Approaching Middleton on the Wolds along an unfamiliar road Ooh, dear. I see this morning's online Independent report about the Yorkshire Wolds (and David Hockney's A Bigger Picture exhibition that opens at the Royal Academy on Saturday) is in the Travel section.
Read all of The first ride of 2012 in "Hockney Country" (aka the Yorkshire Wolds) »
This is not a pretty story. I will be spare in the details.
Read all of The Sentence »
Annie Londonderry was the first woman cyclist to circle the globe. Although she was a celebrity in her day she would now be completely forgotten if it was not for the extensive research of her descendant Peter Zheutlin and his book 'Around the World on Two Wheels'. Santa kindly brought me a copy and, although [...]
Read all of A Remarkable Woman »
Totally pig sick of the gales, really really fed up to the back teeth with em... Over my Christmas time off work I fully intended to do this: The Festive 500 (km) ride to Redemption
Read all of Christmas cycle up North in hail and gales… »
Held annuallly on the 27th of December the Cyclewight Mince Pie Ride was once listed by the Daily Telegraph as one of the ten best things to do after Christmas. Unfortunately icy conditions have meant the turn out has been very low in recent years but this year's mild weather led to a record number [...]
Read all of Cyclewight Mince Pie Ride »
Read all of Wishing All Cyclists a Very Happy Christmas »
I haven't touched my bike for almost three weeks. I've not given up cycling or anything. Far from it (new wheel components on order, bike van being prepared, can't wait to get going again). I've simply been tied up with a few things: a loft conversion, lousy weather, a sore toe, very bad toothache in [...]
Read all of A short break from cycling »
AAARTY and Technology. Well, it not quite the end of the year yet for us, but for Audax UK, October the 31st was the final day of the season. I have worked hard on my rides this year; and as an avid badge collector I have amounted a good pile of them. My most coverted [...]
Read all of Technology and the Audax Altitude Award Round The Year »
My rusty mountain bike. New parts are in stock awaiting a spring clean Almost a year ago I wrote that a couple of my new year's resolutions were to watch fewer soaps and get out on my bike more. I think I managed to get out on the bike quite a bit, but I really [...]
Read all of Cycling resolutions for 2012 »
This is an old Irish saying and what it says literally, that a shoulder is bare without a brother. What it means is that it's lonely if you don't have someone with you, i.e., at your shoulder. But what interests me about it is that it expresses something that I think is very relevant to [...]
Read all of Is maol gualainn gan bráthair »
The weekend was the last ride of the season. By Saturday rain had washed away Wednesday’s snow and the pavement was dry. The ride wasn’t as long as planned. It so happened that our intended route over Bellamy Side Road is not surfaced, so we just did a short out-and-back. Nothing strenuous. On the way [...]
Read all of Season Finale »
Kuklos was the pen name of William Fitzwalter Wray who contributed a column 'Cycling Notes' to 'The Daily News' (London) from the beginning of the Twentieth Century until the paper closed in 1930. Some of these were reprinted in book form as 'The Kuklos Papers'. This piece was written, as he puts it, 'at the [...]
Read all of 'Into the Light' by Kuklos »
A number of waterways flow through Ottawa and influence its shape; just so, a number of layers of government control its environs, for better or worse. The most unusual of these is the National Capital Commission (NCC), an appointed body that controls specific areas of green space and parkland in the capital region. It is [...]
Read all of An Annual Cycle »
When the pile of cycling magazines by my chair got so big that it toppled over I thought perhaps it was time for a bit of a sort out. In these days of internet blogs and forums you could be forgiven for thinking that the humble magazine has had its day. Who submits technical queries [...]
Read all of Cycling Magazines »
CycleSeven's first Post was 1st November 2009. So we are two years old today. 434 Posts, 3,576 approved comments, and as intended, our team includes two women cyclists. Well done all!
Read all of Cycling blog birthday »
Tina had my arm behind my back….. “We MUST do the TrailQuest together’ she decided. I had done a couple of these events before and I never really enjoyed them. I am not a very good mountain bike rider, and I am not very competitive, it was easier to say no. Especially with all the [...]
Read all of Two chums do TrailQuest Isle of Man! »
The cupboards are becoming bare so I'm off to Morrisons. It's daylight but the sky is murky enough for a hi-viz jacket. I wait until the day has warmed up somewhat, but I want to be home in time for Radio 4's Sunday afternoon drama, and some of the household clocks have gone back so [...]
Read all of Musings on a day of a few overlapping halves »
Coming home at the end of the day. To East Yorkshire not to North Humberside For as long as I can remember I've hated the name 'Humberside'. I've ranted before about it (we also used to strike out the hideous coat of arms affair on our school exercise books and write 'Yorkshire' above it), but [...]
