Sprint Bonuses

• Tuesday saw the opening of the new 126 space Barclays Hire Bike docking station at London’s Waterloo Station. Not only is this the biggest hire bike facility in the capital, but also the first at a mainline railway station. Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor of London’s Transport Advisor, said: ‘There is an incredible demand for Barclays Cycle Hire bikes at Waterloo and we have responded to this by ensuring that people using this landmark railway station can now pick up or drop off a bike at our first super size docking station.

Since the scheme started five months ago, over two million journeys have been taken, and nearly 110,000 people have become members of the Barclays Cycle Hire. At the beginning of December casual users were able to use the bikes, and in the two weeks that have passed since then, they alone have made over 9,500 journeys.

There are plans for the hire bike scheme to move to the east of London in time for the 2012 Olympic Games. When the scheme is complete it will make 8,000 bikes available to the public from 14,400 docking stations, and it will cover 65 square kilometres of London.

• Here is a great event that’s happening next year. It isn’t another charity ride, it is not open to everyone and it is not even one person’s personal challenge. The ride, which follows a route called The Trail of Tears, is a 1,000 mile ride to remember the forced migration of Cherokee Indians from their homelands in Georgia to Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

During this act of ‘ethnic cleansing’, which took place during the winter of 1838/1839, over 16,000 Cherokee Indians were forcibly moved from their homes and farms into temporary camps then on to a new home in Oklahoma. This involved them crossing what is today called Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas in the depths of winter. Unsurprisingly almost 4,000 Cherokee died in the upheaval.

The ride, called ‘Remember the Removal’, is open to young members of the Cherokee Nation who are at least 16 years-old. The entry is limited to just fifteen cyclists who will be provided with bikes, clothing, meals and lodgings.

http://www.remembertheremoval.cherokee.org/

• Here’s an early heads-up on a sportive that’s taking place on 22nd May, in the beautiful Stratford-upon-Avon area. The Wheel Heroes 100 is an event organised by Cyclists Fighting Cancer and sponsored by well-known cycle manufacturer Dawes Cycles of Birmingham. The sportive offers either a 100 kilometre route, or a 100 mile route. Both the routes will be fully signposted, there will be feeding stations every 25 miles, mechanical service, a sag wagon and every finisher will get a medal. Have a look at the charity’s website: http://cyclistsfc.org.uk/

• Do you own a 2008 model Redline D640? If so don’t ride your bike and contact your dealer pronto! Between the end of 2007 and the spring of 2010, two hundred Chinese-made Redline D640 s were sold, and of this batch, Redline have received reports of eight bikes that have had the head tube come away. http://www.redlinebicycles.com/news/885-recall-notice-2008-d640

• I imagine that by the time you read this, our snowy landscape will have melted into the ground. If not, or you’d simply like to see how to go cycling in the snow, then read this very helpful advice from the Cyclists’ Touring Club. At this point, I suppose I’d better remind you that riding your bike in the snow can be dangerous, you might fall off, and you might also hurt yourself.

http://www.promtb.net/news/ridinginsnow.htm

• Participation in cycling is on the increase, according to a recent press release from Sport England.  The press release says that while running and cycling have shown a rise in the number of people taking part, other grassroots sports such as football and swimming have declined. Sport England claim that, on a weekly basis, athletics has seen an upsurge of over 250,000 over the past two years. Cycling has seen a rise of about 100,000. Ian Drake, the chief of British Cycling, said “We put great stock on trying to ensure our participation initiatives truly meet the needs of those we’re hoping to get involved in our sport. Indeed, we can partly put the continued success of Sky Ride down to the fact that we listen to participants and adapt our offerings based on the feedback we receive. We’re committed to getting more people on their bikes and importantly, keeping them cycling. What is particularly exciting for us is that we’re confident there’s plenty more to come and throughout 2011 we will be launching more new initiatives to help get more people cycling more regularly.”

See the full report here: http://www.sportengland.org/media_centre/press_releases/active_people_4.aspx

• If you were wondering how three-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador was faring with the ongoing allegations of clenbuterol use during the 2010 Tour, then you’ll have to hold your breath a little longer, it looks like the Spanish Cycling Federation will not give a verdict until the middle of January. What amused me was the uproar in November, when the Basque Health Department assured the world that the butcher, who Contador alleged had supplied the tainted meat, had never ever failed any of its rigorous tests.

And Finally,

It only remains for me to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Cycling New Year.

Arthur Lamy is a freelance writer and tourist guide specialising in cycling: www.cycleinjersey.com