Sunday Cycling

One of the many  great things about riding a bicycle is that you see things that you don't see if you are in a car.  

Two Sunday Pootles in succession showed me perfect examples of this.  The first took me over a couple of bridges under the most fantastic sky.  

London from the view of a bicycle really shows its best side. A collage of architectural structures through so many centuries, all sitting next door to each other in a unique mix and match - the new Blackfriars Bridge station leading towards St Paul's Cathedral.  What would Sir Christopher Wren make of it I wonder?

For the first Sunday of the two, I headed to Shoreditch for the last day of the Spin London Xmas show which gave me the chance to ride my single speed steed - although not yet flipped to fixed yet.  (Practice in a park will be a priority for this!) 

A week later, I was meeting up with a friend at Hyde Park Corner.  I was keen to see his much talked about and photo'd-on-Facebook new bicycle -a fixed wheel (he doesn't do gears) Cooper.  This was his first non commute ride on it. 

As I reached Hyde Park Corner I found him in the company of others, one of whom was Molly Cooper, the daughter of John Cooper who had built the bicycle! How fantastic was that?! Molly was riding a five-speed hub-geared Cooper on her way to Hyde Park and had spotted the bicycle so stopped to say hello.  Cool!!  

Like Woodrup, another family run and owned bike manufacturer, but Cooper started off with engines and the iconic Mini Cooper.  50 years later here it is sitting high up in the bicycle world as beautiful in design as well as being built on its engineering history. Superduper Cooper - just imagine what Abba could have done with a lyric like that!

Both Sunday rides brought me to Cycling Fayres. The first was focussing on Christmas and the second was a fundraising Cyclo Games sponsored by Vulpine raising money for Wheels for Wellbeing.  If you haven't heard of Wheels for Wellbeing,  it is a unique charity bringing cycling to people who through  disability, illness and sometimes age would not normally be able to ride a bicycle.

I have seen firsthand, at Herne Hill Velodrome, the laughter and enjoyment that their clients show as they are ridden around the track on bicycles, some for the very first time and others for the very first time in a very, very long time. Brilliant.

 

Arriving at the Vulpine Cyclofare just next door to those gas cylinders which disappear into the ground when empty), the aroma of coffee and hot food made me wonder why breakfast had only been fruit but we made our way to the first floor!

 

The fayre was another example of the way that cycling is capturing the imagination of people as they set up their businesses.  First off was Drops who turn photographs into wall mountable pictures.  They had run a photo competition asking for submissions of photographs the winner of which was being selected by us all as we arrived at Cyclogames we were asked to vote.  Tough choice!

Beers, vodkas, coffee and biscuits were all on offer although I managed to show some control and avoid all of them.  Petalon  www.petalon.co.uk are another genius new enterprise - bouquets delivered by bicycle.  So simple and yet so clever.

Into the main area and I met Mr Quino!  Last week I met Mr Paulus so now Paulos Quinos was complete.  A bicycle manufacturer from just outside Swansea. 

 

Lovely bicycles! We had a chat about cycling around the Gower Peninsular and reminisced of a great weekend spent there. They seemed suitably impressed that I had cycled to the summit of the Peninsular with someone who was riding fixed.  They gave me this postcard as it includes The Worms Head in Rhossili as a reminder of that weekend.

I caught up with Rachel from Michaux - I can't wait for my new bag from her collection to arrive. To have a bag that not only looks like a handbag rather than a camping accessory, but one that can be a shoulder bag, small rucksack or hip bag - and fit as though it was made for it on the back of my bicycle is really, really clever.

A chap came to say hello - a Man Called Bob with whom I had ridden to Banbury last year, following the route of the proposed HS2.  

Great to catch up with him.  He was off to take part in the inaugural London Recumbent Club ride which, hilariously, a few hours later I saw cycle through Parliament Square!

Cyclelove were also present at the Fayre and they had their artist Penelope drawing bespoke Christmas tags for customers who were signing up for their gift-wrapping service.  

 I caught sight of a series of books which could be worth another look!

Brompton, not such a small retailer but right up there in geniusness, were also there and I complemented them on their new tool kit which I bought last week.  They should give Master classes in design.  Their bicycles may weigh a bit more than I like to carry about but the design is in a league of its own.  The tool kit is equally clever and fits perfectly inside the bicycle!  Literally!

ibike London were there with all sorts of things - my favourite being their bicycle wall storage unit. So neat and simple.   

The founder of ibikelondon has done more for cycling than most people know as his invention, cyclehoop(s) are located and growing in numbers all over London which means that more and more of us have cycle parking facilities across many boroughs.  They also designed this bicycle storage that Hackney Borough Council provided for Spin London.   

As well as their range of all things bicycles they also lead rides around London. Sadly I couldn't make the one on Saturday but hopefully will be able to join them in the New Year.

In the spirit of fundraising for Wheels for Wellbeing, a charity cake bake had taken place.  How on earth the judges are going to select a winner from these I have no idea.  I found myself drawn to this one - not least because I just read a friends account of his trip to Istanbul here  and quite frankly, he deserves cake!

At the fayre there were several competitions to take part in. Rollapaluza, where two bicycles set up on rollers allow you to compete against next to you by pedalling as fast as you can was the first one I saw.  Hard, really hard, way too hard for me!  

Brompton were running a folding competition - hilarious although I didn't participate as I know that my fastest is nearly 20 seconds which to quite a few is a very long time! And there was a track standing competition.  If only!  Although I can think of several friends who could have possibly won that or at least more likely than me.

 

It was a very relaxed day, a great ride in and a great ride home.  And brilliant to know that there is such a wide range of cycling enthusiasts pushing envelopes in cycling products and accessories.  Vulpine - thank you so much for hosting this special event.

I am putting my list of Top Ten Cycling Presents for Christmas together - trying to keep it to 10 is going to be difficult.  Any suggestions gratefully received!

We headed west along the Embankment as we felt it was appropriate that we finished the route via Parliament Square to pay our respects to the late Nelson Mandela.  He may no longer be on this earth but the legacy that he has left behind is, to me, by far the greatest thing that one human being has done for the whole of humankind, ever.  Sir, you were  a life changer, not just in South Africa but across the world. You will never be forgotten.  (The rest of the pics are here