, the touchstone of whether the streets outside our front doors invite human interaction and provide space to enjoyably watch the world go by, is whether walking is safe and stress-free. And it is well-trodden territory that walking and cycling go hand in hand as equal partners as the best way to build activity into the sedentary lifestyles that are causing so much harm.

Baker Street plan needs ‘Healthy’ rethink A pity therefore that what looks to be the first practical application of the Healthy Streets concept in the redevelopment of the Baker Street area, while laudably creating friendlier conditions for walking, doesn’t pass muster for cycling. The plans — whose origins were admittedly during the previous mayoralty —are just not safe enough for cycling and, together with our colleagues in the walking charity Living Streets, we are urging TfL and Westminster Council to get with their own programme.

Indeed we continue to work in unison to scrutinise other future redesigns across London.

In short, it’s not a case of either-or, but both.

Investment in cycling infrastructure and creating places that are better for walking should be seen as symbiotic not competitive. We wish Will Norman a fair wind and the best of luck. LCC will remain vigilant to help make sure his, and our, aspirations for both walking and cycling are met.

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