Entries Tagged 'cycling' ↓

Many cycling bloggers have written about critical mass rides - either for or against. I feel I should write something, though to be honest for some reason the issue has always left me somewhat indifferent.

Maybe 10 years ago, I was involved in one critical mass cycle ride in Oxford. I was cycling home when I came across a huge group of cyclists. It was great fun to join. We cycled slowly down the high Street and then cycled around Magdalen Roundabout several times, nicely causing a huge traffic jam.

It was good to be in a group of 100+ cyclists. But, I did start to feel a little self conscious after the 8th time round Magdalen roundabout. I was thinking -  I’m glad I wasn’t stuck in a car and I bet those motorists are pretty annoyed. I never went on one again. These days, I don’t think they are any critical mass cycle rides in Oxford  - at least, they don’t ride around and round  a roundabout. Maybe just a ride from A to B.

Generally, the odd critical mass may raise awareness of how many people cycle and the dangers cyclists face. But, in the long term, they probably lead to a deterioration in relations between cyclists and motorists so are not helpful. Generally antagonising the other party, is not a good way to generate improvement.

At the same time if  cycling facilities are so bad, people may feel a critical mass cycle ride is an excellent way of highlighting their cause. It is an issue which arouses strong emotions in the cycling world. But, if a critical mass did start I wouldn’t want to get involved. I would be sympathetic to some extent with the aims of the ride. But, I wouldn’t get involved.

A large group ride is different. If their is a set ride through a town, then the inconvenience would be minimal. There is a certain point and destination to the ride. A ride from A to B wouldn’t seem confrontational like riding round in circles just to annoy motorists.

I know after a cyclist dies in accident there is often a desire to arrange a large group ride.  If I was in the area, I may join this kind of ride - an attempt to share solidarity and highlight the dangers faced by cyclists. But, the intent of this ride is quite different to other more intense critical mass.

So, I’m not enthused by critical mass, even though I would love to see more people cycling. The future of cycling will not be improved by  exaggerating a sense of them and us.

Well, that’s my ramblings anyway!

This isn’t to start a debate about whether bells should be compulsory but, just to relate a few humorous tales from when cycling bells where compulsory in British Time Trials.

In the 1950s, and 60s, British Time Trialling dominated British cycling, it also had a curious legacy of rules and regulations. One of these was that each competitor must start the race with a working bell. Somebody would be checking at the start, if your bell didn’t work - sorry no race. Pre race, I often chat to the legendary, John Woodburn (71 and still going strong), it doesn’t take much for him to get started on how much he hated this rule. John said he went through a period of buying really cheap bells, and after the first corner he would throw them into a ditch. (you didn’t have to finish with a bell, you just had to start with a bell!). Next season, I will try get an interview with John, as he had numerous stories to tell!

In the 1970s, the great time triallist Alf Engers started a fashion for drilling holes in equipment to save weight. Alf would turn up for races with handlebars, brake levers and gear sticks drilled like swiss cheese. Anyway many aspiring cyclists would emulate the great Alf (BTW: I really doubt drilling holes in equipment makes any difference to your time in a flat time trial) Anyway there was one cyclist who drilled so many holes in his metal bell that when it was checked at the start it wouldn’t make any sound. So with his holey bell, the time triallist had to forego his race. He was so annoyed that at the next race, he came to start line with seemingly no bell. But, actually he had strapped a huge bell hidden under his saddle, just to make some point. After checking this rather unusual bell, he was allowed to start.

I have to say a bell is a really great addition to my commuting bike, I use it all the time, especially when on bike paths. However, when a juggernaut cuts you up on a dual carriageway, I somehow feel that tinking a  little metal bell, is hardly going to help.

Cycling time trial photos

Cycling Bells

At night maybe 40% of cyclists in Oxford won’t use lights. Very occasionally, the police will have a spot check on Magdalen Bridge and fine cyclists £30 for not wearing lights. However, if you buy a pair of lights and present the receipt at a police station, you can get your £30 back - Pretty lenient really.

The police say they don’t do checks for lights more often because they can’t afford it. It sounds a bizzare thing to say, because if you fined cyclists £40 and didn’t give it back the next day, I’m sure the operation would be very profitable. If they did it every week, they may raise less because cyclists might actually start to use lights. But, isn’t that the whole point? The thing is cyclists, especially young cyclists don’t really feel there is anything wrong with not using lights, which is why the rule is flouted so often. Yet, it is a law worth enforcing.
It would raise revenue for all the New cycle infrastructure (OK, I mean raise revenue for refuse collection or whatever)
Would improve safety
Would improve the image of cyclists and give motorists one less thing to moan about.

Cyclists generally get a tough time - inconsiderate motorists, bad planning, useless cycle paths e.t.c. At the same time, cyclists create external benefits in the form of less pollution, lower congestion e.t.c. From an economic point of view there is a convincing case that people who cycle to work should be subsidised to reward the social benefit of cycling.

