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CYCLE CLIPSJuly 2005 |
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CYCLE CLIPSJuly 2005 |
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Newsletter
of CTC Grampian DA
This is the second time since we started the CLIPS, that Sheila writes
an obituary for one of our members. It seems to me that it is always the best
people that go first.
ALISON MATTINGLEY (1951 - 2005)
Alison Mattingley, who will be known to so many, if not all of you, died
on the 4 April, after sustaining severe injuries in a fall from her bike on the
previous day on the first stage of her latest tour with Roger, which was due to
take them to Prague in the Czech Republic, and then back to Britain via
Zebrugge in Belgium.
A former nurse and school bus driver, Ali was a keen, experienced and
very competent cyclist. Alison had not only run the Cycle Training at her local
school for many years, but had also encouraged children by taking them on cycle
rides and she always had a group of youngsters with her on charity rides in the
area.
She was a long serving member of the Grampian DA committee, co-ordinator
of the easy paced runs and organiser of treasure hunts and the map reading
challenge. With Roger she hosted innumerable very popular social events at
their home, and the Anvil barbecue was always a huge success. We were all
always made to feel so welcome in her home. For years her home has been on the
CTC hospitality list, and when the inaugural North Sea Cycle Ride came to
Stonehaven, its participants naturally stayed at the Mattingley's home.
Ali was a regular rider on the club runs and noted
for her superb fitness, speed and stamina. Nevertheless she found the time to
pursue her love of hillwalking, to cycle to the west coast, to go off on
adventures to Spain and Portugal, and to participate in the KM Rally and the
Forfar Rally. Indeed Alison won the DATC trophy in 2000.
A few years ago, Alison and Roger began to ride Audaxes, and she was a
well kent figure in Audax Ecosse and further afield. Riding Audaxes naturally
led to the organisation of the Deeside Audax with Roger, which has become a
successful weekend fixture in September, another pioneering venture for the
region.
More recently with Roger, Ali's overseas adventures
have been an inspiration to us all. In 2002 after retiring from work they
cycled coast to coast across Canada. This was followed by an equally demanding
trip to New Zealand and the Far East. The conditions in Cambodia prompted their
sponsorship of a child in a local community.
In memory of Alison, Roger and Rachel recently completed the last stages
of their planned European tour and in the future Roger hopes to visit the
village in Cambodia.
She was a very special friend.
Through the Aberdeen Cycling Forum, we don’t only hear bad news, but
also good news. Within the next year £50,000 was voted for cycling (from the
Safer Streets Budget) and another £50,000 is forthcoming soon from a special
fund in NESTRANS (North East Transport authority). However, that is nothing
compared with the couple of million coming our way from the Scottish Executive
and Sustrans. Their “Integrated Transport” fund will pay for a cycle route from
the Formartine and Buchan Way at Dyce Station to the City Centre, probably
involving a new cycle/pedestrian bridge across the Don.
Dr Colin Guthrie wrote to The Herald with some aspic advice.
1. Do not ride a
bike unless you are an aggressive bastard of the first order.
2. Assume that you
are the moving target in a computer game where vehicles exist for the sole
purpose of hitting you.
I am not convinced that these are the best pieces of advice to give to
novice cyclists.
In 2001, I reported that a record number of cars had been sold in the
UK, 2.5 million of them. That is now old hat: last year 3.2 million new
vehicles were registered. Now there are over 32 million cars on the road and
about 800,000 lorries. Most of those vehicles are actually in use and on the
road, as opposed to the ten million bicycles, most of which only come out when
the sun shines. Any advice what to do about the car virus?
On a long ride near Portsoy, we saw a man in a saloon car overtake us.
There was a lamb on the back seat. “Sunday lunch!” said Derek. From far behind
I heard Jacqui in her sternest voice: “I heard that!” From this, I concluded
she is a vegetarian.
On 22 May, Sandy and six other intrepid souls set out for the crossing
of the Fir Mounth, a trek of over 90 miles, with a fourteen mile walk on the
Mounth. Starting at 7.30 a.m. it involved the ride via Fettercairn to Tarfside.
There, however, the heavens opened with lightning, thunder and hailstones,
followed by a tropical rain. We found a barn with doors wide open. At that
point, we had done 49 miles. We were soaked and shivering. It was a unanimous
decision to turn back.
A week later, we read in the papers that a party of seven walkers had to
be rescued from the Fir Mounth by Mountain Rescue. They had got lost in the
mist. Having started at midday, the party was disoriented and it took the
rescuers until midnight to find them. It could have happened to us. We have got
lost before.
Dawes Giro 300. 49cm. Red. Only done 66 miles on dry, clean roads so
just like a spanking new bike. Cost £400 new so reasonable offer please.
Contact Brian on 01569 740692.
Alloy seat post 27cm c 2cm new unused (value around £14 a few years
ago). ‘Soubitez’ dynamo and bracket assembly, new unused (about 10 years old!).
No money, just good homes. Contact Rachel via Maureen 01224 573417.
