This Is Jersey

The recumbents' race in town

Were you at the cycling event of the year – The Rubis Jersey Town Criterium ?

I was there for about five minutes, in between tourist guiding jobs, and despite my very brief stay I thought that the atmosphere was electric. The whole thing appeared so well organised, it was if the event had happened every weekend for the past six months, and it wasn’t the debut event that it actually was.

I saw a bit of the paperboys and papergirls’ race before I had to leave, and if that was a taste of what followed, it must have been an afternoon of exciting sport. I particularly liked the Star Buys Smart car which chased after the pack. It didn’t strike me that it would ever catch them up. Perhaps next year the occupants could dress up as Dick Dastardly and Muttley?

I think that it must have put Jersey on the cycling map. I was taking some of the recumbent riders on a cycle tour in the morning and of the six that came with me, two were from Holland, two were from the UK, one was from France and one was a Jersey man.

I found it an interesting experience, they followed me ‘line astern’, but because they are so low to the ground I often had to do a double take to check that they were still there. On flat roads my companions rolled along absolutely effortlessly, but hills proved to be a problem, especially as several had close ratio gears fitted in readiness for the afternoon’s race. Once I realised this, I picked the gentlest climbs I could find, and the longest descents.

Braking (hard) News
Bristol is top city for bike theft
Bike theft in Bristol is double that of the national average. Britain’s first cycling city has made considerable efforts to increase the use of bicycles in the city; in 2008, Bristol received £11M of government funding. Is this why it’s such a Mecca for bike thieves?

And it isn’t opportunist thieves who are at the core of the problem. It appears that high value bikes are being targeted; thieves follow cyclists home and return later to break in and steal their bike. The victims’ stories are unnerving; one cyclist had his £1600 bike taken when thieves ripped off his garage door. Another man reported that the thieves smashed a hole in his garage roof and attacked his lock with a grinder and bolt croppers.

Is not wearing a helmet contributory negligence?
Is helmet legislation creeping in through the back door in the UK? Already this year alone, there have been two cases where the presiding judge has seen fit to lessen the sentence on the drivers involved because the cyclists involved weren’t wearing helmets. In the case of Smith V Finch, which took place in January this year, the judge ruled the cyclist to be partially liable if wearing a helmet could be proven to have prevented any injuries sustained. And in the case of cyclist James Jorgensen, who died last September, 8 days after being in collision with a car, the judge considered Jorgensen’s lack of a helmet as a mitigating factor.

And finally
Did you know that Jan Ullrich came 24th in a 24 hour motor race at the Nurburgring recently?

• Arthur Lamy is the manager of Boudins for Bikes, in Sand Street, and author of Jersey Cycles. He has spent 15 years as a tourist guide and writer, and is also a keen photographer. More information can be found on his website: www.arthurlamy.com

Article posted on 1st June, 2009 - 3.00pm