An extended outage at Blogger means I have not been updating much for the past few days, sorry about that. Here are a few things that I've been up to, and that have caught my eye in the last few days.
Wiggle mucks up
The excellent Wiggle, from where I buy most of my bike kit, made its first error in over five years of shopping there and shipped a (very nice but completely unwanted) rain jacket instead of a jersey that I had ordered.
It was a minor inconvenience that I'm only really bringing up to make the point that Wiggle's customer service and returns policy are so good that I didn't stay slightly annoyed for very long.
I hasten to add that I feel that after so many years of trouble-free shopping there I was probably due a karmic hiccup anyway. If this is the worst thing that ever happens when I shop online then it's all good.
Wiggle also seems to have taken to putting free samples of electrolyte boosting sports drinks tabs in their parcels, instead of the usual mini bag of Haribo. Not unwelcome in and of itself, sports drinks are inherently useful to a biker, but I really liked the little bags of Haribo. Bring back Haribo, I say.
Plotting a route
Following an acquisition my workplace moved approximately 15 miles across London at the start of May, from Sutton, the jewel of south London, to Marble Arch. This has necessitated a whole new spate of route planning and testing, which is one of my favourite parts of cycling.
From where I live now in Battersea to Sutton was around nine or 10 miles, depending on the route, which for me usually entailed a swift spell on CS7 through Tooting, then down through Mitcham, Hackbridge and into Sutton on back streets through Carshalton. On a good day it took about 35 to 40 minutes and heading out of London it was always against traffic.
Going the other way has been an interesting experience, to say the least. So far I'm finding that the five to six miles takes just under half an hour, and the quickest route takes me across the Albert Bridge, avoiding the permanent snarl up at Battersea Bridge. From there I cut up through Kensington, go along Exhibition Road past the Science Museum and then the final stretch through Hyde Park is on dedicated bike lanes.
Using the Google mapping tools on MapMyRide.com (other cycling websites are available but I have found this one to be reasonably accurate), I have so far tried out about five or six basic variants of this route, and each has its advantages and disadvantages; on my first day I found that what I had thought looked like a quiet cut through was actually being used as a very busy cut through by every black cab in west London, and the Albert Bridge is currently being restored and is closed to vehicle traffic, meaning I have to get off and walk over the river.
But what has been quite joyous - and has eased my mind somewhat about the dangers of riding in central London - are the sheer numbers of other cyclists, from wobbly Boris bikes to full-on roadies to trusty hybrids and, particularly in Kensington, blonde rich girls in summer dresses, it's great to see how many people are now turning to two wheels and it gives me hope that more people will do so in time. There is something quite exhilarating about being part of such an unusual-looking peloton.
Off the pavement
Erin Gill shouldn't have been riding on the pavement in Sunday's Observer and deserved a fine, but she makes a serious point about town centre infrastructure. Getting off to push through a pedestrian zone is a pain, but the inevitable one way system makes the alternative very unpalatable.
Near to where I live, in Wandsworth, the town centre is blighted by a four lane monstrosity of a one way system. Unless you're using it at a very quiet time the combination of wide roads, an inappropriate speed limit, traffic lights and multiple lane changes renders it basically a death trap, and I usually make a point of detouring on back streets through Earlsfield to get around it
There is actually a bike path along the London-bound carriageway, but it's shared with pedestrians, the block paving is poorly maintained and bumpy and the provided toucan crossings are timed to let cars breeze through while holding up everyone else for as long as possible.
The ultimate effect is that for the sake of convenience of the polluting motorists, vulnerable road users have their journeys obstructed and complicated. When it takes you a good ten minutes to negotiate a two hundred metre stretch of road and one junction using legal cycling infrastructure, is it any wonder cyclists pavement hop in Wandsworth?
Remembering Wouter
Wouter's death makes a serious point about bike helmets; they are lifesavers but there are some circumstances in which they are simple ineffective, not that this should be used as an argument against helmets in professional cycling.
I have been following professional cycling to some degree since the early '90s and remember the last fatal accident on a Grand Tour, which happened in 1995. When you consider that big cycle races hit speeds of up to and over 50 miles per hour on twisty mountain descents, the fact fatalities are so rare truly underscores how fundamentally safe cycling is.
I think that's an affirming and positive message to take away from Wouter's horrible and untimely death.
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