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The Spirit Of Adventure
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Yes, that's me in the Santa suit, and I modified my trailer to (supposedly) look like a sleigh. That was for a Santa Ride I organised in the pre-Covid days.
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By the time you read this, it'll be December, and the shops will be full of Christmas stuff.
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I don't particularly care whether or not you celebrate Christmas a s a religious holiday, but I do care about the world that we live in. The commercialism at Christmas is enormous, and you're being told from all sides to be a good little consumer, and buy yet more tat. To so many, Christmas has become a festival of greed and gluttony. Many people place themselves in extra debt, just to pay for Christmas.
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It doesn't have to be that way, and you can make different choices. Yes, of course have your Christmas meal with your loved ones, and buy those you care about Christmas presents. But if you feel you have to send Christmas cards, can they be handmade instead? Do you have to buy the most expensive gifts? And will people really appreciate receiving yet more tat?
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Instead if tinsel, which mainly goes straight to landfill, can you buy paper-based decorations, that can be recycled (or better yet, be composted)? This Christmas, soo if you can make some small changes, and encourage others to do so, too.
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May all the trains you want to travel on always have a free bike space!
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The Blast From The Past button is quite straightforward: with every edition, I link a random old WillCycle post to it. If you click it, you will see what old WillCycle post it takes you to.
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The button will only ever point at WillCycle.
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The Good News
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You will have heard that modern factory-farming techniques can be extremely harmful to the environment, and that poor farming practices can consistently deplete the soil's ability to yield good crops.
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These are worrying trends that are seen worldwide, but have you ever heard of regenerative farming?
Farmers in Brazil using regenerative farming increased cotton crops by 40%, using the same land. Here's the story.
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Did You Know...?
If you've ever done fishing in the UK, then you'll be familiar with lugworms, commonly used as bait.
However, they have other uses too, including being used to make a "universal human blood substitute". This substitute can be stored at room temperature, and can be given to anyone, regardless of blood type.
And guess what else? It can be used for doping, to enhance athletic performance!
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What Did You Miss On WillCycle?
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24 must-cycle routes for 2024!
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No matter what kind of cyclist you are, you will love these 24 routes! 24 routes in 12 months obviously averages to two routes per month. Your challenge is to go cycle as many of these as you possibly can. There's a free cycling cap as prize to the first person who can prove they cycled all 24 routes during …
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The Roman Road (Cambridge)
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Roman Road cycle route overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐ This 12.8 mile route mostly follows the course of an old Roman road, hence the name. Starting in Cambridge, the route is initially on (normally) quiet roads, with a stretch on a segregated cycle path, but soon picks up the actual remains of a Roman road. The route starts at Cambridge train station, …
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WillCycle Supporter
WillCycle is mostly funded by me, with ad income almost covering the web hosting costs. I get that most of us don't like ads, and browse the Internet with an ad-blocker. However, because WillCycle is so reliant on ad-revenue, I was forced to block people visiting the site with ad-blockers running.
If you really wanted an ad-free experience on WillCycle, you can sign up as a WillCycle Supporter.
WillCycle Supporters can browse the site while running ad-blockers (while logged in).
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Spanner In The Spokes
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The idea behind Spanner In The Spokes is simple: send me your questions about bicycles, cycle touring and camping, and I'll either answer them, or ask others to answer them. Keep sending those questions!
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Here's this edition's question: When going cycle touring on your own, don't you get lonely?
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Ah, that's both an easy, and a difficult question to answer. No, I don't usually get lonely, but then I've always been very comfortable just with my own company. Of course, I do talk to people I encounter along the way, and I expect that makes a difference, too.
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However, not everyone is the same. It's exactly our differences that makes the world such an interesting place! Some people will undoubtedly get lonely if they went cycle touring on their own.
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Are you one of those? I cannot possibly say. Only you will know the answer to that. Of course, the cure is simple: go cycle touring with others. However, pick your companions wisely. After all, you'll effectively be spending 24 hours per day in their company, and someone's initially dry sense of humour could be grating by the end of Day 2!
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NEXT EDITION'S QUESTION: How do you deal with having to bleed hydraulic brakes by the roadside?
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I must confess I have no experience with hydraulic brakes, so I'm hoping one of you will be able to come up with a sensible answer.
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Random Internet Link
Lots of things come with a user manual of some sorts. From milk frothers, to precision tools, to printers, plus more. And most of us bin that user manual along with the packaging the product came with. What happens if you need to figure out how many button-presses it takes to get the right setting, six months down the line?
Well, you could always go look on ManualsLib - they have millions of user manuals!
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And Finally...
I spend considerable amounts of time producing The Spirit Of Adventure, and you receive it for free. Please do forward it to someone else who you think will appreciate it?
And if you received this newsletter because someone forwarded it, you can subscribe quickly and easily at www.willcycle.com
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