If you’re unfortunate enough to be involved in a accident while cycling and it’s bad enough that you have to be attended by Police or medical services, who are they gonna call? Kings Moss Cycle Club mention a good idea on their blog, straight from a paramedic who attends road accidents on a daily basis: add your emergency contact person(s) to your mobile phone contact list under a standard moniker, so the emergency services know immediately “who they gonna call”.
(more...)
Mar
15
2009
15
2009
sunday ride 2009/03/15
I met Graham today at the House Of Sport on the Malone Road. The weather was better than it has been, but still a bit of a chill in the air and a fair bit of the air was moving around too.
The day was nearly cut short before it even started though, as I narrowly avoided being run over by a red light jumping Audi in Belfast city centre.I had to grab the brakes, jump off the bike and fling it sideways to avoid a collision! Unfortunately the jumping off part didn’t go so well and I landed heavily on the top tube,using non load bearing parts of the male anatomy as shock absorbers. It’s left me with a nasty bruise in a not-safe-for-work kind of area.
Excitment over and most of the pain having subsided, I rode on to meet Graham and we headed off towards Lambeg then Lisburn, through the city and out the other side along the Saintfield Road. From there we took the road to Carryduff; it was supposed to be Saintfield but super navigator Graham turned off a bit early and we found ourselves heading towards Carryduff instead. Ah well. From there it was a pleasant drag down the main A24 Saintfield Road to Forestside, then to Graham’s house for some much needed tea and biscuits.
Graham does good biscuits by the way. He did take the last remaining fruity cookie for himself though, and there was no milk for the tea either. Hmm.
20 miles on that loop, more or less. I did an extra 21 miles getting there and back for a day total of 41 miles, and I felt every one of them. I must have been knackered from too much DIY and Graham, despite this being his first time out this year, was leaving me for dead on the hills. Either that or I’m just old and unfit and need to do more hill training.
I know which story I’m sticking with.
John Girvin is a largely waterproof recreational and commuter cyclist from Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Keep up to date with the latest articles by subscribing to the RSS Feed, becoming a fan of Rain Miles on Facebook or following @rainmiles on Twitter.
You may also enjoy these great related articles:
Mar
13
2009
13
2009
newtownabbey way agreement signed
The Newtownabbey Way, a scheme to provide walking and cycling routes along the Three Mile Water Glen from Corr’s Corner to the shores of Belfast Lough at Jordanstown, took a large step closer to becoming reality this week as sustainable transport charity Sustrans and Newtownabbey Borough Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding that secures and guides the future of the scheme for the next few years.
(more...)
Mar
13
2009
13
2009
sustrans bike belles website launched
Are you a lady? Do you cycle? Then, according to research released by sustainable transport charity Sustrans, you’re in the minority for your gender. To combat this gender gap, Sustrans have launched a new Bike Belles website to promote cycling specifically for women.
(more...)
Mar
12
2009
12
2009
cycling accident blackspots mapped
The government Innovate Blog has published some raw data from the Department for Transport, giving the location of accidents involving pedal cycles which caused personal injury and were reported to the police, for the years 2005, 2006 and 2007.
The source data is in the form of an Excel spreadsheet containing Ordnance Survey grid references, but others have reformatted and repackaged the raw data into open and more useful CSV and KML formats. The Times Online Labs Blog has a mashup of the data with Google Maps, allowing you to zoom in on your (or any) area, road or route to see how accident prone it is.
Unfortunately, the data only covers Great Britain, there are no reports for Northern Ireland. The data also does not indicate whether a cyclist was injured or caused injury to someone else, or the severity of the injuries sustained. But it is interesting nonetheless.
Further information on road accident statistics can be found in the Road Casualties Great Britain (2007) and the PSNI Road Traffic Collision Statistics (2006) reports.
John Girvin is a largely waterproof recreational and commuter cyclist from Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Keep up to date with the latest articles by subscribing to the RSS Feed, becoming a fan of Rain Miles on Facebook or following @rainmiles on Twitter.
