Better world

An Older Cyclist

There’s a reason why some of the rides I organise are called “Travelling Ouballie” rides. If you don’t know what an “ouballie” is, or how to pronounce it, I suggest you go read this post first, as it explains it all. The fact is time marches on relentlessly. We’re all getting older – you may […]

I’ve seen your future drive-train: Enduo

The cycling industry is flooded with solutions looking for problems. This never-ending search for innovation seems driven not be any real need to make cycling better for you, but rather to ensure you keep upgrading your bikes, and buying new bikes. After all, if everyone rode the same bike for 20 years, new bike sales […]

Cycling and weight loss

Want to know the secret to losing weight instantly? Want weight loss without putting in the effort? Think you can keep indulging and lose weight? Want answers that suit your wants and needs? Well, in that case, you’re flat out of luck! With weight loss, just as with building fitness, there is no magic cure. […]

Why YOU need to limit YOUR travel

Climate change is real There’s no escaping the absolute truth that climate change is real, caused by humans, and accelerating. Equally, there’s no escaping the reality that each and every one of us are contributing to climate change. Yes, even you (and definitely me). You do you and I do me Generally, I’m happy for […]

The unpleasant side of cycling

Social media is awash with people telling anyone who’d listen about how good cycling is for you, for your physical and mental health, for society and for the wider world. There might be a million blog posts waxing lyrical about wonderful cycling is. Marketing types add to all this, and fill your timelines with bicycle […]

It’s ALL about the journey

Hurry, hurry! Rush! C’mon, we need to move! But… do we? Do you? Rush hour If ever there was a ridiculous concept, it’s rush hour: millions of people going far slower than normal, precisely because they’re all in such a hurry! Most of us don’t have much a realistic choice for never getting caught up […]

The impact of climate change on cycle touring

Did  I  get  the  title  sequence  wrong? Quite obviously, what we should be most concerned about is the impact of our activities on climate change. Climate change is man-made, real, speeding up and is frankly terrifying. Still, for the purposes of this post, I’ll focus on the impacts of climate change on cycle touring. Is  […]

Making a good Op Snap report

What is Op Snap? In most of the UK cyclists can report bad or dangerous driving captured on their helmet cam to police, via an Op Snap portal. Not all UK police forces allow this, though. In Scotland, police remain determined to lag decades behind the times with regards to helmet cam video submissions. Why […]

Know your place!

Wild camping on Dartmoor Dartmoor is the last remaining wilderness in England, and the only place in all of England and Wales where wild camping is legal. Or rather, was legal! The Darwall Effect Alexander Darwall is a hedge fund manager and wealthy landowner, who owns a large estate in Scotland, and a huge tract […]

We don’t want no cycle paths here

Say hello to Cycling Judy Judy is a cyclist and a song-writer, and I suspect you will enjoy her work. She has an entire YouTube channel, but I thought I’d introduce her work with this song, We don’t want no cycle paths here.Judy’s on Twitter, and on Mastodon, so give her a follow!Enjoy!

So this is Christmas…

and what have you done? Another year over, and a new one just begun. Those are the opening lines of my all-time, most-favourite Christmas song, Happy Xmas (War Is Over), by John Lennon. Around this time of year I always do a Christmas roundup post. More of a friendly chat with friends, really, and I […]

Dirty diesel versus clean cargo bikes

Inner-city  cargo  bikes  are  the  future London has an Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ for short) in an attempt to address the extreme levels of traffic pollution. Last Wednesday, the Economy Committee met to discuss the business case for shifting away from diesel vans, towards e-assisted cargo bikes. And that business case is overwhelming! After all, […]

The threat to wild camping on Dartmoor

Dartmoor  is  the  only  place  in  England  where  wild  camping  is  legal Wild camping laws vary considerably in the UK. In Scotland, subject to restrictions and limitations, wild camping is legal is most places, but in Wales and England it is different. In all of Wales and England, the only place where wild camping, without […]

Crowd-sourcing traffic-free route guides

YOUR  help  is  needed As you may know, I started creating route guides for traffic-free cycling routes in the UK. Though cycling infrastructure in the UK is overall generally quite poor, there are nevertheless some great traffic-free routes. But  Sustrans  already  covers  this,  don’t  they? Many of these traffic-free routes are part of the National […]

Spreading the Christmas cheer

Aren’t  you  tired  of  getting  yet  another  pair  of  “cycling”  socks? Christmas is about giving, but let’s be honest, receiving worthwhile presents is also nice. Maybe you’re looking for a present for a cyclist in your life. Perhaps you’re looking for a present for yourself? After all, Christmas is a great excuse to get yourself something you […]

WillCycle on the Fediverse

The fedi-what?? As I’m writing this, Twitter seems to be on fire and in freefall. Though I’ve little time for Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, I’m also not happy at him apparently destroying Twitter as we’re watching. Still, I have a strategy in life that’s served me very well so far: control what you can, […]

Destroying that which we love

So,  you  love  the  wild  places? I can see why? Who doesn’t like travelling to exotic places, to experience it for themselves. Who doesn’t want to go explore Machu Picchu, go cycle the Ho Chi Minh Trail, or scale Everest? Not to mention visiting Patagonia, or Lake Baikal in Siberia? After all, it’s a beautiful, […]

Autumn blues

The  melancholy  of  autumn While autumn is unquestionably a beautiful season, each autumn I get a sense of melancholy, a sense of almost sadness. I’m not referring to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) – though winter certainly isn’t my favourite part of the year, I’m fortunate enough not to suffer from SAD. Perhaps it’s the passing […]

Policing climate change

Climate  change  is terrifying During the summer of 2022, the UK (and much of Europe) saw high temperature records smashed in a great many places. In the UK, we saw temperatures of an unheard of 42 degrees Celsius. The latest IPCC report on climate change makes for terrifying reading. Remember, if you thought the summer […]

Old is the new new

Old  is  good Some five weeks ago I had a serious crash, breaking my collarbone in two places. I also broke four ribs. I don’t know exactly what happened, as I was knocked unconscious and I have a gap in my memory. From the damage to my bike’s front wheel, it seems something got caught […]

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