The mild Easter weekend weather was perfectly for pumping up
the tyres and getting out on the road for a spin. Sunday morning was
idyllic, sunny, bright and with little wind, so I set off early to get some
‘quiet’ road miles in. I was not disappointed. There was hardly a car around,
which was ideal for me as I am currently building up confidence on my new
tri-bike. This bike involves riding in a very different position to a road
bike. As you ride you lean flat over the top tube with your arms outstretched
in front of you, steering and changing gear using your tri
bars. Essentially, you are cycling in an aerodynamic position so you ride
more efficiently and ultimately go faster. It is a fast bike, even with
my less than slight frame on it, and while it has taken me a few rides to get
used to it I am now happily in love with it.
Being lower on the bike has made me think more carefully
about whether cars and pedestrians can actually see me and if I can see them
while riding. I am taking care to look as far ahead of me as possible
particularly while passing parked cars or rounding blind bends. It is very easy
to get complacent, even on a quiet country lane, and often that is when
accidents happen, so while I am travelling faster I am riding more carefully
than ever.
There were a few cyclists out early on the road with me and
the nods and smiles shared as we passed each other spoke volumes, we were all
having fun. Cycling is a lovely pastime and one that I can’t recommend
enough to you all.
This week, I noticed a couple of mentions on social media of
bikes being stolen locally. In one case a Deliveroo cyclist had his bike
stolen while he was out delivering. He gave chase along with a passer-by, and
alerted the police who happily recovered it later. The other where someone
filmed a man blatantly cutting through a padlocked chain to steal a bike in
Bristol. The man stole the bike and the police are now looking for
it. I suspect it is like looking for a needle in a haystack, but what
baffles me about this last scenario is the person filmed him but failed to
challenge him or seemingly alert the police. I appreciate this person may
have been afraid to approach, but I would urge you if you see someone stealing
a bike then be extremely vocal, get help from other people around you and
please call the police before you film and post it on social media.
Happy cycling and keep those bikes safe
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