rain miles count double

If you’re here, reading this, I’m going to take a wild guess that you do a bit of cycling. It doesn’t matter how much; maybe it’s just in the park with the kids at the weekend or maybe it’s commuting a couple of miles twice a week. Whatever your cycling pedigree, I’m also going to guess that you have a few regular routes that you know like the back of your hand and take all the time.

So here’s a crazy motivational idea: why not occasionally take the long way instead?

@nevsutter on Twitter brought a benefit of commuting to work by bike to my attention today that I’d missed up until now.

Today I was invited to a charity 50Km in aid of Habitat for Humanity. However circumstances conspired against me and I couldn’t make it to start start line in time, so as a penance of sorts and with the June 100 Challenge in mind, I plotted a 60Km+ route and headed out.

Last night I attended a packed Black Box for the Belfast Cycle City: Visions For The Future conference, where speakers from the Northern Ireland Department for Regional Development, Cycling England, Dublin City Council, Sustrans and Friends of the Earth talked about the successes and problems they’ve had with promoting cycling and discussed how these could be applied to Belfast.

It was such a beautifully sunny morning I just had to take the long way into Belfast, heading (roughly) for Ballycarry along the Old Carrick Road for a few miles before turning back for the city. I took a few snaps along the way. Tell me again why I’d want to sit in traffic for an hour on a day like this?

Phill with the Irregular Cycles has come up with a fun challenge to encourage you (and himself) to get out on your bike some more in June: The June 100 Challenge. Can you cycle 100 miles in the month of June?

Belfast Cycle City, a campaign run by Friends of the Earth in cooperation with Sustrans, is hosting a free conference to discuss the future of cycling provision in Belfast.

Belfast Cycle City: Visions for the Future is being held in The Black Box on June 1st 2010. Doors open at 5:45pm and entrance is free. Pizza is also free.

The 2010 Marie Curie Craigavon Cycle Trail, an organised 10Km or 50Km cycle around the Craigavon area in aid of the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity, took place on 22nd May. Three of us attempted the 50Km course, and this is how we fared!

What’s the correct number of bikes to have? n+1, goes the wisdom.

Today I took delivery of a new +1: a Carrera Virtuoso road bike, courtesy of Halfords and the government Cycle To Work scheme, and accompanied by a good haul of accessories. Tax free, thank you very much.

As it’s been a few months since I’ve posted anything, I figured a quick update on how 2010 is going for me (in terms of cycling) was in order.

In a word, it sucks.

It’s hard not to make this next bit whiny, but bear with me.