Great! Can I enter category (i) and be an ‘unsporting impedance’ please :)

(Might happen anyway due to remarkable ability to fall off …)

Jeez! Does it really make a difference to you all what gender the person is that you go biking with / have a drink with / chat to etc? My friends are both male and female, and I go hiking / biking / climbing (and drinking!) with both.

Am geniunely surprised that the first reaction was ‘oh it’s a girl’, I guess I just think of myself as someone who rides bikes :) Think I need to change my forum name to something gender neutral! How do I do that?

shedbrewed – won’t get to Cardiff til about 6 at the earliest (coming down from Bangor, meeting in Shrewsbury, then heading down after that). I’m usually working in Cardiff once a week or every other week, so maybe another time? Thanks for the first non-eyebrow raising response though!

Oh, and everyone up here just uses ‘panad’ (as in tisio panad?), or if you want to be more specific ‘panad o te’. But dwi’n dysgu cymraeg, so I could be completely wrong :)

Blimey! Some serious misinterpretation of my post going on here 8O

I only put it up ‘cos I remember a few people posting similar ‘I’m in town – anyone fancy a pint’ requests … really didn’t think it would prompt this kind of response.

LOL :)

I forgot for a moment that this was STW and thought that seeing if anyone wanted to just meeting up for a blether about bikes would be a fairly normal post! But it would appear that being a girl seems to cause a degree of consternation :)

Anyway, Kevevs or Elfinsafety can vouch that I’m harmless and relatively normal, (not that they are necessarily the best character witnesses 8O ) Oh, and that I’m not a hairy truck driver!

But I think it might be a better call to stayed holed up in the hotel with my usual boring pile of reports …

Thanks Junkyard – response much appreciated.

TBH I nearly didn’t post anything as I just expected the usual flaming about ‘no sense of humour’ or ‘it’s your time of the month’, but the last few posts were just a bit much.

Occassionally it’s not particularly pleasant being a girl on STW :(

Great photos :)

Love this time of year, the changing colours and the smell of autumn in the air. Beautiful everywhere, but Scotland is admittedly particularly stunning. Looking forward to new year in the Cairngorms (although hoping by then it will be snowy and icy!)

Nice comments guys :roll:

lomax – it was indeed the HEPA conference! Didn’t notice anyone going by the name of “lomax” there though :) Thought the posting above about Darlington was interesting given the poster presentation from Cycling England, which indicated an increase in cycling participation.

I had a poster presentation there on the research I’m doing on the segmentation of outdorr recreation participants based on differences in physical activity levels. If you have it to hand, it’s in the book of abstracts: “Beyond the Binary”. (I’m now curious as to who you are, it’s such a small world when two people from a HEPA conference bob up on STW!)

FuzzyWuzzy – thanks for the info, they sound great. And being suitable for a range of abilities would be perfect for me – I’ve been looking for something that hits the middle ground between uber-fit boy racer and the scenic cycle tour, plus I’d be going alone so would be good if there were other solo travellers rather than joining a group who know each other.

Cheers :) Will look them up in more detail.

kcr – oops, sorry, didn’t realise we’d covered this a couple of weeks ago :oops:

I guess having experienced it ‘in person’ and for work rather than a holiday, I can’t see why changing to a cycling rather than a car culture could be construed as ‘giving something up’. It was far easier, quicker, and more enjoyable than car travel (even in the rain – most impressed by the Dutch ability to cycle whilst holding an umbrella over their heads!)

FuzzyWuzzy – who did you go with? (and would you recommend them?)

I’ve been to the Andulucia hiking not riding, but it looked like a fantastic place for road cycling.

Is there a map of the route online somewhere? I didn’t do the race, but would like to ride the route at some point (in nice weather!)

Thanks for all the replies! Some good suggestions to follow up.

I agree that Amsterdam isn’t the greatest city to visit, but given that I’m going there for work, I want to get the most out of it whilst I’m there :)

Wow! Looks fantastic :)

Who did you do the alpine skills / climbs with?

Brocolli’s great! Better than beer (yacky stuff), not as good as chocolate :)

And leave the poor penguins alone!

Emsz – hope you’re ok?

Great photo’s! And I think I’ll settle down tonight for some cycle touring blog reading :)

I’ve only done week-long UK tours so far, but they’ve been fab, especially the coastal ones round north Devon and the Llyn Penisula. Would love to do more, but my touring buddies have settled down to family life and my other biking friends are dyed in the wool mtb’ers and wouldn’t be seen dead with panniers! So if anyone wants a touring buddy, let me know. Or maybe it’s time for a STW get-together cycle tour :D

From the door – mtb on Conwy mtn and the Carneddi, and superb variety of road riding into the mountains or along the coast.