Yet, despite this, I would be quite happy  if there were more occasions of the police fining cyclists without lights. I don’t think it would reduce cycle use that much. But, if people are too tight to pay £10 for lights then they deserve to be fined.

Then the question would be should we have greater fining of cyclists for riding on pavements / going through red lights / dangerous cycling.

Maybe, increased use of fines for dangerous cycling would help improve standards of cycling. I would support it, if it was reasonable and targeted at real infractions and not just for breaking the letter of the law. At the same time, if we have more fines for bad cycling, shouldn’t we have much greater fines for dangerous driving? It is not cyclists who cause 3,000 road deaths a year, it is generally bad / lazy / inconsiderate driving. Unfortunately, everyday dangerous driving goes unpunished - I sometimes wonder if drivers really appreciate the danger that they create.

Fortunately or unfortunately I am an economist and economists love taxes and subsidies. The idea is to make the free market more efficient. Unregulated, there will be market failure - people riding through red lights, not using lights at night e.t.c We don’t want an overbearing police presence targetting cyclists(who are not the real problem). But, at the same time, cyclists are sometimes allowed to do the wrong thing. Councils should do more to enforce basic road safety for both cyclists and all road users.

• Cycling on pavements

I became interested in meditation over 10 years ago, when I was in my last year of university. I became a meditation student of Sri Chinmoy, which is why I ride for Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team. A few people have expressed interest in how meditation might effect my cycling so I’ve written a few notes.

What is Meditation?

• With meditation, we basically try to quieten the mind and bring to the fore a consciousness of peace.
• The experience of meditation is hard to describe because when we meditate we are not using the mind, we are not thinking. Often I feel the sense of self is in the heart rather than the mind.
• If you meditate well, it leaves a feeling of inner peace, but, also gives you a good feeling towards the world. Somehow you become more sympathetic / tolerant of other people rather than using the mind to find the invariable faults and mistakes of others.
• Introduction to Meditation - Short article, I wrote for my blog on self improvement

When I started to meditate I wasn’t cycling at all. I never thought meditation would help me become a better cyclist, but, as a side effect I think meditation does help various aspects of cycling.

Control of Thoughts. When cycling, especially time trials,  you are spending a lot of time with your own mind. Sometimes, the thoughts can be irritating, especially if you have experienced an incident with a hot headed motorist. In meditation we learn to detach from thoughts and so it can be easier to push aside frustrating incidents and enjoy the ride. I wrote here about - how to enjoy cycling. I think meditation enables you to disengage from negative thoughts and therefore enjoy cycling more.

As cyclists we may experience many painful situations / experiences where it becomes easy to nurse a sense of injustice. But, maybe because I practise meditation, my goal is to retain inner peace. I really dislike having the mental disturbance of being angry at a motorist. This is why I will try very hard not to get annoyed / frustrated at other people’s bad driving. See also: Cycling - negativity and how to enjoy the bike

Concentration. When racing, the right mental attitude is vital. If the mind gets sidetracked into following a stream of useless thoughts, your performance will definitely be affected. When racing, especially time trials, I try to keep the mind quiet and focused. At the very least I try to avoid negative thoughts, thoughts like - ‘I’m useless today - what’s the point? I might as well pack it in.’

Mantra. One exercise for meditation is the use of mantra - repeating a sacred word such as Aum, Supreme. This gives you something to focus on which is simple, yet highly concentrated. I like using this kind of inward mantra when racing. Not only does it help concentrate the mind, but you feel that certain mantra’s embody dynamism and energy.

Self Transcendence.

I became a student of Sri Chinmoy because I was interested in meditation and spirituality. I was rather surprised Sri Chinmoy placed so much emphasis on the benefits of exercise and sporting competition. Traditionally spiritual teachers, especially from the East, have been rather dismissive of the body. But, Sri Chinmoy feels that sport is of great benefit. In particular he stresses the importance of self transcendence - the idea we are competing with ourselves trying to go beyond our limitations.

The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team was established in the 1970s and this coincided with the boom in ultra distance running, especially multi day events such as the world’s longest footrace - the annual 3100 Mile Self Transcendence Race. (spread over 8 weeks, competitors run on average 60 miles a day)

As David Duffield would say to Joff Summerfield, who has just cycled around the world on a penny farthing - chapeau!. Actually David Duffield would say a lot more, but, what can you say about the feat of cycling around the world on a penny farthing? It’s really quite impressive.

Mr Summerfield cycled through 40 countries and took over 2 years. He said:

“The more I have travelled, the more I have appreciated England.”:)

Earlier in the year, Mark Beaumont cycled 18,000 miles around the world in a new record of 195 days

Penny farthing cyclist at Times

After focusing on the racing season, it was good to go for a long ride in the Yorkshire Dales with no training schedule or intervals to do.

