"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." "Like I always say, there's no 'I' in "team". There is a 'me', though, if you jumble it up." We would worry less about what others think of us if we realized how seldom they do. Wisdom - that part of knowledge that isn't only true, but also happens to be helpful. Wisdom speaks softly... Thereafter the volume increases proportionate to the level of ignorance A punctured bicycle
On a hillside desolate
Will nature make a man of me yet? All designed objects are propaganda for a certain way of life. Sometimes we need to stop analysing the past, stop planning the future, stop figuring out precisely how we feel, stop deciding exactly what we want, and just see what happens. We are not the same persons this year as last; nor are those we love. It is a happy chance if we, changing, continue to love a changed person. "Never ascribe to malice that which can be explained by incompetence." --Napoleon Bonaparte The best designed clothes: invite being removed but reward being kept on. It's that you just can't take the effect and make it the cause | “There is something about the miscreant cyclist that seems to get people more exercised than they are about the misbehaving motorist…When people get into cars, their metal encasement turns them into robots in our minds, and we’re grateful to them for any act of courtesy. We’re grateful that they don’t deliberately kill children, then laugh a rasping, metallic laugh…[Cyclists] are more civic-minded than anyone else travelling in any other manner, bar by foot. If they do run into someone, they at least (like the bee) do their victim the favour of hurting themselves in the process, which is why, if [ continue reading Quotes about cycling ] What Campag have now done, according to their director for the French market Christophe Soenen quoted in Le Cycle, is to stop production of their mid-range 10 speed chains – no Chorus, no Centaur – just a choice between the high end Record and the entry level Veloce. They’ve stopped making the 10 speed Chorus cassette, for the moment they have retained Centaur cassettes – which is good news given a Record 10 speed cassette will set you back two hundred quid. Built in obsolescence – Have Campag lost the plot? ] Charges against a driver whose Range Rover struck and killed a cyclist in Warrington in September 2008 were dropped yesterday after a judge heard that she had probably fainted at the wheel. Mother-of-three Sharon Corless, aged 43, was killed when she was dragged under the vehicle while on a bike ride with her husband Peter, who also suffered serious injuries in the incident. Charges dropped against driver who killed cyclist after [ continue reading Charges dropped against driver who killed cyclist after apparently fainting ] Cycling paramedics are an increasingly common sight on urban streets around the UK. But if the city happens to be hilly Sheffield, how do you get to the emergency as quickly as possible on your 40kg white, green and yellow bike? How cycling paramedics are saving lives in hilly Sheffield ] With a wheezing, groaning sound I climbed through the sleet out of the Hope Valley on the road up the hill out of Hathersage on the Cannondale (why does everyone else like it so much?) towing my 20kg+ trailer and panniers. Pretty pleased with myself for managing it easily – wondering now if i should have really shown off and done Mam Tor and Winnats too before remembering that my brakes are shot. What Sheffield has taught me is that disc-brakes are great but when they wear out they really just stop working there and then. With rim brakes you [ continue reading back from my Christmas in Edale ] “The average American is both overweight and spends more than 100 hours per year commuting, that vast majority of those hours being spent in a car. Are those numbers correlated? Could we help reduce our societal weight gain by encouraging more commutes by bike or foot? Our latest Transparency is a look at the number of active commutes in several countries, as compared to those countries obesity rates.” I Love Charts – “The average American is both overweight and…. A report by the Transport Research Laboratory that concludes that between 10% and 16% of the cyclists killed on Britain’s roads in 2008 could have been avoided had the victims been wearing a helmet has been slammed by cyclists’ organisation CTC, which has accused the report’s authors of “double standards.” CTC claims that the authors of the report, commissioned by the Department for Transport, “have correctly identified the shortcomings in previous research into the effectiveness [ continue reading CTC slams Transport Research Laboratory cycle helmet report ] So you think bike lanes are modern phenomenon? Wrong. Exactly 75 years ago today, the UK’s first dedicated bike path – or “safety track for cyclists”, as a Guardian report called it – was opened alongside the A40 in west London. Even then, the UK was lagging behind other nations in Europe, notably Holland, where such paths had been around for some time. There is some fantastic archive Pathé news footage of the opening ceremony, presided over by the then transport minister, Leslie Hore-Belisha, he of the beacons. To me, it’s remarkable for more than just the rider chosen to [ continue reading 75 years after the UK’s first cycle lane opened, the same debates rage on ] I was a happy helmet wearer until I discovered that if you can wobble your safety helmet, it’s not a safety helmet, it’s an