Because I’m a geek…

I’m a geek, no escaping that fact. Even worse, I’m proud to be a geek. It is for that reason that I work in IT, and the same reason explains my love of gadgets. Like my phone – I use two phones, an HTC Athena, which has a massive 5″ screen and a hardware keyboard, ... Read more

Drake’s Trail

I went cycling today, with the aim of cycling along Drake’s Trail. For those of you not from these parts, Drake’s Trail (combined with the Plym Valley cycle path) is an attempt by Devon County Council to get a decent cycle track linking Tavistock and Plymouth, via Yelverton. Currently there is a seriously iffy bit ... Read more

Cheapskate

I’m quite upfront about this – I don’t like paying for things when I don’t absolutely need to, and when I do pay I prefer to get absolute value for money. That doesn’t necessarily mean buying the cheapest item (although I often do) but rather buying the item that I believe to offer the best ... Read more

Doping

Pro cycling has again been hit with doping scandals, just as there is still an ongoing investigation against Lance Armstrong.In this instance Contador may or may not actually be guilty, but the truth is it doesn’t matter one way or the other as the damage has been done. It’s a bit like police mistakenly breaking ... Read more

One less car

During last night’s cycle ride my normal route was a tad disrupted. I normally cycle down The Ride towards Saltram, before following NCN route 27 through Saltram House’s grounds. The Ride is a cul-de-sac for cars, but cyclists can continue through Saltram. Halfway down The Ride there were many vehicles, most with flashing blue lights. ... Read more

The law is an ass

This post is again a direct response to a post by Dave Moulton. Dave makes a valid point that the law is the law, and that it shouldn’t be for ordinary people to choose whether or not they obey any given law, or not. After all, what would civilisation as we know it be like ... Read more

I want one!

Cycled to an almost-local shop with my youngest daughter, who is 7, as she wanted her very own vase to keep a rose in. It’s only about 1,5 miles to the shop, and we were soon there. After having locked up our bikes, we saw this trike: It is an electrically-assisted trike with a huge ... Read more

Being a dad

I’m one of those privileged people known as dads and to be honest I love being a dad. Recently I took my son camping on Dartmoor, in the middle of nowhere. He built a shelter out of wood and vegetation and did a rather excellent job of it, too. The plan was all along that he’d sleep ... Read more

Velomobiles

I have long had a fascination with velomobiles and the person who must carry the blame above all else is David Hembrow. Yep, David, your writings, photos and videos of your Sinner Mango has had me decidedly green with envy several times over! Call me over-optimistic, but I honestly believe that a fully enclosed velomobile ... Read more

Night cycling

I’m annoyed! But hang on a sec and let me explain from the beginning:Some time ago I stumbled onto a website, Itsnotarace.org,  that deals with something they termed “silly commuter racing”. The principle is simple – when you have two bicycles travelling in the same direction on the same road at the same time then ... Read more

Old posters

At Whitsand Bay, just outside Plymouth and across the Tamar in Cornwall, there is a little holiday resort where you can rent chalets, or pitch a tent. In the shop there are a few old bicycle posters, so I snapped a few photos (amidst bizarre looks from the lady behind the cash register!).Here they are: These ... Read more

Immortality or lack of foresight?

Last night I went cycling, as I usually do most nights. I’ve been getting a tad bored with my normal route, so I thought I’d try something different. My new route took me over Laira bridge and before long I was following the Oreston cycle path, then cutting across Radford lake dam wall.I had a ... Read more

Bob Dylan and Plymouth City Council

I have posted before about my dealings with Plymouth City Council, and I must admit that after having met the man in charge of Sustainable Transport I thought we’ve made some progress. You see, he’s listened to my frustrations regarding poor cycling infrastructure in the city. When I inquired about Cycling Group he informed me ... Read more

A return to cycling

I’ve been on holiday for two weeks – one of those laze all day by the poolside holidays – in the searing Turkish summer.The resort was impressive, the food was good, the beach was nice and the pool was awesome! In fact, apparently it is the largest pool anywhere on the Med. And I got ... Read more

Come to the Dark Side…

Right, I’ve threatened enough, now it’s time to organise an actual midnight ride. All that remains is to decide the route and to pick a date. I’m thinking of two possible routes:The first starts at the Coypool Park & Ride, then follows the Plym Valley cycle path all the way to Plym Bridge. From Plym ... Read more