The Tweed Run around London 2013

Mice Log Starring The Tweed Run Date 103.  11.96  miles, 10.2 ave speed, 20.7 max in 1hr 10 on the Marin

Another great day accessible only by being on a bike!  

Celebrating its fifth anniversary The Tweed Run brings quintessential Britishness to a bike ride - a kick-back to the fashion of a bygone era.   

The costume and wheels were really rather spectacular, a group of 500 stylish cyclists enjoying a ride around London.

It is now so popular that the people taking part are selected by a lottery as the numbers of those wishing to take part far out way its maximum capacity of 500.  

I thought it would be a bit of a different thing to do so volunteered to help with setting up and serving tea! Tea?! What's not to like!!  From counting crockery, table legs and installing a gazebo, five of us did what we could to help.  The sight of The Tweed Run arriving at Lincolns Inn was fantastic.  

Such fabulous costumes and bicycles - tandems for two and one for three, recumbents, Paishleys, fixed wheels and  penny farthing amongst the enormous assortment.

Everyone was very relaxed and seemed to really enjoy themselves.  And the whole afternoon was like being in a time warp!  The ride had been brilliantly organised - a great success and a bit of a tourist attraction as it moved around London's streets. 

As they all rode on to the second half of the ride we cleared away all the evidence that anything had happened. 500 teacups, saucers and teaspoons packed away ready for collection. Much laughter all the way. 

Then the rain came down.  A friend lent me a plastic rain coat and we headed to the pub.  Five in a cab and me on my bike! Very useful as the cab did all the navigation for me - and thanks to the temporary set of lights I arrived at the pub first!  That's another very good thing about riding a bike.

A great day with great peeps one of whom has a fashion blog here  And I hope that there will be a new cyclist or two riding their bikes around London and Dorset soon!

More hilarity in the pub then time for home!

Mice and the Brompton meet Dr Bike!

Mice Log Star Date 102.  15.07 miles, 8.9 ave speed, 16.8 max in 1hr 40.

A trip to Regents Park with a friend to attend a cycling event. A collaboration between LCC (London Cycling Campaign), CTC (Cycle Touring Club), Camden Borough Council and The Metropolitan Police which was full of good things. You could 

• have your bike marked and registered
• have basic bike maintenance carried out by Dr Bike mechanics
• sit in the drivers seat of an HGV and see the road from the drivers point of view.   

This last one is a real eye opener.  I did this a few weeks ago and wrote about it  here.  To see the bicycle in front of the lorry knowing that it was completely invisible to the lorry driver cannot be emphasised enough.  

From the drivers seat, neither the policeman nor the bicycle are visible in this position - not a thing can be seen, absolutely nothing:

The policeman and the bicycle moved into the position to be visible:

This is how far in front of the lorry the bicycle was in order to see it from the drivers seat:

 

This really is the case.  And this kind of space applies to all round the HGV including both sides.  Thank you Met Police for giving the demonstration. It is a real warning as to where to cycle near large vehicles.

Meanwhile, my Brompton was rather pleased to see Dr Bike!  I happened to have my replacement brake pads with me so they were fitted, the position of the brake levers was tweaked and most importantly the nut on the wheel which came undone yesterday was tightened to the correct position!  To top the lot a new brake cable was provided.

I also learnt about a Please Cycle initiative taking place in Camden  It is a website where you can sign up, register your details, download their free app and log all your cycling trips in their borough to earn what they call BikeMiles. You can also track personal mileage/carbon/calories and compete with friends on their Leaderboard.

I like this.  I asked if other boroughs were doing it but apparently not yet.  I did learn that the App is quite slow - someone I spoke to had logged 40 trips to do 20 miles which may seem a lot of logging but also a lot of cycling! (All the miles have to be in the borough!)  For me though, as an initiative to encourage cycling I still like it.  Perhaps Sustrans, LCC or CTC could set something up nationally. Possibly with Strava or Endomodo (making sure people dont sign up from right outside their homes as this can be traced).  Anything that encourages cycling is mighty fine with me!

As I headed home I cannot believe the rainstorm that occurred.  Absolutely soaked to the skin in seconds!  Hilarious!  

Except soaked jeans are really unpleasant!  I was too wet to fold the Brompton and take it into the bakery so a member of staff came and met me in the street where we made the transaction - olive bread for dosh!! Nice one!

Daff Bashing in the Park! (by the non spring weather!)

Mice Log Day 101. 12.57 miles, 11.7 average speed, 18.4 max speed in 1hr 04 mins on the Brommie! 

The rain scheduled for midday seemed a bit too heavy so I left at 9am to avoid being drenched!   

Off to a meeting via Hyde Park where the daffs have spent too long in the company of estate agents!   It's now all about Location! Location! Location!  

Some of them seem as though the sun has been shining on them since they peered up through the ground, others are looking a bit exhausted and then there were this lot which have been given a right good hiding by the elements!

 

Roll on Spring, I say!