ugly hat. Following manufacturer’s instructions I started wearing my headgear tight and within a few days started to suffer headaches (an old injury has left me sensitive around the jaw). So my shiny new helmet was retired to the attic. Can the £160 Giro Ionos helmet discourage cyclists from riding ‘topless’? | Environment | guardian.co.uk. [ continue reading Can the £160 Giro Ionos helmet discourage cyclists from riding ‘topless’? ] It's not Hermes Sorry, but no. This is a square bit of silk. For 50 quid. That’s all you need to know really, but if you want more details it’s got a paisley pattern made up of bikey motifs – chains, wheels, stuff like that – the edges are hand stitched, and it’s apparently been given a ‘perspiration solution’ to make it resistant to sweat and showers. Rapha reckon it’s 50cm x 50cm but ours measured 45cm tops. via Review: Rapha Silk Scarf | road.cc | The website for pedal powered people: Road cycling, commuting, leisure cycling and racing. [ continue reading Review: Rapha Silk Scarf ] I read the attached piece and thought about what it is to be on the wheel and the, several, times when I have asked people to, “put me back on my bike”. When my Dad was dying I sat with him in a tiny corner-room with him in the Countess of Chester hospital which, at that time, was only slightly more caring to geriatrics than Dr Shipman (I have put away my anger with them but if your mum or dad live near there …). From his window in the small room I could see clear to the [ continue reading My friend is dying, but still he rides ] A school in Ipswich has removed bike racks to discourage children from cycling to school because of safety concerns, while leaving similar facilities in place for teachers and other staff. Deputy head teacher Martin Jarvis told theEvening Star that the decision to remove the racks and advise children against cycling there had been made at a governors’ meeting and resulted from the school’s setting close to a busy road. Suffolk school takes bike racks [ continue reading Suffolk school takes bike racks away to discourage kids from cycling ] Freewheeling Spirit: Wonderful Wool. They look happy off their bikes. A drummer is going to make you love journey-time. Bike your Drive — The outdoorsy types at REI have a free app specifically for bike commuters. It uses the iPhone’s GPS to calculate how far you’ve gone, how many calories you’ve burned and how much gas (and money) you’ve saved by ditching the car. It also tells you how much carbon you’ve offset by hopping on two wheels instead of four. The app is simple, with a self-explanatory interface and the option to submit multiple rides for comparison. Too bad the GPS [ continue reading Five Commuter iPhone Apps You’ve Gotta Try ] white is a great colour for bikes, in the showroom check this out though Rubbish! rubbish! rubbish! Latest in the series, “lazy people collect reasons to ensure that they never have to get out of their cars” The fashion for wearing iPods while cycling has been blamed for a rise in the number of riders being killed or seriously injured. Dubbed the iPod zombies, cyclists who are distracted by thumping tunes blaring in their ears have become the latest menace on Britain’s roads. Generation of ‘cycling iPod zombies’ blamed for rise in deaths on the road ] Being able to say, “I expected that” does not feel good. If it’s free it is not valued. Advertising giant JCDecaux has renegotiated the terms of the contract with the city of Paris under which it operates the Vélib’ bicycle rental scheme after theft and vandalism caused the whole fleet of 20,000 bikes to be replaced inside the first two years of operation, according to a report in French daily Le Figaro. News that the [ continue reading Entire Parisian Vélib’ fleet stolen ] “The main tenets of this car culture can be summarised as follows: 1. The inevitable attrition is a price well worth paying (by unknown others) in return for individual autonomy and convenience (often now described as necessary to the way in which we live our lives). 2. Every physically competent adult has a right to drive, removable only as a punishment for serious or repeated criminal offending and, even then, only temporarily. 3. Conduct which might be regarded as dangerous in any other walk of life is, in a motorist, merely careless and that which would otherwise be careless [ continue reading Cycling against the car culture ] Kimmage – dog – bone … tough talk Time passes quickly in the company of Dave Brailsford. The interview has entered its fourth hour and he has been regaling me with tales of his childhood in Wales and unlikely rise from an office job at Gwynedd County Council to the helm of British Cycling and the success that has made [ continue reading Dave Brailsford: keeping it clean ] Trust the Daily Mail to get the full story! With rising child obesity and the school-run causing congestion and pollution, you would expect teachers to be doing all they can to encourage pupils to cycle. Not so Wodensborough Community Technology College which has banned children from riding to lessons because of fears over ‘health and safety’. pupils banned from cycling at school because of H&S fears ] I had the bones of an old woman Chris Boardman had every reason to be beaming from the top podium in the Olympic stadium in Barcelona. It was 1992 and at the age of 23, he was fit, healthy and happy. He had just secured a gold medal in cycling – the first for Britain in 72 years – by setting a new record in the 