You may also enjoy these great related articles:
Mar
12
2009
12
2009
dom’s on the case – it’s faster by bike
I know, and if you’re reading this I suspect you know as well, that it’s very often faster to commute to work by bicycle than by public transport or even your own car. We can scoot down bus and cycle lanes and traffic congestion means little to us when we’re on two wheels.
Recently, in his BBC daytime series “Dom’s On The Case” as part of an episode titled “The Great British Jam” investigating why our roads are so clogged up, modern day consumer champion Dom Littlewood found this out for himself when he challenged a cyclist to a commuting race along a six mile stretch of the busy A38 in Birmingham.
(more...)
Mar
11
2009
11
2009
kilbride cyclists’ charity challenge
“Kilbride Cyclists” is an informal cycling club formed in 2007 by a group of men from Kilbride Presbyterian Church, just outside Ballyclare. They aim to develop good friendships as well as good health among people of all abilities, ages and across the community who enjoy the sport of cycling.
They plan to hold a leisure cycle run on Saturday 9th May 2009 with special guest, 2008 Beijing Olympics silver medallist Wendy Houvenaghel taking part. Wendy is a native of these isles, hailing from Magherafelt originally.
The event will be starting and finishing at Junction One in Antrim and will cover approximately 65 miles, taking in some of County Antrim’s finest scenery, including Ballybracken, Moorefields, Broughshane, Rasharkin, Portglenone and Randalstown. Money raised from this event will go to The Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice and a Community Hall Project.
You can download a PDF poster here, and more information is available on the Kilbride Cyclists website.
John Girvin is a largely waterproof recreational and commuter cyclist from Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Keep up to date with the latest articles by subscribing to the RSS Feed, becoming a fan of Rain Miles on Facebook or following @rainmiles on Twitter.
You may also enjoy these great related articles:
Mar
11
2009
11
2009
progression and regrets
After been a keen mountain biker and commuter for years, in the mid/late 1990′s I stopped riding bikes for a long time, maybe ten years or so. I left university, got married, moved far away from the city where I worked … life got busy and complicated, as it has a habit of doing.
Then, on a day in early summer 2008, I woke up, realised I was 35 and (a bit) overweight, and started cycling again.
(more...)
Mar
09
2009
09
2009
--
frances nicholl, 1925-2009
Friday 6th March 2009 saw the passing of Frances Maud Nicholl (nee Towe), aged 83, my grandmother.
A keen cyclist in her youth, Frances would have thought nothing of cycling the 20 miles from her home in east Belfast to the villages of Killinchy or Killyleagh to attend a dance, then cycling the 20 miles back home again afterwards. It was at one of these cycled to dances that she met Billy, to be her husband of fifty years. In later years, we, her grandchildren, would have dared her to ride our tiny bicycles and Frances, then in her sixties, would have always have accepted the dare.
Frances Nicholl 1925-2009
R.I.P. May I live as long and ride as far.
John Girvin is a largely waterproof recreational and commuter cyclist from Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Keep up to date with the latest articles by subscribing to the RSS Feed, becoming a fan of Rain Miles on Facebook or following @rainmiles on Twitter.
You may also enjoy these great related articles:
Mar
06
2009
06
2009
marie curie craigavon cycle trail
The Craigavon Cycle Trail is a ride supporting the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity, and entries are now open. Entry costs £10 for adults and both 10Km and 50Km courses are available.
Saturday, 9th May 2009.
The Craigavon Cycle Trail is a ride through the Borough of Craigavon linking inland waterways, the shores of Lough Neagh and picturesque villages.
The level, traffic free sections through City Park and the Newry to Portadown Canal are suitable for family or novice cyclists whilst the undulating countryside of County Armagh offers the magnificant vistas of Slieve Croob and the distant Mourne Mountains for those wishing to explore the area.
More information and downloadable entry forms are available from the Marie Curie Cancer Care website.
John Girvin is a largely waterproof recreational and commuter cyclist from Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Keep up to date with the latest articles by subscribing to the RSS Feed, becoming a fan of Rain Miles on Facebook or following @rainmiles on Twitter.
You may also enjoy these great related articles:
