Queen Elizabeth Country Park on 17th September

We’ve firmed up our plans for our day at Queen Elizabeth Country Park.

We’ll be offering free cycling to anyone who would like to try our range of specialist cycles. Our collection of bikes and trikes are great for folks whose physical, learning or sensory impairments mean that a regular two-wheeler won’t cut the mustard.

Hand-powered trikes – a great alternative to leg-power

Side-by-side and tandem trikes – stable sociable cycling for anyone who needs a bit of support

Trikes – an alternative to bikes if your balance isn’t great

Tandems – Lots of fun for two people.

Queen Elizabeth Country Park is situated on the A3 near Horndean and Petersfield. We’ll be around from 10am until around 3pm.

Individuals: Feel free to turn up during the day. Get in touch first if you’d like to know more.

Groups: Please contact me on 07717 721511 or clive.andrews@ctc.org.uk

Thursday – the best day to ride at Alice Holt

We’ve been running cycling for people with disabilities since May at Alice Holt. And it’s been great, with hundreds of people joining in.

Now, to make it easier for you to know when you can ride with us, we’re establishing Thursdays as the best day to come riding if your physical, learning or sensory impairment means you’d like to use our specialist cycles.

If you’d like to ride, you can just turn up at Alice Holt Forest on a Thursday, between 10 and 3, and I (or one of my colleagues) will be ready to help you. There will be others using our equipment, so you may need to wait a few minutes while someone else finishes their turn on a particular cycle.

It’s still possible to ride at other times, but please call me on 07717 721511 to book a time if that’s what you’d like to do.

Groups: We love groups! It’s so much fun riding with your friends. If you are part of a group who would like to use our equipment, please contact me on 07717 721511 or clive.andrews@ctc.org.uk, whether you’re keen to come on a Thursday or another time.

Bike helmets in disguise – perfect for the fashion-conscious

At CTC, we’re open-minded about the issue of bike helmets. We want everyone to be safe, but we’re undecided about all the safety arguments, and we’d never want to see a law making helmet use compulsory – we’re not fans of anything that may discourage more folks from getting onto two wheels.

Personally, I’m a helmet wearer, and you’ll generally see me sporting one, whether I’m on the road in London, or off-road at Alice Holt Forest. But some folks don’t like bike helmets, partly because of the way they look.

Well check this out – if, for some reason, you don’t want to be seen wearing a bike helmet, a Danish company called Yakkay has developed a system which lets you disguise your helmet as a regular hat. I’m not sure why anyone really would need to disguise their bike helmet, but if you’re particularly fashion conscious, the Yakkay bicycle helmet looks interesting – though slightly odd in my opinion.

If you’re in the East Hampshire area and you’d like any cycling advice, on helmets or any other topic, then feel free to get in touch with me at clive.andrews@ctc.org.uk or on 07717 721511.

Disability Cycling at Queen Elizabeth Country Park, near Horndean

Exciting news!

We’ve been welocmeing new cyclists at Alice Holt Forest since May, and we’ve had a lot of fun. But up here in the north of the East Hampshire District, it’s a long way to come for anyone who lives further south, including potential cyclists around Petersfield.

So, I’m really pleased to announce that on Wednesday 17th September, we’ll be hosting our first disability cycling ‘Cycling for All’ day at Queen Elizabeth Country Park.

A good range of bikes tailored for anyone who finds a two-wheeler unsuitable, plus expert help to get you rolling.

More details coming shortly, but put the date in your diaries – Wednesday 17th September!

Busy Times – Big Smiles

We’re having busy busy time of it right now.

Our disability cycling sessions really seem to have picked up, with regular visitors coming every week.

I’ve had help recently from Helen, an intern spending time with CTC following her graduation from Durham University. Helen’s been a great help while we’ve been so busy, as many of our recent cyclists will agree.

I love it when our new cyclists tell me what they think of what they’re doing. And last week, I got some of our most memorable feedback yet, from a young man visiting as part of the Independent Living Group.

This bike is the best fun I’ve EVER had!

Kind of makes it all worthwhile, doesn’t it?

Bike Security Advice

I was just phoned by Delta Radio, who chatted to me for a few minutes about the tricky issue of bike security.

Our local police force, Hampshire Constabulary, have issued a press release warning everyone to think carefully about the security of their bikes, and I’m happy to help re-enforce the message.

The best advice I can offer is to consult the ‘Locks and Security’ page of the CTC website, for expert tips on keeping your bike safe.

Do You Believe Everything You Read in the Papers?

During my train ride in to work this morning, I was flicking through the pages of the Metro – the free tabloid that’s given out at London railway stations.

I noticed a letter written by a reader in response to an article about fuel taxation. The letter was criticising Friends of the Earth for comments they’d made about car ownership. I spotted these words:

Many of us are too old and unfit to ride bicycles…

I wonder if this is really the case? Are people put off cycling because they think they are too old or too unfit?

So how old is ‘old’?

And how unfit is ‘unfit’?

We’re trying to give everyone the chance to try cycling at East Hampshire Cycling for All.

If you, like the writer of the letter I spotted in the Metro, fear you may be too unfit, or too old to cycle, maybe you should come along to our next Forest Discovery Ride, when everyone is welcome on a relaxed traffic-free forest ride.

Of course, if your fitness really does concern you, a visit to the doctor may be wise, but rest assured there will be no rush and no pressure – we’ll be taking it nice and easy.

If you’d like to know more, let me know by emailing me or phoning me on 07717 721511

14th August 6.30pm – Next Forest Discovery Ride at Alice Holt Forest

We’ve now enjoyed two Forest Discovery Rides at Alice Holt Forest – chilled out evening jollies with no rush, a laid-back atmosphere and tips and advice from friendly cycling experts.

When you’re riding with friends out of the way of the traffic, it’s amazing how easy it is to ride a gentle five miles.

Here’s a photo of Pat and Paul on our first ride. Paul, one of our friendly expert volunteers, took a couple of photos last Thursday – I wonder how they came out. Paul?

Our next ride will be on Thursday 14th August. We’ll assemble by the café at Alice Holt Forest at 6.15pm, ready to ride at 6.30pm.

Why might you want to come along? Our Forest Discovery Rides are FREE and are great if:

• You’d like to try a short bike ride, but you’d like to avoid the traffic
• You haven’t ridden for a while and you’re not sure you remember how it’s done
• You’d like some friendly tips on using your gears to help with hills
• You’d like to meet other people who enjoy gentle bike rides
• You’d like to see some more of Alice Holt Forest – the parts that are hard to reach on foot or by car

If you don’t have a bike, let me know, and I’ll help you find one to use for the evening. If you’re definitely up for coming, let me know by email or by phone ( 07717 721511) but I don’t mind if you just turn up on the night.

See you next Thursday!