4,000m track race on his distinctive black carbon-framed bike, designed by Lotus. Yet within [ continue reading CHRIS BOARDMAN: I had to give up cycling at 32 because … ] Chris Green and Sir Peter Hall have reported their findings on the state of England’s rail stations to the Secretary of State for Transport, Lord Adonis. It doesn’t make for pretty reading. The ten worst stations will now receive £50 million in funding to retrofit improvements. This comes in addition to £14 million to invest in cycle parking and ten 'Cycle Hubs' (offering cycle hire, repair services and secure parking) with the first appearing in Leeds soon. via CTC – the UK’s national cyclists organisation. Teenage girls don’t ride bikes. Or so says the Darlington Media Group, who have set about trying to rectify the problem with a campaign to get young women cycling. Several years ago, the National Children’s Bureau published research that revealed that on average, boys cycle 138 miles a year and girls only 24 miles. This still rings true. Christie Rae, 16, from Newcastle told me: “I do have a bike, but I don’t really use it. Only sometimes in the summer when my friends and I cycle round to see each other. I don’t know many girls that do, actually.” [ continue reading why don’t teenage girls ride their bikes? ] “I pay road tax. Cyclists don’t.” It’s a phrase often trotted out by certain motorists when trying to back up their opinion that bicycles have no business sharing the road with cars. But it ignores several uncomfortable facts. One, most adult cyclists are motorists themselves. Two, upkeep of highways is funded through general taxation, not road tax, or Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) as it’s properly termed. Not to mention the positive health and environmental effects of cycling.” via Cyclists pay road tax too – and now you can let motorists know that | road.cc | The website for pedal powered [ continue reading Cyclists pay road tax too – and now you can let motorists know that ] A new academic report called 'Analysis and synthesis of evidence on the effects of investment in six Cycling Demonstration Towns' has been published and provides a summary of evidence on changes in cycling and physical activity in six towns following the first phase of the Cycling England / Department for Transport Cycling Demonstration Town investment programme between October 2005 and March 2009. click here for more: People are healthier in Cycling Demonstration Towns Bike For All >> The essential resource for everyone who cycles… or is thinking about it.. Google Street View Find of the Day: The Google Street View Van (previously spotted running over a poor, defenseless deer) captured, in its perverse-flipbookish way, the moment a fire truck collided with a cyclist on Jordanus Hoornstraat in the Dutch city of Amersfoort. No doubt these shocking images will soon be removed, and a simple warning posted in their stead: “Here Be Fire Trucks.” flakes of nuisance }{. I love my brown panniers [ continue reading SMIDSY! ] A jury has returned a verdict of not proven in the trial of a van driver accused of killing a cyclist. Elspeth Kelman, 59, was struck on the island of Arran during a cycling trip in memory of her late husband. Charges against Nick Underdown, 28, of causing death by careless driving, were found not proven. A police report had blamed the 28-year-old for the fatal crash but his defence counsel successfully argued this should not be seen by the jury. via BBC NEWS | Scotland | Glasgow, Lanarkshire and West | Cyclist death charge ‘not proven’. A former international showjumper who critically injured a cyclist because he was taking up too much road has been jailed for 33 months by Guildford Crown Court. Christopher Robertson, 22, drove his car into Leslie Smith, 66, a former IT consultant, on a country lane in Surrey. After leaving Mr Smith for dead, Robertson, the son of wealthy stud farm owners, began trying to cover up his role in the crash near his home in the village of Chiddingfold. He hosed down his Citroën Xantia, had a damaged numberplate replaced and ordered a junior colleague to remove police notices appealing [ continue reading Former showjumper Christopher Robertson jailed for injuring cyclist ] | Shirdi Sai Baba: "Before you speak, ask yourself: Is it kind, is it true, is it necessary, does it improve upon the silence?" Well known fact that any kiss where one or other party is in control of heavy machinery doesn't count for quality assessment purposes. There is no nonsense so arrant that it cannot be made the creed of the vast majority by adequate governmental action. The honest heart that's free frae a' intended fraud or guile. However fortune kick the ba', Has ay some cause to smile. Life consists in replacing one worry with another, and one desire with the next, what the Buddhists call ‘grasping’ or upādāna in Sanskrit "Every saint has a past. Every sinner has a future." "Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die." A wrong decision isn't forever; it can be reversed. The losses from a delayed decision are forever; they can never be retrieved. heavy words thrown lightly And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. Whenever you commend, add your reasons for doing so; it is this which distinguishes the approbation of a man of sense from the flattery of sycophants and admiration of fools “The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for.” |
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