The Authors
News and views from seven cyclists in the British Isles and Republic of Ireland (+ sometimes Canada)
We are seven+ cyclists who ride bicycles for pleasure and utility. We blog on a variety of cycling topics from day rides and cycle tours we've enjoyed, bicycle maintenance and repairs, cycling and the environment, and other related subjects that interest us and perhaps others cyclists too. We are located in the UK, the Isle of Man, and the Republic of Ireland.
CycleSeven also has a guest blogger or two. If you're a regular cyclist and would like to author a cycling related article on this website, feel free to get in touch.
In no particular order, we are:
Mary Watson
Mary lives on the Isle of Man, and is married with 2 teenager daughters. They live in a tiny cottage together with 5 cats, 3 of which are Manx cats. Albert is the 'King of Cats' (or thinks he is anyway).
She's a member of the CTC, and of Audax UK. In November 2009 she was able to get a 100km Brevet Populaire perm ride verified by Audax UK there on the island. She is passionate about cycling. Mostly touring and Audax, and in May 09, she joined the Manx Mountain Bike Club – ladies section – and they go out each weekend on the local trails and off-road sections that exist on their beautiful island.
Other interests are baking for local fundraising charities and nothing much else, as all her spare time is spent outside either on a bike or discussing biking issues, or sorting out the next ride, or being online writing about cycling... Obsessive? Yep a bit!
Chris Bailey
Chris lives in East Yorkshire, England and has done much of his cycling in the past few years simply riding to and from work. Recent events have reignited his passion for cycle touring; dissatisfaction with the road performance of his Ridgeback MX5 caused him to drag out his rather rusty Coventry Eagle Touristique and upgrade it only slightly for touring again. Chris still has his 1980s Raleigh Road Ace and a Kinesis Racelight T2 on which he completed a one-day coast-to-coast cycle ride in the summer of 2010.
Chris started to cycle in the Yorkshire Wolds with the CTC as a teenager, before moving on to the Moors, Dales and the Lake District. He lives with his wife, and Labrador cross, within comfortable cycling distance of his workplace. As well as being an on-and-off cycle tourist for over thirty years Chris is also interested in the problems facing cyclists on the daily commute and is an advocate of cycle-to-work schemes. His other interests include literacy, running, walking and Rugby League.
Hilary Searle
Hilary lives on the Isle of Wight with her long suffering partner, Dennis. At 50 she is semi retired but does some part time work for the RSPB on their Brading Marshes reserve. This makes for a pleasant cycle commute but most days she is out cycling purely for pleasure. Her pride and joy is her gleaming Roberts audax bike but she has also recently acquired an expedition tourer for daydreaming about rides on the Tibetan plateau, arctic Norway and other cold and inhospitable places! She has been cycling virtually all her life although there was a time when running took over as her main hobby. She is particularly proud of having cycled 104 miles on her own at the age of 14. As Dennis can't be persuaded to cycle they have done short tours in France with him on a moped. This worked surprisingly well so at the end of May 2010 they attempted to travel by bike and moped from Santander to St Malo.
Hilary also enjoys camping, birdwatching and wildlife in general. She is also a dedicated armchair cyclist with a collection of cycling books that has now reached 170!
Alan Gibson
Alan is a utility cyclist: he regards biking as a wonderful way of getting from A to B, often via C to Z. He doesn't do MTB, partly because his part of Cambridgeshire has very few mountains. He doesn't race because he likes to enjoy the scenery. He loves classic diamond-frame bikes, but would like a recumbent if he had anywhere to put it. And a big cargo trike would be useful.
He has earned a living as IT consultant, civil engineer and part time temporary assistant librarian. He is currently an Applied Artist, which gives him a license to do pretty much whatever he wants.
He lives with no people or other animals, but far too many computers and bikes. His ambition is to be able to do LEJOG, but not to actually do it.
Personal website: www.snibgo.org
Patrick Taylor
Patrick lives in Lancashire, England, and cycles for pleasure and fitness almost daily, either on his Ridgeback Panorama or a Giant Escape Disc hybrid bike. He's been cycling actively since the mid-1980s and enjoys cycle touring in northern Europe with Sandra. Career-wise, he was an architect and public sector property manager for some 25 years until he took up self employment as a web developer in the year 2000. As well as cycling, Patrick enjoys photography and writing his thoughts on the web.
Personal website: www.patricktaylor.com
We currently have a vacancy for a regular cyclist blogger. Contact CycleSeven »
Guest bloggers
Kern
From Canada.
Garry Lee
Retired hospital doctor from the Republic of Ireland. Cycling all his life but at a "serious" level since the age of 32. He's done 60+ bike tours in his time.
Mick Fairhurst
Mick has been cycling all his life: firstly as a toy, then as transport to get to school, later for commuting, but latterly for pleasure. His much-loved bike is equipped with modern Campagnolo Triple 10sp kit and built around a beautiful Ruby Flamboyant 531c Mercian Vincitore he had built for him in 1986. Mick climbs the hills out of the valley with practised ease, and tends to do circular rides of 30 to 40 miles in and out of the Cornwall and Devon countryside, but likes to go on extended adventures.
Daniel Hutton
Dan is a cyclist and singer from Harrogate in England. During August and September of 2011 he cycled round Iceland to raise money for two charities, The Carers’ Resource in Harrogate and Ljósið (= Light), a drop-in centre for cancer sufferers in Reykjavik.
Previous contributors
Nick Cutler
Nick lives in a quiet Lancashire village on the edge of the Forest of Bowland. Usually rides a tourer built around a Paul Hewitt steel frame, also rides an ancient hard-at-both-ends Marin MTB that has turned into a go-anywhere tourer.
