Lance Armstrong - the greatest cyclist who never was?

With the shock news that Lance Armstrong will no longer contest doping charges, where does this leave his record?
It should be pointed out that he has admitted nothing, and that he states that the anti-doping agency USADA has no jurisdiction over his titles as they didn't award them.

The main evidence against Mr Armstrong is circumstantial.

1. Several of his team mates have been caught doping (with blood transfusions and/or EPO and/or steroids, detectable or otherwise)
2. Many (perhaps even most) of the riders in the earlier part of his period of success (the early 2000s) were doping (with blood transfusions and/or EPO and/or steroids, detectable or otherwise)

So the logic goes like this:
if Lance Armstrong was so successful in a period where "cheating" was commonplace, how could he win so many times without also "cheating"?

The best bike I never bought (yet!)

I saw a Gazelle the last time I was in Oxford - no, not a fast moving animal in a zoo park, but a Dutch bike locked to some railings!

Look at the simple, practical, features it has:

• a three-speed hub gear
• a nice sturdy carrier
• "proper" full-length mudguards
• a built in stand (at the back of the carrier)
• a full chainguard to keep the grot off your trousers/skirt/legs
• a front hub dynamo and built in lights (although the front light is missing from the bike pictured!)
• a relaxed sit-up-and-beg riding position

Bit of shopping

Last night, after work, I popped into one of the supermarkets in town.
Just got a few bits in my front basket.
Then home again.

Today's shop - a half a gallon (imperial) of milk (2.2 litres), potatoes, cartons of orange juice, and (underneath the juice - out of sight) a can of baked beans and a can of peas.

This is what a bike is ideal for - those trips when you just want a few bits

Pictures: our BikeBins after two years of use

We've had our BikeBins hard-sided pannier boxes (read our original review of them here) for a little over two years now.
So here's some pictures of how they are getting on:

The Cycle Caravan

I came across this recently, and I thought I'd share it with you.


It's a Pathe news clip from 1939, and it shows two people pulling a small caravan by bike. Then after that I will describe what "modern" options exist.

Angling for a ride ...

surely one of the best ideas for a "custom" bicycle is:
the Anglerfish art bike by Group D Creative Collective in Australia, recently seen in the Sydney VIVID 2012 festival.

The bikes are clothed in a tub-like structure, then wrapped in cloth, then illuminated from within - giving the effect of a lighted giant fish moving along as the cycle is pedaled.

See their work here: