Bicycling on the increase

Bicycling is on the up!
Halfords, a large retail chain that sells cycles and cycling accessories as well as autombile parts and accessories, has reported a rise in sales in the last three months.
halfords claims to be the biggest cycle retailer in the UK, with sales of one million cycles a year.
The BBC attributes the rise in Halfords' sales to the interest generated by having a Britain win the Tour de France and the success of British cyclists at the recent London Olympics.

sources:
BBC
Halfords

Time to get the lights out

Summer is pretty much over, with the darker mornings and evenings of Autumn upon us.
Last Saturday I went for an evening trip to my local supermarket for a few groceries, finishing at about 8 p.m.
It was, of course, dark outside (the "official" sunset time here was about half-past seven).
So time to switch the lights on for the cycle home.

One of the many things I like about my little bike is that it has a dynamo and fixed lights.

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