This was nice to read:
WEIGHING in at 20st, Lindsey Cooper had problems getting on a bike, never mind riding one.
However, the 45-year-old set out on a mission to shed the pounds, and now, 13 months on and 8st 7lb lighter, Lindsey is taking part in a gruelling 250-mile charity bike ride across Cuba, above.
link
This not so much:
A MAJOR city centre route has reopened and a motorist arrested after an accident left a cyclist fighting for his life.
…
The collision was between a bike and an Orange Fiat Punto and it happened opposite the Millbrook Star filling station shortly after 7.20am.
link
And, er, the accompanying image? Traffic chaos in Southampton.
One more: a giant toaster
IT has been described as a giant toaster but Rhinopatch – the infrared road repair machine – is Southampton’s latest weapon in the fight against potholes.
[…]
Working like a toaster, the machine melts and resets the road instead of digging it up and replacing it.
Now may be a good time to go back to fillthathole.
link
this isn’t what they mean when they say cycling isn’t safe.
A TEN-year-old boy has been robbed at knifepoint as he cycled home from buying sweets.
A hooded youth, believed to be in his early teens, threatened Craig Moylan with a penknife at the end of a subway. Craig was only five minutes from his house.
The youngster was forced to hand over his bike which was a birthday present from his dad.
daily echo
Cyclist killed on Itchen bridge during a group ride Wednesday evening:
BBC news
Cyclist killed in Portsmouth at a junction last Saturday:
portsmouth.co.uk
two articles from the daily echo:
Two bikes crash on Lodge Road
… bikes need brake lights.
NSPCC charity ride next weekend
round and round and round she goes, and where she stops nobody knows…
CTC policy co-ordinator Chris Peck said it was important to ask why a minority of cyclists used pavements instead of the roads or went through red lights.
Mr Peck said CTC wanted to see road rules “rewritten” to help cyclists.
The AA said the behaviour of some cyclists effectively meant there were “two tribes” at war on the roads.
Is Britain really getting on its on bike - The Independent votes yes:
* More and more people are discovering the benefits of cycling – both to themselves and to the environment
* Car use at current levels is unsustainable in the long run. Cycling is the obvious alternative for short journeys
* ‘Liveability’ is the watchword in today’s urban environment. Bicycles contribute to this ideal – cars do not
Cheered me up a bit, that article.
The Daily Echo reports on Friday’s naked bike ride:
Drivers honked their horns in support as the cyclists, who had started from the eastern side of Southampton Common at Highfield, passed through Portswood.
By the time they reached the city centre, rounded the Bargate and headed up into Above Bar small crowds were waiting with their cameras ready to capture the revealing scenes.
City centre shop workers finishing for the day and restaurant customers enjoying food and drink in the sunshine also stopped to cheer on the protestors.
Watch the echo video
Watch James’ Youtube Video
Echo article
Southern Daily Echo reports,
The city council is shamed as having fixed just one fifth of road “hazards” reported to it by cyclists over the past year - among the worst records in the country.
Keep reporting them kids: fillthathole.org.uk.
Read the article at the Daily Echo online.
Four out of five children nationally are banned from cycling to school by their parents, due to parents fears for their safety. Cycle training could increase parents’ confidence and help children reclaim some freedom.
This is what parents are afraid of … teenage cyclist killed in a collision with a lorry. Sad news ):
Cambridge: firms offered cash incentive to improve cycling facilities (do office showers count as cyclist facilities?). “The scheme advises companies on quality cycle stands that cyclists want to use, thereby encouraging them to cycle more often.” Apparently nearly 25% of stolen bikes are never replaced — so reducing bike theft is surely important in keeping people cycling!
On a related note - Southampton University staff may be interested to know that the Cycle2Work scheme will be running for the first two weeks in June. See the BUN site for more info.
New cycle facilities in Surrey beauty spots For those people finding this site searching for Southampton to London cycle routes, how about via Surrey? 
Today’s online echo has an article about the naked bike ride to be held in Southampton on June 6th:
Organiser Thea Bjaarland, who stripped off in public for the first time at last year’s event, said: “The Naked Bike Ride is a peaceful, imaginative and fun protest against oil dependency and car culture.
“It’s a celebration of the bicycle and also a celebration of the power and individuality of the human body.
“It is also a symbol of the vulnerability of the cyclist in traffic.
“The message to people is come as bare as you dare.
Read the article
