From the Daily Telegraph:
Geoffrey Williams
A British adventurer who used the same bike to travel more than 30,000 miles through over 30 countries has had the cycle stolen from his backgarden.
Geoffrey Williams, 53, pedalled across the vast Sahara Desert and escaped from a Hungarian jail during his epic travels on the 1949 touring bike.
He also narrowly avoided being shot by border guards as he travelled from Hungary to the old Yugoslavia with nephew Philip ‘Phizzy’ Middleton, 42.
The cycle has survived numerous crashes including one which was so serious that Mr Williams had to undergo surgery on his back.
But now the yellow bike, nicknamed Celia, has gone missing after thieves managed to negotiate 7ft-high gates, a metal chain and two padlocks.
If you have any information about the stolen bike, please contact Hampshire Police.
Change4Life is here to help families eat well, move more and live longer. A great way to keep active and stay healthy – and spend time together as a family – is getting out and about on a bike.
Nearly anyone, at any age, can learn to ride a bike. Bike4Life offers useful cycling tips and information, from advice on buying a bike to fun ways to make a trip even more enjoyable.
For ideas to help families in your area get on their bikes, visit www.nhs.uk/change4life and click on ‘partners and supporters’ to download the Bike4Life toolkit (or follow our link on this page).
SIMPLY FABULOUS
Location: BELLEMOOR RD ENTRANCE TO SOUTHAMPTON COMMON
Description: SIMPLY FABULOUS this SATURDAY Oct 24 sees the launch of a new group aimed at ladies who would cycle more if only . . . . . . . . .
* the roads were safer and
* motorists didn’t terrorise them
* they didn’t feel self conscious and
* it didn’t rain so often
* they didn’t get sweaty or
* have to dress in lycra
* they didn’t have to wear a helmet and
* they were a bit fitter
* they had more time and
* more people did it and
* it was NORMAL . . . .
MEET US 1015 AT BELLEMOOR RD ENTRANCE TO SOUTHAMPTON COMMON AND LET US DISPEL THESE MYTHS and show you how to be simply fabulous. JOIN US FOR A GENTLE RIDE WITH A COFFEE STOP PERHAPS AND WE’LL BE BACK BY NOON.
NO CHARGE (EXCEPT MAYBE A CAKE WITH MY COFFEE?)
Dilys Gartside
CycleWise ‘change your travel habits’
t. 023 8077 7472
e. CycleWise@aol.com
Start Time: 10:15
Date: 2010-10-24
End Time: 12:00
Are you are sick and tired of vehicles blocking cycle lanes? Mybikelane.com is a website where you can upload photos and have a bit of a rant, without getting into an altercation with an angry driver. There are already sites for http://london.mybikelane.com/ and Oxford, many containing pictures of ice cream vans.
I have created Southampton as a new city on the site, so if cars parked in cycle lanes are getting you down, photograph them and post anonymously here: http://southampton.mybikelane.com/post/add
‘Sorry Mate I Didn’t See You’ is often the excuse drivers use after a collision with a cyclist, and such incidents are sometimes not taken seriously by the police and legal system. To try and put an end to this culture, CTC has launched a new campaign called Stop SMIDSY – because sometimes sorry just isn’t enough. We are calling on all cyclists to add their voices to the new campaign by encouraging them to report crashes and near misses on the Stop SMIDSY website, in order to build up a picture of how cyclists are treated by other road users, with the ultimate aim of transforming attitudes to bad driving. The website also enables you to report dangerous and threatening behaviour, as well as find information on the law, get practical tips on dealing with bad driving and seek legal support via CTC’s Accident Line.
The latest newsletter (October 09) is available for download in [pdf] or [MS Word] formats. Highlights of this issue include:
- Forthcoming Events
- Cycling in Above Bar
- Members discount
- Cycle Forum
- Southampton Rights of Way
- Cycle lanes can make roads more dangerous for cyclists
- Going against the flow
- Sustrans “motion for women” petition
- Stop ‘Smidsy’
- Car free day
- Bikes on trains
- Contact Information and Membership application
Every September 22, people from around the world get together in the streets, intersections, and neighbourhood blocks to remind the world that we don’t have to accept our car-dominated society.
But we do not want just one day of celebration and then a return to “normal” life. When people get out of their cars, they should stay out of their cars. It is up to us, it is up to our cities, and our governments to help create permanent change to benefit pedestrians, cyclists, and other people who do not drive cars.
Let World Carfree Day be a showcase for just how our cities might look like, feel like, and sound like without cars…365 days a year.
As the climate heats up, World Carfree Day is the perfect time to take the heat off the planet, and put it on city planners and politicians to give priority to cycling, walking and public transport, instead of to the automobile.
So take the time, browse the links and resources provided, and join in on the celebrations!
http://www.worldcarfree.net/wcfd/
Many of you will know Gerry of Toppers the hairdresser in Shirley as someone with a lovely smile, a kind word and a readiness always to help. For many months Gerry and his pal have been busy planning a sponsored bike ride of the South Downs Way to raise funds for Eastleigh Friends of People with Learning Disabilities Regd Charity No 1040278. However, sometime between last Tues night and Fri morning 2-3 Sept, Gerry was the victim of a mean burglar who entered his home and took all of his three bicycles just hours before the big day. A lesser man would have been defeated by this but Gerry, unwilling to let down his sponsors, set off on foot at 6.30am and walked – YES, WALKED – the 36 mile route which crosses rough and stony ground for much of its way.
Just maybe Bike Burglar or someone in the know will see this letter and have their conscience touched. As with most cyclists, Gerry’s bikes mean much more to him than the money they may fetch – they are an extension of him and his means of transport.
A full description of the bikes can be seen at www.southamptoncyclingcampaign.org.uk but please look out for them.
- Bike 1 is a ‘Fort’ black road bike
- Bike 2 is a ‘Scott’ red, black & silver mountain bike
- Bike 3 is a ‘Trek’ green & silver hybrid bike
You can return the bikes to Gerry directly or to a local Police Station but do tell them the burglary address or the bikes may never get back to him. As a reward for their return, I am offering a National Standard road cycling skills two lessons course with no questions asked.
Dilys Gartside – Nationally Accredited Cycling Instructor
CycleWise ‘change your travel habits’
t. 023 8077 7472
http://www.cyclewisesouthampton.co.uk/
Southampton has marked national Bike Week with a series of popular events reaching out to new and old cyclists across the city.
On Saturday, the Family Bike Cavalcade was graced by VIPs including the Mayor of Southampton and city MP Alan Whitehead. Stuart Mason-Elliott joined the ride on his 1874 Penny Farthing (fresh from his triumph at the head of the Naked Bike Ride the previous evening!). Riders followed a loop from Bargate to Mayflower Park then up the parks to the Peace Fountain.
The following day, the Big Bike Celebration, organised as part of the Sutrans Street-tread project, featured an array of displays and activities, including the try-a-bike arena with The Company of Cyclists, mountain bike displays by M.A.D. (Europe’s largest stunt/trials display team), a bicycle smoothie-maker, and the Bike Doctor providing a free health check for bikes.
Yet to come we have Five Miles to Fabulous (June 20), a five mile, easy ride aimed specifically at women, and promoting the health and fitness benefits of cycling.
The latest Portsmouth Cycle Forum Newsletter has just been produced. You can find it on
‘Pompeybug’ at: http://www.pompeybug.org.uk/news/18047159357.ikml