Read all of Where in the Wolds? Why, Walesby! »
A couple of days ago I put a comment on Mary's post that Apart from the odd shower it has been dry for ages here, I think I am a bit spoilt! What a foolish thing to say! Talk about asking for trouble, I don't think its stopped raining since!
Read all of Tempting Fate! »
Audax UK's calendar ends on the 31st October and as there are gales and storms forecast for half term and next weekend I am mountain biking on both days, I have just one more chance to up my AAA points. So, on Sunday, I sorted out my final AAA ride of this Audax Season. On [...]
Read all of Final Audax of 2011 »
I havent been on my mountain bike for over a year. Reason: Rather a lame one... I dont really like mud. And, I always thought I would struggle to finish the Lands End John O Groats ride if I didnt do a lot of training miles. One of my road bike loves, is that I [...]
Read all of Mountain bikes and cake… what could be better? »
We were not mafting in Ottawa this weekend – we were cold, wet and drafty. The Saturday forecast was for a period of sun in the morning so we planned to ride accordingly. Needless to say, the accuracy of the weather forecast was predictable, and it was mid-afternoon before we were on Lady CoMo for [...]
Read all of Drafty, not Mafty »
The last day of the week; the last day of September. The last chance of a crafty ride after work before the weather turns? (Note to self: if I do get another chance remember to take lights next time.) I don't know how many times I have hoped to get away after work for a [...]
Read all of Mafting in Melton »
A while ago I thought about getting back in to running. I wanted to improve my general fitness, to supplement my time on the bike. But running hurts.
Read all of Do you do duathlon? »
This post is going to seem more than a little tame after Dan and Mary's exploits but it made my day so here we go.
Read all of Brief Encounter »
The Sandown to Newport cycle track has a very pleasant picnic area at the old Merstone station. Every year members of the Wayfarer Cycle Touring Club and their families gather there for a picnic/BBQ and this year there was the added incentive of freshly cooked jacket potatoes on offer. This was the perfect opportunity to [...]
Read all of F C Parkes goes for a picnic »
Upland road I like the upland road photo. Mostly because I rode there on my bike. A couple of hundred people per day (perhaps more) travel along this road by car and I imagine none of them stops to take a photo of it. Being there on a bicycle is different; a sort of personal [...]
Read all of Cycling and photography: photos from my bike »
Today it was a beautiful day and I went on a long complicated hilly cycle on a new complicated hilly route, most of which I'd cycled before, but some of the roads not for years, and most of them as parts of other rides. It consisted of 60 miles, 3100ft of climbing and was cycled [...]
Read all of A word from the old dog! »
Our local BBC 'Look North' presenter has this routine – it seems almost like a contractual obligation – to have a bit of banter with the weatherman instead of having that bit more time to talk about the actual weather. This is how it usually goes: presenter hands over to weatherman; weatherman has go at [...]
Read all of A Bridge Too Far: the last hurrah for my Coventry Eagle Touristique? »
Lady CoMo's rear wheel cleared customs last week. The plan, which had been to get to the cottage early on Friday to meet Mary, was adjusted. I went down to Bertrand's late in the day for a fitting, put her on the new roof rack and drove off into the sunset.
Read all of Getting started on a tandem »
I think you know by now that I can't resist anything pertaining to cycling history. Books, magazines, maps are avidly collected. It could only be a matter of time until an old bike joined the collection. Well, time and getting the shed roof fixed so that I have somewhere to keep it. I'd been looking [...]
Read all of A Fifties Revival – F C Parkes Cote d'Or »
Well, who would have thought it. A few months back, my dearly beloved suggested we should have a go on a Tandem. Wow, that was a blast of air I wasn't expecting. He has always encouraged my cycling, always been on hand with oily finger nails offering advice, showing me how to remove this bit [...]
Read all of … upon the seat, of a bicycle made for two… »
From 25 June until 1st July the Isle of Wight has played host to some 4000 athletes and officials taking part in the Natwest Island Games. Since it was founded in 1985 the Island Games has been held every 2 years with 25 member islands from Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Norway, Spain, Sweden, UK [...]
Read all of Natwest Island Games 2011 »
It was luck that did it. Mary, who is superstitious about such things, came across a charm of a tandem couple and bought it as a pendant. “What do you think?” she asked when she showed it to me that night. She had planned to buy us mountain bikes this year – now a tandem [...]
Read all of Expectant Waiting »
When two Ottawa cyclists meet at a stop light, the Rideau Lakes Cycling Tour (RLCT) is probably the third most common topic of conversation (“great day”, “how far?”, “riding the Tour this year?”). It is the classic ride of the region, run by the Ottawa Bicycle Club on the first weekend in June. Because it [...]
