Cycling is a good way to make the most of fine weather

Sprint Bonuses
Monday was the first day of spring – and it seems very spring like too! So have you been cycling?

Between Sunday 20th March and Sunday 3rd April Pedal Peak district are offering prizes to riders who sign up and log in their rides. It isn’t mandatory to do your ride in the Peaks either! So why not give it a try? You can win £100 of Wiggle vouchers, a set of lights or High Street shopping vouchers.

Once you’ve put some mileage in the log, it tells you how many calories you’ve burnt and how much CO2 you’ve saved. Log onto http://www.pedalpeakdistrict.co.uk/home

If the above rocks your boat, you might like to register on www.30days of biking.com which very conveniently runs from 1^st April to 30^th April, so you could get a taste for regular cycling in late March, and then reaffirm your commitment by cycling every day in April. As an excuse for getting people on their bikes, this is a great idea. One of the tallest hurdles that stand in the way of people becoming regular cyclists is just that; they don’t cycle regularly! Once you get in the habit of cycling every day, your sore muscles (and backside) disappear, and you look forward to your bike journey. http://30daysofbiking.com/bike/

The Taipei International Cycle Show ended this week, and despite the current problems in that area, it was a passable event. For many, the most interesting stand was that of Ken Link Co. Ltd. They were displaying saddles that addressed the age-old problem of what shape of saddle is the most comfortable for gentlemen. This problem has baffled saddle makers for ages, and a ground-breaking solution appears on an almost annual basis. Whether or not Ken Link has found the answer remains to be seen, but there is a choice of colours and a custom-made bag that goes under the saddle!

Here’s the website: http://www.99bike.com.tw/en/product.asp

If you’re thinking of buying a bike, best do it soon. News around the Taipei International Cycle Show suggested that a rise in bicycle prices was imminent due to a number of factors; a rise in wages in China-now a major bike making country, a rise in the cost of raw materials and a poor exchange rate were all cited, as well as increased freight costs due to the rise in oil prices.

Oil prices are also being blamed for a rise in bike sales around the United Kingdom. Commuters wishing to save money, and enjoy the other benefits of cycling are turning to two wheels as a means of cheap sustainable travel.

This will also be compounded by a short-term supply problem that has the disaster in Japan at its roots.

In Japan, commuters raided cycle shops in an effort to find some means to get home when public transport in Tokyo ground to a halt because of the earthquake and tsunami. Some shops sold out; while others saw their normal daily sales’ figures come up in an hour.

The annual Semaine Federale, an international festival of cycling, takes place just over the water in Flers, in Normandy between 31^st July and 7th August. This is the 73^rd Semaine Federale, and over 10,000 cyclists are expected. There are led cycle rides, of varying distances, for both road cyclists and mountain bikers, around the Suisse Normande and the D Day Landing Beaches, to name but two venues. Throw in Bayeaux, Mont St.Michel, Calvados and other well-known parts of Normandy, and the fabulous eating and drinking that the area promises, and it must be a definite date for the calendar.

See more: http://www.sf2011-flers.org/

This is the Cyclists’ Touring Club’s fact sheet: http://www.ctc-maps.org.uk/routes/route/1337/summary

In Wales, pavement cyclists have been heavily targeted in the last three years:  overall the number of riders being fined has risen almost six times since 2008. In Gwent the number of convicted cyclists has risen from three in 2008 to 104 in 2010. This sharp rise can easily be accounted for; in response to complaints about pavement cyclists in the city, Newport County Council put extra community safety wardens on patrol.

Each successful conviction carries a fixed penalty £30 fine.

A brand new aero Specialised road bike will be beneath Mark Cavendish at the one day Milan-St.Remo race. Developed with assistance from the McLaren Formula One team, the bike looks stunning. The new bike called Venge will be available in both an S Works and a McLaren version. The frame of the S Works weighs about a kilo, while the McLaren version is around 15% lighter. Look at this: http://venge.specialized.com/#

There was a dream debut for the Venge at Milan-St.Remo on Saturday, not for Cavendish, but for Australian team mate Matt Goss.  Goss outsprinted Fabian Cancellara and Philippe Gilbert to become the first Australian to win the one day classic, and to win on the new Specialised race bike.

Here are the final kilometres: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUhAmefRXnU

And finally,

Did I see, in the hallowed pages of the Jersey Evening Post, a driver complaining about cyclists slowing them down last week? Well, I imagine that the poor old cyclist was going as fast as they could up St.Saviour’s Hill, especially given that they had five impatient motorists behind them. What about tractors, lorries, and do you remember milk floats, what an effect they used to have on one’s quality of life.

But, unlike tractors, lorries and milk floats, the humble cyclist is really doing the motorist a big favour: he’s not burning up any precious fossil fuel, he’s not taking up an equally precious parking space and he’s giving the motorist 10 years use of his hospital bed, because being fitter, cyclists have the health of someone 10 years younger.

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