“We slept warmly, but had
overlooked the need to commune with nature, it took frantic searching through
layers of clothing to locate one’s willy, some never did and had to sleep with
a damp leg. Gunner Maunders solved the problem! He slid a four foot length of
bicycle inner tube over his willy, secured it round his waist with string, he
just had to stand and let go. Jealous Gunner White sabotaged it. As Maunders
slept, fiend White tied knots in the bottom of the tube.” (This was sent in
by Bill Taylor as an addition to Gordon MacKay’s 101 Uses for an Inner Tube.
Bill occasionally sends me unsuitable material, Thank you Bill).
As you may know, the Dutch do not admire the Belgians. I recently read
the following Feuillet d’Amour from Belgium:
Dearest Jeanne,
I would swim the
oceans just to touch your hand. I would climb all the hills in the Ardennes for
a smile from your lips. I would cross deserts for a glance from your lovely
eyes.
Forever your slave,
Michel
PS: I’ll see you
Saturday, if it doesn’t rain.
One of the younger members of our District Association found the poetry
below most amusing and appropriate for the Cycle Clips. I do not know what she
was thinking of:
Zantac and Prozac
and needles for knitting
Walkers and
handrails and new dental fittings
Bundles of Hello
mags tied up with string
These are a few of
my favourite things
Cataracts and
stairlifts, hearing aids and glasses
Polident, Fixodent
and false teeth in glasses
Pacemakers, golf
carts and porches with swings
These are a few of
my favourite things
When the pipes leak
When the bones creak
When the knees go
bad
I simply remember my
favourite things
And then I don’t
feel so bad
Hot tea and
crumpets, and corn pads for bunions
No spicy hot food or
food cooked with onions
Bathrobes and
heatpads and hot meals they bring
These are a few of
my favourite things
Back pains, confused
brains, and no fear of sinnin’
Thin bones and
fractures and hair that is thinnin’
And we won’t mention
our short shrunken frames
When we remember our
favourite things
When the joints ache
When the hips break
When the eyes grow
dim
Then I remember the
great life I've had
And then I don’t
feel so bad.
We learnt something new on our car-assist trip in May. In Fordyce, we
visited a workshop where an artist called Tom Holbrough talked about his work,
stone carving and woodcarving. Granite that is newly cut from the earth is
easier to work than granite that has been exposed to the environment. Not many
people know that. Fordyce is a place worth a visit and the name means Cold
South. Why? Nobody knows. Does Dyce mean cold or south?
Gordon MacKay wrote a letter to his MP, Anne Begg. In it, he objected to
the compulsory wearing of helmets. Anne supports the Govt’s view that “whilst the use of helmets is to be
encouraged, it would be counterproductive to make it compulsory”.
Attached to the letter was the Research Paper 04/20 from the House of
Commons Library. Very interesting. Twenty-eight pages. Of course, your MP has
to read all those pages, in addition to another ten of these research papers.
That’s how they earn their keep. One interesting stat I cannot withhold from
you, the interested reader: In 1985 six billion km were cycled by the likes of
you and me, and 250 billion km were driven in cars. However, in 2002 only four
billion km were cycled, whilst cars drove near enough 400 billion km. Is there
a connection between these numbers, you may ask? And the answer is easy: Cars
deter bikes.
A transport planner in Cambridge City Council by the name of James
Thomas feels that cars are as addictive as nicotine: “I propose that Government introduce a ban on the advertising of cars”.
Promote that man, I say. Give him a medal.
On 11 June about 200 people without any clothes on cycled through London
taking part in the WNBR (World Naked Bike Ride). The ride is 10 km long. They
protested against oil dependency and celebrated the body. There were no photos
in the papers I read. (I don’t read the right papers). Should we start a WNBR
ride in Aberdeen, instead of Try Cycling?
During the May election, I was on the
lookout for interesting and original plans. The MLRP won hands down: To improve fitness in the general population
and combat obesity, at the same time fighting global warming: All TV sets and
home computers must be powered only by people pedalling "exer-cycle"
generators.
I was frustrated because in my constituency there was no MLRP candidate.
A worldwide study by the above Club has revealed that 45.4 percent of
airport luggage carousels turn in an anti-clockwise direction. The data comes
from 357 airports. They don’t say whether the direction reverses in the
Southern Hemisphere (which is what I would expect). If you believe you are
dull, you can become a member on the Web. Then you get a certificate, a
baseball cap, a T-shirt and a mug.
Car ownership is still growing by about 4% per year. If we get lots of
people on their bikes to go to the shops, to work or to school, the car owners
will be very grateful for creating enough space so they can drive their cars.
Last year 3.2 million cars were sold in Britain, just about the same as the
year before. From previous figures I remember that about 800,000 cars are
disposed of every year. This means that just over the last two years car
numbers have increased by over 4 million. “Fighting against the cobblestones”
is a Dutch expression: in other words, it is hopeless. (“Vechten tegen de
bierkaaien” sounds much better).
Jacqui Cameron reports:
You might be interested to hear the cycling stats have increased again
in my place of work; we now have 25% of staff riding a bike to work on a
regular basis. I am in the process of trying to get some suitable cycle storage
for all concerned. It's easier convincing people to ride a bike than getting a
company to pay for cycle storage!!
I receive the weekly (!) newsletter Cycle Shorts from the above
loiterers. Occasionally it contains wisdom. This is about “honking”, I believe:
Finally, think about
why you ride – is it just to enjoy the ride (which is fine) or is it to get
fit/fitter; develop strength – standing up turning a bigger gear uphill
develops upper body strength much more than sitting spinning a lower gear;
James correctly refers to the potential danger
of getting a knee injury from turning a big gear compared to lower gears.
However, I believe that this is more likely to happen if you try to struggle
uphill sitting in the saddle in a gear that is clearly too big for you.
Conversely if you are turning a big gear that you can cope with and stand up on
the pedals the stress on knees is significantly reduced even compared to
sitting down spinning a low gear (its still hard even in a low gear remember –
there is no really easy way to get up a steep hill on a bike!), basically it’s
the seated position that stresses the knees. Mike
Bissell
Cyclists using First ScotRail's services now benefit from a free cycle
rescue service. If a customer is unable to complete the bike portion of their
journey as a result of an accident, vandalism or an irreparable breakdown, the
rescue service will provide safe transport to the nearest cycle repair shop,
railway station, car rental agency, overnight accommodation or their home if
nearer.
Alan Cowking has recently completed his second cycling pilgrimage to
Santiago de Compostela, this time starting from Seville. After Santiago, Alan
and his two companions from Plymouth DA then continued to Cape Finistierre,
where, some 1100 years ago, the bones of Saint James (Santiago) the Apostle
were famously brought ashore.
Alan speaks modestly about this 1300km cycling achievement because, as
is well known, pilgrims should not be too pleased with themselves. However, he
explains that since he now has two pilgrim’s certificates he can go straight to
Heaven whenever he wants, without having to spend any time at all in Purgatory
(you get half time off from Purgatory for each pilgrimage done, regardless of
how much you’ve sinned). Alan’s Dawes hybrid has also done the pilgrimage twice
and so is now considered to be an unusually holy bike for its age.
He lived some time in the 19th century and I admire his outlook on life.
At one time, he wrote Book Reviews for the Edinburgh Review. His philosophy: “I never read a book before reviewing it, it
prejudices one so”. What a sensible man.
Congratulations are in order to John Taylor from Dumfries. He has
succeeded in getting the CTC Birthday Rides to Scotland. The dates for your next
year diary: 5-11 August 2006 in Dumfries. We will provide further information
nearer the date.
“Who is he?” some of you will ask. The inventor if the bicycle was a
blacksmith in Dumfries and Galloway. On his homemade bike, he rode 70 miles to
Glasgow in one day in 1853. To commemorate this feat, every year the KM rides
are held in Dumfries and they attract some 100 riders. Since Dumfries will be
organising the Birthday rides, the Grampian CTC offered to hold the rides here
over a four-day fest from 26 to 31 May 2006.
Gordon Mackay invites everybody who is interested in these rides to come
to his house on 28 July at 7.30 pm. During the meeting, he will discuss with
the group the best way to organise the four-day event (26-31 May 2006). The
event will be based on Templars where cyclists may camp. Close by is the Lower
Deeside Caravan Park and the Old Mill Inn.
Gordon’s e-mail address is
gordon_mackay@lineone.net. Please let him know that you are coming to
the meeting.
I have been thinking again. During long uphill climbs, the brain wants
something to do. Those physicists keep talking of space with 11 dimensions and
I am trying to get my head round the concept. When I am climbing, I am aware of
two dimensions, up or down. Then there is left and right. Stopping at junctions
with the Wobbly Wheelers we have discussed whether the road is sharp left or
sharp right or forked, or if it is a T-junction. That makes eight dimensions. I
am still trying to find the other three.
Which of the following four items is the most ridiculous? (Two of the
four are not (yet) real and were made up by the Editor. Which ones?
1: Sweat Net £14.95. Stretch this between handlebar and seat pin to
catch sweat that could otherwise cause corrosion on your frame.
2. Bottled Mud £12.99. Spray this over your bike or your Chelsea
Tractor. It will raise envy among your neighbours: you have been out communing
with nature.
3. Holzrader £39.99. Also known as Eurorad, this wheel is manufactured
from the finest selection of native timber. Treated with snake oil it combines
lightweight with strength.
3
Exerfragrance £19.99. Spray this all over your skin. Your girlfriends will vie
for your attention: a man who exercises his body.
The next issue
of Cycle Clips will be published in October 2005. Any comments and
contributions to Gerard by 10 September at 01224 734799 or to gerardvlaar@yahoo.com
Web: www.ctcgrampian.org.uk
Secretary: 01224 639012
(sheila.rusbridge@btinternet.com)