Read all of Rideau Lakes Cycling Tour 2011 »
First of all, I have to apologize for being away from CycleSeven for so long. Things have been a bit busy and stuff recently and although I’ve been out cycling I haven’t done enough. In early May I was the victim of road rage – me as a pedestrian! and was attacked for having the [...]
Read all of Sorry for my absence »
... or How to cross the River Hull on a bike in relative safety: The Commute Part Deux (with apologies to Kern). I haven’t been enjoying my ride to work just lately. I have to get from the east to the west of the River Hull. On the route I usually take there is a [...]
Read all of The Commute Part Deux… »
I like cycling hills. What better place to live than on an island near Cumbria. Picture taken earlier in the season.
Read all of Audax Altitude Award Round the Year… May 2011 »
Gosh, doesn't a year go by quickly? Katie's gearbox broke a year ago and I haven't driven a car since then. I've pushed through the problems of a broken hip. Even with the time off, I've cycled more miles in the last year then I used to drive. I've tried not to become a fanatical [...]
Read all of First Year Free »
Why oh why did we think this was a good idea! Well, in November 2010 the Etape Caledonia ride in May was AGES away, and we had HOURS as yet to train for it. I could already cycle 100 miles, and I had proved I could cycle 80 miles a day over several days, therefore [...]
Read all of Manxcat cycling for her life at the Etape Caledonia 2011! »
I've hardly cycled for over a week. Once, actually, with Mrs Taylor to test our touring bikes with the panniers on. The panniers weren't fully loaded up but they will be soon, then I can make up for a lazy few days.
Read all of Non-cycling days and weather forecasts »
Brown Bike disapproved of my brilliant idea of strapping bananas to his rack. As we whizzed down Madingley Hill into Cambridge, he dropped them into his rear wheel, chewed them up and spat them out. We were joining the Cambridge Cycling Campaign and Cycle Cambridge ride to Reach Fair. It was a decent turnout, perhaps [...]
Read all of A Noisy Ride to Reach »
For some, bikes and beer don't mix. On occasion I have a drop, but not on a serious bike ride. A couple of weeks ago I stopped off at the Ship Inn at Sewerby during our Yorkshire Wolds Cycle Route ride. Before we got there, between Fordon and Burton Fleming, we passed the entrance to [...]
Read all of Wold Top Brewery: bikes, beer and betrothal »
Stephen Roche from Dublin was outrageously talented as a cyclist. As a young 18yr old in the Irish Milk Race, he was so much better than anyone else that they used to let him off in the morning and have their own race behind him. He won easily. When he was looking for a pro [...]
Read all of Stephen Roche knew a thing or two »
We had the teaching profession to thank for a week of the finest Easter holiday weather on record. Teachers didn't actually create this weather but they were responsible for the perfect timing of this year's family gathering at Beddgelert in Snowdonia. One of my brothers (who is a teacher) couldn't make our normal slot because [...]
Read all of Easter: walking and cycling from Beddgelert, Snowdonia »
Cycling with my brother in Beddgelert Forest last Thursday. He is quicker than me uphill but I reach the bottom first. My tyres were Schwalbe Smart Sam 700 x 40c (28" x 1.6"). They are excellent tyres. The main hazard is sheep running out from the trees. Part-way through the video my brother stops to [...]
Read all of Cycling in the forest »
Boxers hang up their gloves, footballers their boots and tennis players their racquets. What do cyclists hang up? Their bikes? Their wheels? My wheels are coming off the bike to be taken back to their builder to be trued. I've done a few hundred miles on them so they are ready for a bit of [...]
Read all of A heavyweight hangs up his… wheels? »
I have no experience of group riding and how this works alongside motorists. I work out theories of how to do this but wanted to see how it actually works. So I went out with a CTC Senior Cyclists' Group. At 53 I may not be particularly "senior" but nor am I massively fit. Starting [...]
Read all of The Joy of Slow »
'South to meet the Spring' is the title of an article on the Isle of Wight that appeared in the CTC Gazette in February 1958. The article was illustrated with sketches by Frank Patterson from an earlier era. On a day more like summer than spring, I cycled to the places mentioned to see what, [...]
Read all of South to Meet the Spring »
I don't really do numbers. I'm not competitive even against myself, preferring to enjoy the scenery and weather. I even enjoy cold windy rain, so long as I'm in suitable clothes. The numbers are less important than the ride. Perhaps this is an excuse as my numbers are pretty horrendous. But I usually zero the [...]
Read all of Personal Best »
CycleSeven 2009-2012