The weather was excellent on Saturday. A few observations from riding in Yorkshire Dales.

• I couldn’t believe how many cyclists were out on Saturday morning. Maybe Yorkshire has more cyclists, or maybe they just congregate on same roads up the wharfe valley.
• I was going to stop at Burnsall cafe, but, it was packed out, with quite a few cyclists. A cafe stop is a bit of a luxury these days. Usually, training season means getting home in time for work.
• The one downside of the ride was the amount of mud left on the road by farmers. I took my best bike and it was pretty filthy by the end. I also take extra care on the descents because I know how slippy mud can be. Interestingly, I read about a farmer who got sued (From the Shropshire Star no less) because a cyclist crashed on a muddy road. From a farmer’s perspective they will be thinking they are just trying to do their job.
• After 2 months of doing interval training, it’s actually quite hard work cycling 50 miles. The average for the ride was 16.9mph, but, it’s good just to enjoy a ride without any pressure of doing speed work.

Even though it was a fun ride, I climbed the Cow and Calf on the way back from Ilkley, more interesting than the A65.

• Cycling Yorkshire Dales

Cyclo Cross - for those who want to keep racing

Last Sunday, was my last race of the year, and the first day of winter (clocks go back) It marks the end of the racing season and several months of winter training.

After the excitement of interval training and hill climb races, long slow miles through the English winter don’t exactly seem that appealing. However, I’m motivated to try and stay fit over winter and do better in races next year.

This is what I will be doing over the next few months.

• No Interval training. I’ve been doing a lot of interval training in September and October so won’t be doing any until maybe February. But, even in February / March it will be less intense. Having said that, I don’t ride with a heart rate monitor which will start beeping if I go above 80% HR. I like going hard up hills even in winter. If I feel like racing up a hill, I will do. I don’t have any strict training plan. The main thing about winter training is to enjoy it. That’s my philosophy anyway
• 7-18 hours a week. In winter, I feel more flexibility in training. If it is pouring with rain or icey cold, there is no harm in missing a day’s training. I try to go out when I can. But, don’t always prioritise cycling.
• Winter training doesn’t have to be slow. I like to cycle reasonably fast, maybe 70-80% heart rate. I don’t use a heart rate monitor, but, I’d rather be cycling at 18-19mph than plodding along at 15mph.
• Winter break first 2 weeks of January. In January I’m off to Malaysia, I won’t be taking my bike because the roads were not welcoming to cyclists last time I visied.. I think two weeks off your bike does no harm. In fact some professionals think it does them good.
• Training in the Light. One of the biggest obstacles to winter training in the winter, is the lack of daylight hours. It can soon get dark around 5pm, and in December it will be dark by 4pm. The other problem is that early in the morning it is often freezing and I don’t like to train then.
• Group Rides I will try to do make some Sunday morning rides with Oxford City R.C. I don’t mind training on my own, but, in winter, especially, it’s good to train in company. (cycling on own vs cycling with others)
• Dealing With Cold Hands and Feet. I suffer from Reynauds disease which is basically cold hands and cold feet. Cycling makes this worse because little blood gets to the feet especially. I will be using my battery operated socks and hotpads which make winter training possible for me.

Essential winter cycling gear

winter cycling training

The hill climb championship took place on Bank Road, Matlock. The road was closed to traffic. The distance of the climb was about 830m. Average gradient 14%. Maximum Gradient 20%. Weather was good for late October. There was a full field of 150 riders.

Matt Clinton  mikevaughan.co.uk - 2008 Winner time 2.24.2

I finished 14th in a time of 2.42.3. I was quite pleased with my time for a hill which wasn’t ideal to my liking. It was very close at the top, with just 2 seconds separating the top 3 - Bill Bell, Jim Henderson and Matt Clinton. The first women was Lynn Hamel, 2.59

There was a good crowd at the steepest part. At this point I was already a bit dizzy in the head. My arms were drained of blood like pins and needle. After the steep corner, there was another 200m of relatively shallow climb. Although it was shallow, it was hard to go much faster.

Stewart House (10) at the start. The event was well organised by Matlock CC and other local clubs. It’s great to race on closed roads.

I enjoyed the race alot. I really felt I had raced at my limit. I will have to try and find an extra 18 seconds for next year.

Continue reading →

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea have claimed much success in reducing traffic accidents through a scheme known as ‘Naked Streets’

The idea is that removing road signs and simplifying pedestrian crossings makes drivers think more for themselves, drive slower and drive more carefully.

It is argued that if motorists / road users are bombarded with instructions / signs then they become immune to considering potential risks. It is like drawing by numbers, you don’t have to think - just follow the signs.

