Deputy Carolyn Labey successfully proposed the cycle track in the east

So did I really hear correctly? £500,000 for a cycle track going east? What great news.

If I remember correctly, at present some 80% of Jersey’s cycle commuters come from the west of the island. And I’m afraid there are no prizes for guessing why!  

So a link out to the east would be fabulous, not only should it encourage more people to try cycling in a safe environment, but it should, hopefully, relieve some traffic congestion and get people to work faster, healthier and happier.

Could there be another Boris Johnson in our States? Boris is 110% committed to getting Londoners on their bikes, and judging by what’s happening there, he is making good progress.

Wouldn’t it be unbelievable if Jersey acquired a cycling culture like Copenhagen or Amsterdam?

Braking News
Mobile power from hub dynamos
It was so obvious that it had to happen soon, and at last, someone has created a device to use the electricity generated by a hub dynamo to power small devices like mobile phones and GPS. PedalPower+ is the name of the gadget that changes AC current from the dynamo to DC current suitable for charging up such devices. It should be available in the United Kingdom very soon.

Myself, I like to think that I’m quite ‘green’, but I’ve yet to try the wind-powered charger that mounts on the handlebars, given to me by Conrad from the Greenhouse in Burrard Street. I’ll keep you updated.

Bamboo for you?
And whilst we’re being so eco-friendly this week, how about bamboo mudguards? Ching Chern has a bamboo mudguard currently in production and indeed other bamboo-based parts in the R and D stage. As a material bamboo is a winner! It has a high tensile strength, it’s tough, recyclable, it looks better unpainted and decomposes naturally. Put this against the pollution caused by the manufacture of steel, alloy and plastic and as they say it’s a ‘No Brainer’.

And there’s more –Showing soon at the Los Vegas Interbike Show will be bikes and frames from new company Boo. They will be displaying four complete bikes and ten frames made from -guess what? Yes, bamboo , with carbon fibre lugs.  But not ordinary bamboo, they are made from Strickus bamboo grown in Vietnam, which has been aged and dried for six months before being custom hand- bored.

Skyride success
You might remember last week I mentioned the Skyride event that was being held in London at the weekend.  This, the last of five closed-road bike rides which started in Manchester on August 2, and visited Hounslow, Glasgow and Leicester before the final ride in London, was deemed a massive success.

The route was closed to traffic from 10am to 4pm, and 65,000 people took advantage to cycle 15 kilometres from the Mall to The Tower. A wide cross section of the cycling community took part; family groups, mountain bikers, commuters and road cyclists rode with a sprinkling of cycling celebrities like Chris Hoy and Shanaze Reade.

And Finally,
Accuse me of nepotism, but I’m duty bound to tell about the latest book out about cycling legend Lance Armstrong. The book charts the relationship with the Tour de France and the man, an American, who has won it no less than seven time.

Each chapter features an interview with someone closely connected with Armstrong; Scott Schapiro the doctor who operated on his brain tumour, and George Hincapie who rode with Armstrong during all of his Tour de France victories, to name but two.

Lance and Le Tour written by Matt Lamy, and published by IPC media.  Available at £9.99 from Amazon.

• 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