Assassination Attempts

Remember all those hilarious jokes about women drivers? They were the staple for comedians right up to some point in the ’80s, and revolved around the perception that operating a complex machine like a car was beyond the simple minds of the fairer sex, who were better suited to cooking dinner, producing heirs, and getting...
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I’ve had an unusual week. Full of highs and lows. On the plus side . . . My ride to work on Wednesday was just brilliant, despite the weather’s attempt to rain on that particular parade. And as I explained to the people from Sustrans - my skin’s waterproof. On that ride . . . I...
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This is SCARY stuff! This video comes via Andrea at Velorution. Just watch the truck come bowling along, desperate to overtake the cyclists . . one of whom was Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, who was out scouting routes for a cycling super highway. I&
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So after yesterday’s jaunt, we went out again today. For some variety, we went through the Tyne Pedestrian Tunnel (fitting a tandem in the lift is . . . a bit of a squeeze), and then through Jarrow & Hebburn, before taking the cycle path that runs parallel to the Felling Bypass to go...
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If you come here often, you’ll probably know that I’m far from pro-helmet, and absolutely 100% anti helmet compulsion. Basically, the protection offered by bicycle helmets is fairly marginal in situations other than static falls (which is how they’re tested), and I’m a firm believer that compulsion does more to paint an image of...
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Confession time - I’m a bit of an anorak. I like playing with numbers to see what they’ll say. I mean, without numbers, what have you got? In God we trust, but everyone else had better bring data! So I was quite interested in the CTC’s Safety In Numbers campaign that was launched yesterday. Their glossy...
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This was the soundtrack of my ride today - Out Ta Get Me, from Appetite For Destruction. (The bleeping out on this version of the song is really subtle - even if you’re not a G’NR fan, it’s worth watching for the awesome audio edit ) So, to my ride today - visiting a client...
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Every now and then the local or national papers here will go off on a rant about cyclists with no respect for the law riding on the pavement (sidewalk), terrorising innocent pedestrians. I’m troubled by this, because I think they’ve got a point. No, I have no problem with considerate, just-above-a-walking-pace cycling (which is actually illegal...
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It’s been a long time since I’ve ridden my road bike, Christine - last July in fact. So on Friday last week, I gave her a good spring clean and lubing. Along the way, I used the handy chain wear checking tool I bought to check her chain. Good thing too - it’d done...
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This story was on the front page of the Evening Chronicle yesterday. Basically I’m writing about it here to make a point . . . HE WAS lucky to survive after smashing into a car while riding his bike. But schoolboy Sam Scott was then threatened with legal action for the damage he caused...
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