Will

UPDATE: The DC-14 has been discontinued for a long time. I have a more up-to-date post with other, better options. Almost exactly a year ago I posted about having fitted a Nokia DC-14 bicycle charger to my bike. There were, for me at least, many unknown factors, such as the surprisingly commonly held opinion that … Read more

It’s no secret that I’m a supporter of The Times’ Cities Fit For Cycling (or CycleSafe for short) campaign – just look near the top right of my blog and you’ll find the link. In light of this, I was very pleased when my home town of Plymouth finally formally expressed its support for the … Read more

Recently I took the opportunity to go and see for myself what progress has been made with the cycle path through Grenofen tunnel, which will be the new route for NCN 27. To complete the path from Gem Bridge to Tavistock, a few things still needed doing: 1) The path from near the end of … Read more

Haven’t you heard? Devon Coast-to-Coast, a.k.a. NCN27 has a brand new name: Velodyssee. Well, shall we say a brand new additional name! This is part of the on-going programme of integrating NCN27 into the Euro Velo routes – it forms part of Euro Velo route 1, or EV1 for short. All 1200 km’s ofVelodyssee! This isn’t … Read more

As a family man, my cycling often comes last on a lengthy list of priorities. This is a statement of fact, and not a complaint, and I’ve mentioned it as it ties in directly with this post. My youngest badly wanted to learn to ride a horse, so we signed her up for Pony Club … Read more

Plymouth had its first-ever Sky Ride recently and even the weather co-operated, as it was a beautiful sunny day.I convinced my wife to come along, and our youngest was on the tag-along. Some snacks & a flask of hot chocolate went into the panniers on my bike, and we were off to the start on … Read more

I was told, via my Devon Coast to Coast cycling holidays site that Gem Bridge was open, as in fully open. This was on Saturday, and I immediately made plans to cycle out there, as Gem Bridge is only about 20 miles from my home.Now John Lennon wrote “life is what happens while you’re busy … Read more

Just a gentle reminder that the next Dark Side Ride isn’t all that far away! If you don’t have a decent light for your bike yet, then I suggest you start looking around soon. If you’re anywhere near Plymouth, or more accurately, Yelverton on the 23rd of June, then join us! And if you don’t … Read more

On Saturday I went cycling with the specific plan to go and see for myself how Gem Bridge is coming along. Various things impacted on my plans, resulting in my only leaving home after 2 pm. As per usual, I was prepared with a large flask of coffee, tools, rain coat and a few other … Read more

While I still haven’t had any real opportunity to go and see for myself what the state of play is at Gem Bridge, I was e-mailed a few photos by a friend from work. As you can see, the abutments either side of the bridge are nearly done, although not surfaced yet. Also, there are some railings missing … Read more

I’ve been forwarded new photos of Gem Bridge, as well as photos of Grenofen tunnel, by Mad Scientist. I was really glad of these pics, as sadly I’ve not had the opportunity to cycle out to Gem Bridge for some time, and the last update on the Devon County Council site was back in January. … Read more

Lately there appears to have been more vitriol than usual from drivers against cyclists. I’m not simply a cyclist, but like most adult cyclists in the UK, I’m a driver too, as well quite often a pedestrian. This allows me to view things from distinctly different perspectives. Once upon a time, everybody was a pedestrian, … Read more

Women the world over sometimes suffer enormously from rape, or the risk of rape – this is well known. What is less well know is how some women are made to suffer after having been raped. The fictitious conversation below puts it in context: This is the culture of victim blaming, but it isn’t limited to rape … Read more

Do you ever get that feeling that peeing straight into a hurricane? That’s how I’m feeling about cycling advocacy right now. For starters, there’s the stupid in-fighting between various cycling factions. Pro-segregation, anti-segragation, pro-helmet, anti-helmet, pro-this, anti-the-other. Seriously, it makes me sick! And that is BEFORE we get to local authorities’ pathetic excuses for not delivering … Read more

I had reason to drive to Tavistock today, and on the way back I had literally a few minutes spare, so I quickly checked on the progress made with Gem Bridge. Only one photo, but it speaks volumes! Gem Bridge and some random dog walker The deck is in place throughout, and the railings are … Read more