Friday 11 August 2017

The joy of biking.




The one thing that can be done even with a painful elbow, and even with sore ankles is getting on a bike and cycling. It seems that the exercise is as good as many of the joint damaging alternatives. 
I suppose the only negative that has to be put on that would be that it matters where you do the cycling. 
It is very much easier to cycle in France than it is anywhere in the uk. This is down partly due to the laws in France that states that the cyclist must always be given preference before the car. So when cycling in France I frequently find cars stopping to allow me over a junction or rained a roundabout. So different from here where the car always has preference and cycle lanes disappear the moment things get difficult. 
In Inverkeithing where i lived before moving here we actually had a cycle lane painted on the road that lasted just slightly more than the length of a bike, believe this is true it is still there. 
In Belgium and Holland it is an offence to drive on a cycle lane, in fact it is an offence to walk on most of them. Now how often in the uk do you see cars parked on them forcing the cyclist out in front of traffic? 
We really are just not geared up to it at all in the UK. Councils will tell you how many miles they have but will be reluctant to tell you the state of them or how many of them are like some, just painted lines at the side of the road where it is impossible for cars to pass without driving in them. 
When things get difficult you are on your own. But here is a tale of one cyclist who did get help. 
A cyclist whose cycle had been damaged and was unrideable stuck his thumb out for a lift. After 3 hours he hadn't got anyone to stop. 
Eventually, a guy in a sports car pulled over and offered him a lift but, of course, the bike wouldn't fit in the car. The driver got some rope out of his boot  and tied it to his bumper. He tied the other end to the bike and told the rider, "If I go too fast, ring your bell and I'll slow down."
Everything went well until another sports car overtook them. The driver forgot all about the cyclist and put his foot down. A short distance down the road, they hammered through a speed trap. The cop with the radar gun radioed ahead to his colleague that 2 sports cars were heading his way at over 150 mph. 
He then added, "And you're not going to believe this  there's a cyclist behind them ringing his bell to pass."
In spite of this I encourage everybody to give it a go who can. I even did this as a magistrate.
A young man was in court having pled not guilty to speeding and having refused a fixed penalty.  After trying to argue his way out of his speeding offence, I found  him guilty and fined him £85 a bit more than a fixed penalty. He paid up on the spot and was given a receipt. 
A bit upset by losing the case,  he sarcastically asks, "What am I supposed to do with this, frame it?" 
"No," I replied,  "You keep it. Two more and you can get a bicycle, and take up cycling."  

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