It’s primarily a touring themed round-up this week! Expect dogs joining their owners on tours, philosophy into the nature of riding, and philosophy into eating while riding.
We’ll begin with the latest novel variation on touring to make the news:
Joshua Sivarajah has attracted attention while touring because of the custom “shelf” he’s had made for his bike to allow his dog Nero to join him on tour. Joshua’s explains his decision to commission the shelf: “very early on, Nero burned his paws on hot tarmac and took to riding on top of my bags”.
The tour was intended as a 7 week circumnavigation of and farewell to the UK, but evolved into a much more relaxed trip that saw Josh meeting all sorts of people and having all sorts of experiences. He says it’s what he was “born to do” and is now making his way across Europe. Nero’s pet passport prevents the pair from venturing into Asia, but there’s still plenty to see!
Once in a while we see a video that perfectly captures the appeal of seeing the world by bike:
Not only does Jed’s route sound incredible, but his motivations for doing it are inspiring:
“When you’re a kid, everything is astonishing.
Everything is new.
Your brain is awake and turned on.
Every passing second your brain is learning something new.
Learning how the world works.
The muscle of your brain is activated.
As you get older and your brain has figured out how the world works:
– this is how you make money
– this is how you graduate school
– this is how you get a mortgage
– this is how you have kids
Once your brain establishes a routine, that alertness and the fascination with the way the world works goes away.”
Bon voyage!
If you find food more motivating when touring than soul-searching, an inspired (and delicious) move from an American mountain bike touring company will be of interest: the company, H&I Adventures, have launched a tour that allows riders to sample three cuisines in one day: breakfast in Slovenia, lunch in Austria, and supper in Italy.
This was reported in the New York Times and is aimed at American riders, but if culinary delights motivate your cycling holiday choices, several Ride25 riding days straddle multiple borders! Day 3 of Geneva to Milan, for example.
Two practical stories to finish, to offset the whimsy of dropping everything to go touring.
The Independent reported that riders in Paris will soon be allowed to skip some red lights after a review of the city’s infrastructure. This comes as part of a round of measures designed to tempt more drivers out of their cars and onto their bikes.
And most inspiring, Sustrans reported that the UK’s cycling and walking routes are saving the economy around £1 million per day through “improving people’s health and reducing congestion, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions”. These savings are being used as a bargaining chip to encourage the government to push ahead with its planned Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.
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