Here's this week's news and reports....

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RIDE REPORT

UP TO THE CITY 24/08/08

For such a large group of cyclists (335 of us and counting...), we've
a surprising shortage of people willing to lead rides. So it was
absolutely fantastic when Martin from the Wandsworth Cycling Campaign
offered to lead us on one of his regular rides. 15 people turned up in
dreary drizzle and took a fairly direct route over Tooting Common and
Clapham Common to Battersea Park where we picked up a 16th rider at
the morning cafe stop. Taking a direct route down Queenstown Rd saved
us meandering around backstreets and it's not very busy on a Sunday
morning so we were at Battersea in good time.

After coffee, we had a quick look at Sustrans' "Bridge To Nowhere",
slung underneath Chelsea Bridge, patiently waiting for the riverside
path alongside Battersea Power Station to finally be opened up. Then
we retreated. Once you've crossed north of the river, the sights come
thick and fast. First Scotland Yard, then Westminster Abbey appeared
from a new angle (for me!), framed by the Palace of Westminster and
the Central Methodist Hall. Next was 10 Downing St, the Old Bailey,
the Bank of England, St Pauls and before you know it, it's the cobbled
streets of Wapping and Limehouse. There's surely no better way to see
this city than by bicycle on a Sunday when the roads are quiet.

Large groups can sometimes struggle to get served in busy pubs. We
passed Booty's near Limehouse at 12:30 and decided that it would be a
good time to stop. No beer garden but bike racks opposite. Great view
of the Thames but food a bit dodgy and it's cheeky to add 10% service
charge when drinks and food are ordered at the bar. At least our bikes
were still there when we came out.

A Thames Path closure at Docklands put us into the miserable service
road tunnel roundabout but we emerged to a nice ride down to Island
Gardens where we crossed under the Thames using the foot tunnel to
Greenwich. An optional ferry excursion to Westminster was rejected in
favour of the Waterlink Way. It's always popular but it was definitely
the right choice today. As we passed Cornmill Gardens in Lewisham, we
stopped to watch a large brass band playing on the grass. A few tents
had been assembled and flags erected. I asked what the occasion was
and it turned out to be Lewisham's celebration of London becoming the
Olympic city. We were then invited to partake of the strawberries and
cream and fresh lemonade whilst we sat on the grass in the warm sun
soaking up the sounds!

The unexpected early afternoon stop meant we sailed past the cafe in
Ladywell Fields. The oddest thing has happened here. The river was
diverted to take it closer to the cafe (seriously!) and a few play
items installed for the kids. Now you often see people picnicking and
enjoying the river whereas before it just passed by unnoticed behind a
fence. We continued to the swirly bridge (everyone should try this one
out at least once) and alongside the various river paths and parks,
opting to skip another afternoon stop at Beckenham Place Park, all the
way to South Norwood Country Park where a puncture brought us to a
halt.

Once we'd jiggled through back roads into Croydon town centre, the
ride had dissipated. No one went back to the library but if they had,
it would have been a 34 mile, flat, ride. See the pix on Flickr at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pollardshillcyclists/sets/72157606928166416
or
http://tinyurl.com/phc006

===

PHC BEDDINGTON PARK PICNIC

Anyone fancy testing out the new BBQ facilities in Beddington Park on
Thursday evening? There are 4 or 5 brand new BBQ stations and several
picnic benches. It looks as though you just take along your own
disposable BBQ and place it on the shelf. The weather forecast is
currently good. Bring your own food and drink. It's near the cafe so
there's car parking if you aren't on your bike. Use the Church Rd
entrance. Beddington Park lies between Beddington, Wallington and
Carshalton.

The BBQ spot is here:

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=529275&Y=165533&A=Y&Z=1

I'll be there between 7:00 and 8:30pm. Come and join me - all welcome!

Don't forget that the Saturday bike rides are still taking place in
the park. Very slightly slower than our normal Sunday excursions so
fine for beginners. They start at 2pm and are weekly until the end of
September. You'll often see PHC riders out on these rides so if you're
stuck for something to do, come along.

http://www.beddingtonparkcyclerides.com

===

VIKING COASTAL TRAIL

A couple of weeks ago, I asked people to send me their availability
for the next Viking Coastal Trail ride. There wasn't one day that that
was more popular than the others but currently there appears to be
weekend bus replacement services on that line. They don't take bikes
which means we're stumped. Stay tuned for more details on this
one.....

http://www.visitthanet.co.uk/viking/

===

PHOTO COMPETITION

TfL are running a (seemingly low key) photo competition that requires
entries to be submitted via Flickr. I've entered a couple of PHC ones
but it would be good if some of the better photographers out there
wanted to enter some of theirs too. If you've sent me a pic in the
past and it's already on Flickr, let me know which one it is and I can
submit it to save you having to set up a new account (unless you have
your own Flickr account already!). Or if you have your own pic, just
set up a free Flickr account, upload and submit from there.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/8966.aspx

===

INTERESTING CYCLE PARKING

David Byrne, the former singer of Talking Heads, has designed a series
of 'arty' cycle stands that have been installed around New York:

http://www.davidbyrne.com/art/bike_racks/index.php

(Warning - name drop ahead!) David is a well known cyclist. One of my
claims to fame is that he once asked me to collect his bike from a
shop after he'd had some repairs done. Almost every part of his bike
had some kind of suspension or spring which made it similar to riding
a sofa! I'm glad I only rode it for about a mile.

His cycle racks, however, wouldn't be suitable for London as they can
be easily unbolted from the floor. However, it wouldn't take much to
correct that small issue. Another new development in cycle parking are
the Cycle Hoops that fit onto existing street furniture:

http://www.camcycle.org.uk/map/location/14487 (thanks to Rebecca for
posting this link to Southwark Cyclists e-group)

These make attaching bikes to posts a much safer option and prevent
someone 'doing a Cameron' and simply lifting your bike over the top of
the post. The other interesting development are the Plant Locks:

http://www.frontyardcompany.co.uk/products/plantlock.html

===

NEXT WEEK

We've invited the Central London CTC riders to join us for a trip to
Hampton Court where the Great British Duck Race is taking place. The
race takes forever to complete so there's no time to participate but
seeing a quarter of a million rubber ducks floating down the Thames
will surely be a sight to behold! At the moment, I'm struggling the
find a decent pub in the area with reasonably priced food and a beer
garden. If you know of somewhere, please let me know. Otherwise we'll
head to the Worlds End where they are having a BBQ. Veggies need to
note that it's a Ploughmans or nothing so bring your own if that
doesn't appeal.

Meet 9:23 at Eastfields station or be ready at the library for a
9:35am departure. If I'm not at the library on time, it's because the
train is late. I'll have my mobile on me if you need an update.

It's the Environmental Fair at Carshalton on Monday 25th if anyone is
in the area:
http://www.ecolocal.org.uk/event-detail.php?id=28
Dr Bike will be there and they'll keep an eye on your bike if you lock
it up near them.

Mark
PHC Co-ordinator
07711 688189

http://www.pollardshillcyclists.org.uk