Parents and children on a charity cycle on the Railway Walk last year

It appears to be high season for charity rides at the moment. I know at work we’ve a wall full of posters either offering the opportunity to take part, or asking for support.

As regular readers know, I’m very keen on these events because I feel that for many people, it’s the rite of passage that turns them into lifelong cyclists. So if you’re up for a small challenge, or something a little larger, keep your eyes peeled for posters in your bike shop now!

From memory, and I apologise for any that I miss, there is a ride in aid of the NSPCC organised by Mark Olver happening on the 26th July, sponsorship forms are in the bike shops now. The annual Cancer Relief Ride posters and sponsorship forms are also out.

The forthcoming Bedell Group Ecuador Challenge 2009 has seen participants involved in all sorts of innovative fund raising events, I was particularly impressed by Brian Ellis and Stuart Fell’s 48 hour cyclathon in the window of New Look in King Street. When I passed on Friday, the shop window, with Stuart Fell powering away on the exercise bike, looked like one of the hottest places in the street.

So if the idea of a few miles around our beautiful island for a good cause doesn’t appeal, stick your hand in your pocket!

Braking (late) News
The RAAM – Hell on wheels
If you think that cycling 10 miles is challenging, spare a thought for the men and women who are currently taking part in the Race Across AMerica. The RAAM is a 3000 mile epic, that makes even the Tour de France seem easy. Not only is the distance much greater, but until recently, the competitors in the RAAM did not have to take any rest stops! So the winner would be the man or woman who had cycled the fastest, and had the least number of stops. Typically riders would be in the saddle for 22 hours a day and they’d complete the course in 8 or 9 days.

As I write, on Monday 22 June, Jure Robic, a major in the Slovenian army, is in the lead. Currently en route for his hat trick, I understand that Robic has some minor medical problems. At the moment he has a one hour lead over Daniel Wyss of Switzerland, which in RAAM terms is negligible. For the record, Robic won last year’s event, from Oceanside, California to Annapolis, Maryland, in 8 days, 23 hours and 33 minutes at an average speed of 14 miles an hour.

Leicester’s cycling singers
De Montfort University’s Emmanuel apostolic Gospel choir has started to mix cycling with singing. In their attempts to raise money for the Special Olympics, being held in Leicester next month, the choir cycled from Saffron Lane Sports Centre to the Clock tower in the city centre – singing as they went.

When your rumba is rough, is it time for a few lagers?
Are you ready for that Trans-European epic? If a cycling misfortune comes your way, can you translate your way out of it? Well breathe a sigh of relief, because an online lexicon of around 80 cycling expressions in the 23 official languages of the European Union is now out there.

For example; in Spanish, a spoke is ‘Radio’; in Latvian, a hub is ‘Rumba’; in Dutch a wheel bearing is ‘Lager’ and if you get a puncture in Portugal, that’s a ‘Discos’. It seems there’s a bit of a theme developing here.

Translate yourself silly at http://eesc.europa.eu/documents/publications/pdf/pamphlets/EESC-2009-14-EN.pdf

And Finally,
A few cycling quotes to brighten your day.

‘A ride at moonlight is a nerve tonic that beats all the phosphorous compounds that Esculapius ever dreamed of.’

‘As a means of locomotion, it is the fastest of road steeds, is always ready for use, and never consumes grain.’

‘To the business man who is shut up in an office or store most of the day, it is a God-send. It gives him the exercise he so much needs and which he would not get in any other way.’

“As a means of pleasure, cycling stands in the foremost rank, but in common with all the great pleasures, it may easily stand in the foremost in abuse. The desire to ride at an unreasonably high speed may become morbid…The everlasting scorcher, bent like a hoop, and with sunken cheeks, ought to be quite sufficient warning against this abuse.”

“Cycling fills the remotest cells of the lungs with outdoor air. The pores are opened and the dead secretions are thrown off. It aids the peristaltic movement of the bowels…”

As ever, I’m indebted to www.quickrelaese.tv for these.

• 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