Ethically I struggle with the idea of putting a bike, which is the most sustainable forms of transport, into a car in order to park somewhere and ride round in circles before driving home. If I ride further afield, I’d rather hop on the train with my bike (although the don’t always make that easy!)

My disabled brother win an Olympic gold medal for the cycling time trial in the Special Olympics. Not bad considering he was not expected to live past childhood (and he’s 39 now!)

Penblywyth Hapus Bullheart :)

Happy Birthday Bullheart!

Definately one to celebrate :)

BTW, ‘arrested’ is not the same as being charged, or convicted, or even ‘guilty’ :wink:

Thus, I am afraid I have failed the ‘naughty test’ and my record remains as clean as a whistle – never even had any points on my license in the last 20 years!

Unfettered lady boobs don’t seem to be a problem in most other European countries – saw lots of office workers (both male and female) relaxing topless in the park during their lunchbreaks in France and Austria.

Mind you, it’s a bit too parky for that kind of thing in Wales.

Eccles cakes and Jelly Snakes!

Yup, twice as an adult.

Criminal Justice Act protest, and breaking into Nestles to hang a banner of the roof mentioning something about their heavy promotion of, and profiting from, powdered baby milk in developing countries (I wasn’t after the chocolate honest :) )

Oh, and was shot at once – straight through the rear window of the car when we were doing 60mph … but hey, that was life in the wild west of rural Scotland!

As for me, on this issue I’m firmly on the fence (so much so that I even have splinters in my bum!)

On the one hand, I love the diversity of languages and how they represent what different cultures articulate and find important. And I can understand the desire to see active steps taken to redress the previous restriction of a language.

On the other hand, I have concerns about the impact that this has on employment and the economy of countries with minority languages. And as I said, a ‘single language’ helps with global communication and learning, which in itself can help with knowledge transfer from developed to less-developed countries.

Most of all, for me languages are active, living, developing aspects of human society. They reflect social change, dominant worldviews, and minority cultures (I spent a while studying the languages that have been developed in science fiction – a fascinating insight into what language could become in the future). I guess overall I’m not a fan of constraining or manipulating any language, but rather would prefer to let them evolve naturally. So although some ‘old’ languages might go, maybe new variants will appear?

Interesting debate peeps :)

The issue of ‘active preservation’ has arisen as a result of previous attempts at ‘active discrimination’ – ie what Mr Fry refers to as ‘linguicide’. This has happened to Irish, Basque, Welsh, whereby these languages were banned and children were punished for speaking them. Thus, it can be argued that these languages have not been able to ‘evolve naturally’ as they have been subject to linguistic oppression. It is therefore difficult to know to what extent they would ‘natuarally’ be spoken if they had not been banned. In which case, is active support for these languages acceptable in order to ‘redress’ the balance?

The support for the welsh language is complicated, particularly in relation to employment. the challenge with keeping a minority language alive, is that the public sector in particular is obliged to offer it’s services bi-lingually, along with having bi-lingual school teachers etc. Due to the small number of fluent speakers, this significantly limits the ‘pool’ of people who can apply for those jobs. Generally, the more you limit the number of applicants (for whatever reason), the greater likelihood of having a more restricted range of ability / experience. So in preserving the Welsh language(and Irish or Basque etc), will there be a resultant reduction in the skills level of employees within a country (as they are not able to select from a very wide range of applicants)?

Just back from a lovely ride along the coast – indulged in chocolate eclairs enroute :oops:

Rain has started now, so I guess that’s the end of summer here in Wales.

Solo – ouch! That sounds bad! Hope you’re not in too much pain and you mend soon.

About to meet a friend for a ride – over the Sychnant Pass then along the coast for as far as we fancy. Plenty of coffee / cake / icecream opportunities along the way :)

Then back to take the dog out to play on the beach and watch the sunset.

Usually the decision about the extent of curtilage can be determined by a site visit from the relevant local authority access officer (which used to be my job :) ). But otherwise, look for areas that have been ‘tended’ (eg mowed grass), with a clear boundary. Which it sounds as though you did. However, it’s also worth giving thought to whether you feel you are intruding on someone’s privacy (for example maybe they want a ‘wild’ area rather than a garden, in which case just give them some consideration and steer clear).

