Dave Brown was one who decided to cycle to work in the snow

So what an exciting week, a debate about making helmet wearing compulsory for all cyclists and a few seriously, at least for Jersey, snowy days.

You may have seen my opinion about helmets in the Jersey Evening Post during the week.  Whilst I have worn a helmet, even on the shortest trip, for well over 20 years, I really think a helmet law will stop people cycling.

What I think one has to be careful of is blindly accepting statistics; cycle accidents often appear to go down when a helmet law is brought in, but this is because less people are cycling.

A good example of the opposite happening is the apparent increase in cycle accidents in the United Kingdom this year, not because cyclists have suddenly thrown caution to the wind, but because there are more cyclists out there.

Cycling is sustainable, it’s cheap, it’s healthy and it’s good for the environment – I think that people should be encouraged to enjoy these benefits, rather than being put off by yet more legislation.

And so to the snow, well done to any of you who have ventured out, it’s a lot of fun, but like most fun things there is an element of risk. So naturally I can’t suggest that you all leap on your bikes and see who’ll be the first in Accident and Emergency.

The postmen and women have continued to deliver the mail by bicycle

One group of cyclists who turn out whatever the weather is our postmen, so a big pat on the back to them for their sterling work over the past few days.

Breaking News

Is that an iPhone you have on your handlebar?
On show on the Dahon stand, at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was a handlebar mounting for an iPhone. The BioLogic Bike Mount for iPhone has a weatherproof cover which is sufficiently soft to allow normal touch pad use, and which swivels so that you can use it in either portrait or landscape mode.

Being shown alongside the mounting was a portable battery/ recharger, which uses excess power from the bicycle’s dynamo to charge it. The BioLogic ReeCharge will charge iPods, iPhones, cell phones and GPS as you ride along. It’s particularly useful when using the GPS application on your iPhone, as you’ll never run out of power.

Ee were a great baker our dad!
Hovis the bread maker has returned to cycling to promote its products. Over the next three years, it’s using Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton as a brand ambassador. She has been recreating the classic 1970s advert, in which we see a young lad pushing a massive delivery bike up a very steep hill.

Hovis is no stranger to cycling; as well as sponsoring the London Skyride and the National Byways scheme in recent years in the 1890s they produced a series of cycling maps that listed guest houses that served Hovis.

Comedy capers continue in Pitlochry
It must have resembled a scene from a Hanna Barbera cartoon. Last May, the Etape Caledonia, a sportive race that attracted 3,500 riders, was stopped for an hour and a half because someone had dropped thousands of carpet tacks around the course. Hundreds of riders succumbed to punctures, some even running out of spare inner tubes in the ensuing mayhem.

In the aftermath, 62 year-old, church elder, community council chairman and former solicitor Alexander Grosset was arrested and charged with, allegedly, ‘culpably and recklessly placed tacks on the road between Kinloch Rannoch and Tomphubi, and the B846 between Tomphubil and Aberfeldy’.

In the past week, the Crown Office said that all charges against him have been dropped.

£180,000 speeding fine for Ferrari driver
A millionaire, living in Switzerland, has received a record breaking £180,000 fine for speeding. It’s reported that he drove his Ferrari Testarossa at 85MPH in a 50MPH zone in the Swiss town of St.Gallen.

In 2002, the Swiss replaced prison sentences with income- based fines. The driver of the Ferrari had an annual income of over £500,000, and it was stated that he was worth over £12million. What’s interesting is that the initial fine of £ 60,000 was twice raised on appeal when the driver falsely claimed diplomatic immunity.

Sprint Bonuses

• In York, Age Concern is offering free cycling tuition to the over 50s, as part of its ‘Fit as a Fiddle’ campaign.
• Pashley, the well-known manufacturer of classic bikes, has given actress and supermodel Lily Cole a new Pashley Sovereign Princess to replace the one that she had stolen a few weeks ago.
• Construction on the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow is due to begin soon. It’s planned that the site will be ready for the Commonwealth Games in 2014.
• Starting his season in Australia at the Tour Down Under next week is Lance Armstrong. The Australian Associated Press asked him about his chances for the 2010 Tour de France; “I’m more excited than I was 12 months ago,” he said. “I feel good about it, I really believe I can [win the Tour de France],”
• I’m sure that you’ve seen it, but it is official now, the YouTube clip of cycle trickmeister Danny McAskill is the most watched sports clip in the entire history of YouTube. If you haven’t seen it,  and definitely don’t try this at home, log onto;   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19zFlPah-o

And finally,

A bike thief in Denmark got a surprise when he stole a Christiana transport bike in Copenhagen recently, because inside the cargo box were three sleeping children! When he discovered this, he asked the kids where they lived, and he returned them to a neighbour. The police say that he acted very responsibly.

Arthur Lamy is a freelance writer who has written books, guides and articles for, among others, IPC Media, Ottaker’s Bookshops, Seaflower Books and Jersey Tourism.

He is a Blue Badge qualified tourist guide specializing in cycling and walking tours.

He is also a keen photographer – Joint winner of the 2009 Telecoms Directory competition.

More information can be found on his website: www.arthurlamy.com