This week’s round-up features Boris Johnson and Sadiq Khan, a guide on how to cycle to work in the summer and some convincing reasons to do so, an update on the Giro d’Italia, and some incredible technology that could change the way we think about bike lights.
The top image is from a Reddit post by user nugohs, and needs little explanation. It’s rare that a photo somebody takes of their bike is so beautiful – this one really caught our attention! This incredible shot was taken in Alberta, Canada.
Check out this BBC segment of the last day of Boris Johnson’s tenure as Mayor of London.
When asked about his cycling superhighways – considered by many to be his legacy, whether they think it good or bad – he says “I think TFL have done a very clever job at trying to manage traffic flows, and you see huge amounts of people using these facilities already”.
Other opinions vary from “he will be remembered for kicking off the cycling revolution in London” to “he’s done more damage to London than the Luftwaffe” – a huge spectrum of feedback.
What do you think about Boris and his steps to make cycling more popular in London?
Labour’s Sadiq Khan won the mayoral election, filling Boris’ shoes for the next few years. His first proper policy announcement, that he would double the size of London’s clean air zone, is a good sign of intentions to make the city greener, but we’re interested to see how he treats cycling.
One thing’s for sure though – he needs to get working on his portfolio of pictures of him riding a bike (and not just sheepishly holding one) if he wants to endear cyclists in the same way Bojo did!
As summer draws in, legitimate excuses for not cycling to work begin to dwindle. You can’t use “it’s too cold!” anymore. Or “it’s too dark!”.
If you want to make the most of the weather and simultaneously get fit, save money, get fresh air, and quite possibly speed up your commute, check out Sustrans’ guide for cycle commuting. It gives advice on planning effective routes, keeping your bike secure, choosing the right kit, and more.
And if you’re commuting on a particularly hot day, check out our advice on cycling in the hot weather.
Another reason to feel smug about being a cyclist was discovered by Crikey this week (and there are already a lot! Good calves, bragging rights, ability to scoff more cake than non-cyclists).
Their findings are great: with social costs alone bikes gain society 16 cents per km (cars cost 15 cents). The figures and analysis get more complicated if you check out the report, but the general gist is positive.
If you’ve not been following, here’s an at-a-glance update on the Giro d’Italia:
Here are the highlights of stage 7, hot off the press!
This week’s top story is one for the tech-heads! This is a bike light that collects data on various things while you’re cycling.
It may sound Orwellian at first, but on closer inspection it sounds like an incredible idea: the ICON light reads pollution levels, surface conditions, near misses, light levels and more. The idea is that it will help local authorities identify problem spots before they become too problematic. In exchange for harvesting data it can help cyclists by letting them know if their bike is about to be stolen with a phone notification (although we wonder how it knows!), and by issuing automatic emergency call in event of an accident.
An article in TechWeek Europe introduces the light in more detail, for now here’s a picture of its inventor looking deservedly proud of himself!
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