When there is a dispute, often the best way forward is to indicate a preferred route (eg a sign) – but be aware that it might not be on the more accessible track.

Ton – Great news! don’t know you ‘in person’, but have read many of your threads about what you have been through. Much respect for keeping up the biking (even when electrically assisted) and really glad to hear your heart is back to ‘normal’.

If you (and your friends / family) ever fancy a cycling tour round the north Wales coast to celebrate, let me know and I’d be happy to help.

Take it easy :)

Ahem … Emma82 – you are guilty of a misleading thread title!

It should read ‘massive success’ :D

Well done you!

Pre-ride: cup of lapsang souchong and an Eccles cake (does this count as tea?)

Go biking :)

Post-ride: pasta with cherry tomatoes, pesto and peppers, followed by apple and blackberry crumble.

Is it better to have custardor icecream with the crumble???

I work for an environmental body which has a work travel policy that requires you to catch the train wherever possible. And yes, it is possible most of the time. My meetings are usually in cities (London, Cardiff or Edinburgh), and I’d rather catch the train into a city than have the hassle of driving / parking etc. Plus it’s normally cheaper than the cost of fuel for the same journey, and I can work on the train.

Personal travel – it depends. Long journeys, or to cities, I’ll get the train. Meeting friends in the mountains, I’ll drive cos there isn’t really a train or bus option.

My biggest bugbear is trying to take bikes on a train – what a PITA! The train companies couldn’t make any harder if they tried!

*disclaimer* not a professional photographer … merely an interested amateur *disclaimer*

Interesting set of photo’s. The 2 that stood out for me where the ‘yellow lines / tram tracks’ and the ‘cranes at an angle next to section of building with curved patterns’.

Why? Because they were a slightly different way of looking at things, an image of something that others might not ‘see’. The other pictures are similar to many other photos so don’t have that much interest to me as I have a sense of ‘seen it before’.

For me, with photography, there will always be technically superb photo’s which I will never be able to compete with. However, I do think it is possible to offer a unique ‘eye’ – developing your distintive way of viewing your subject and seeing what others don’t, or seeing it from a different perspective.

You said you weren’t trying to represent ’emotion’, but you are passionate about that there big city. How can you convey that passion in your photos? What do you see that maybe others don’t? And how can you capture that unique perspective in an image?

Stop thinking about so much about your equipment, and focus more on developing, and conveying, your photographic ‘voice’ (as I’m sure you’ve got a lot to say

If you can get hold of the latest copy of the ctc magazine (oct / nov 11), it has a feature on the Great Divide Ride from a woman who rode it this year (and she’d never ridden off-road before!). Also a link to her account of her trip:

http://eatsleepdrinkbeerride.blogspot.com

C-G really sorry to hear that, sounds pretty bad. Hope you recover swiftly.

I’d suggest you contact the ctc’s accident line on 0844 7368452

mmm … increase to 80mph? Reinforces my preference for either:

(a) taking the train for long journeys (especially those that involve motorways!). Yes, sometimes it might cost more or take a bit longer (although often it doesn’t), but it means that it is ‘my time’ rather than ‘dead time’ – ie I can read, sleep, work etc rather than just ‘travel’

(b) carry on doing 55-60mph to reduce average fuel consumption.

The relentless desire to travel faster and faster doesn’t seem to have added to overall quality of life, we just have a more frantic, stressed and impatient society.

Be nice to the horse! Don’t grab the reins in a death grip if you’re going too fast or jab your heels hard into it’s sides if you want to go faster.

Otherwise, as Emsz said, use your legs more than your hands, keep the stirrup on the ball of your foot and your heels down (trust me, if you come off you really don’t want your foot to be trapped in the stirrup!), relax and go with the rhythm.

Oh and yes, afterwards you will hurt, and won’t be getting up to any other ‘riding’ for a few days :)

I suppose maybe I am.

No kids, but that’s for other reasons, not saving the planet.

Do other things that are more motivated by environmental / green concerns – cycling to work is one (helps that I genuinely enjoy it, but I would rather now commute as a ‘ride’ than drive into work, then put the bike in the car and drive somewhere to go for a ride), similarly now do more cycle touring / train combo holidays than pack bike and fly somewhere else to ride (again, big motivation is reducing carbon emissions).

So I guess I have ‘green inclinations’ but that isn’t the reason why I have ‘no kids’

Looks like a superb trip – will be settling down to read you blog later!

Canada tour looks ace as well.

Ton – I agree, I prefer touring to mountain biking now. Love the sense of going on a journey, and exploring different places as I go.