This traffic scheme was pioneered by the late Dutchman, Hans Monderman. Hans sought a radical approach to traffic management. He is famous for testing the validity of his schemes by walking backwards into moving traffic. His philosophy was the importance of putting the responsibility onto the road user, rather than trying to direct motorists. Hans said:

“We’re losing our capacity for socially responsible behaviour. The greater the number of prescriptions, the more people’s sense of personal responsibility dwindles.”

I think it raises some interesting points, without offering a blanket solution. Without regulation, motorists do tend to speed. Notorious accident blackspots have seen reduction in accident rates through traffic calming measures.

But, at the same time if there are too many signs / road markings maybe motorists do think less for themselves. I remember reading about a village in the Cotswolds who removed all traffic signs and road signs to great effect (and of course was very pleasing from an aesthetic sense) However, maybe it was effective because motorists aren’t used to roads with no markings. Maybe if every town did it the impact would be limited.

I still think that left to their own devices people drive in dangerous ways, which is why 3,000 people die a year. To make the roads safer, very strong intervention is needed; for example 20mph speed limits. But, it is still revealing to know that more signs does not necessarily help.

The really interesting experiment is when the distinction between roads and pavements is blurred, drivers have to drive in between street furniture and look for subtle changes in the material used. This makes drivers think very carefully about speed and driving. Since this pilot scheme was introduced on New Road, Brighton, it has had a big impact on reducing car use, average speed and has increased the number of cyclists by 93%. (and pedestrian use by 195%)

• How dangerous is cycling?
• Stripping roads of signs at Times
• Naked Streets at Cycling Weekly

Start of National Hill Climb championship 2006

This Sunday is the 2008 National Hill Climb Championship in Matlock.

It’s great to take part in National championships because

• There is a big crowd
• Roads are closed to traffic.
• Good to ride against the best in the country.
• You might get your name in Cycling Weekly!
• Last race of the season. It’s good to finish on a high.

These are some things to do before a big race

1. Know the course.

If possible ride the course beforehand. It is good to know what to expect so you know exactly how to pace your effort. For some races, knowing the course can give you an advantage in cornering at high speed. Last weekend, Damiano Cunego used his knowledge of the descents to ride away to victory in the Tour of Lombardy.

• I was going to go up to Matlock to ride the course beforehand, but, when I learnt it was only a 2 minute climb I lost interest. If it had been 5 minutes I would have done it. (Dave Preece over at Penny Farthing Blogspot rode the course

2. Make Sure the Bike is in Perfect working order.

I remember before a National 100 mile championships 2005, I adjusted my tribars on the evening before the race. At the start line, 4 minutes to go, my handlebars came completely loose, there was no way I could ride. I asked other riders if they had a spare allen key - they didn’t. But, one guy at the start line (one of the pusher offers) happened to have one. I tightened up the bars with 2 minutes to go and ended up coming 4th. I was lucky, but, the moral of the story is be prepared. If you have to make changes make sure you give yourself a chance to ride the bike after the changes have been made.

For the National hill climb, I will be taking away the large chain ring. I will also be putting in lightweight brakes with cork brake blocks for the carbon fibre wheels. I will make the changes today, and ride a few times on the Zipp 404s and with a single chain ring.

• Note: It is tempting to take off the front mechanism to save a bit more weight. But, the risk of the chain jumping off, outweighs the potential benefit of saving 100g. 100g is about 0.1 second. A chain slipping off is the end of your race. Good to keep things in perspective.

3. Tapering period.

The most important thing you can do for a big event is to taper your training so that your muscles are fully rested and ready to go.

The British Olympic team were broadly following a strategy of having a very light last 6 days. 6 days before race take two days off training. Then have a short but relatively intense day. Then take the last 2 days off. This kind of tapering you only want to do 1 or twice a year. But, it can make a big difference.
Usually, at the end of the hill climb season in October, I feel inclined to taper my training anyway. More on Tapering for race

4. Arrive in Plenty of Time.

It might sound hopelessly obvious. - Arrive in time, remember your bike, wheels, shoes e.t.c, know where to go. But, the problem is too often I’ve failed to follow my own advice and arrived for a race on the wrong day / with wrong equipment e.t.c.

5. Give it Everything.

For a big race, it is important to have the right mental attitude. It is the willingness to push yourself as hard as you can go, to race at your absolute limits, which is important. For this it is necessary to be really motivated and focused.  At the same time, you want to avoid getting nervous. I also try to enjoy the events as much as possible. - Being happy with whatever result occurs.

6. Eat Well

It’s important to have the right preparation in terms of food and energy. If the race is early in the morning, it is particularly important to make sure your blood sugar levels are high.

For a race like a hill climb, you need to leave a gap of at least 3 hours from a heavy meal. It is better to eat often but light before a race. In the last hour and a half I will not eat any solids, but some liquid gels. I once did a hill climb with too much food in my stomach - it wasn’t a pleasant feeling!