CTUK News - August 2009

Paris in Summertime

Three CTUK instructors, Betty, Andy and Jessica, took part in City of London’s Cycle to Paris trip 19-22 August. The long weekend challenge saw youths from housing estates in the City cycling around 300km in just three days. Leaving Crystal Palace, the group rode to Newhaven and took the ferry to Dieppe, cycling through the Normandy countryside they celebrated their arrival in Paris at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

And it's not the Blackpool Tower...

Cabbies on Cycling

If you want to find out what’s happening on the roads in London, ask a cabby. There are around 21,000 black cabs in London. We picked the brains of five London cab drivers, each with over twenty years experience under their bonnet, to find out what they thought of London cyclists....

You can read the interview on P24 here

Three of the cabbies have agreed to cycle training. See how they fare over the next few weeks.

Cabbies in East London talking to CTUK

Peach pie pitchers vs veggie sausage sluggers

The 16th August was a momentous date in British softball history when CTUK occupied Southwark Park for their annual picnic and a game of ‘rounders’. It was a close game between the ‘pitchers’ and the ‘sluggers’ but the ‘slugs’ were handicapped by a number of CTUK cricket players...

In between rounds the teams tucked into hot dogs and home-made pecan, peach and apple pies and cookies, serenaded by a ragtime band.

The crushed Sluggers

The Pitchers gracious in victory

Next time we are going to play rounders on our bicycles.....

SACA success

Over the weekend of 25th and 26th July SACA annual Charity Bike ride took place from Birmingham to London. SACA has raised over £200,000 for children’s charities and this year was their 20th ride. CTUK helped SACA to plan the route and with marshal management.

On the ride itself one of our instructors, Ernest Pang, was ‘Dr Bike’ – which involved roadside fixing, mechanical support and communicating with ambulance crew and paramedics. However Ernest’s first duty on the morning of the ride was to pump up the tires of ten bicycles before they got going.

As well as ‘doctoring’, Ernest helped to motivate the cyclists at the back of the ride by keeping pace. Overnight Ernest enjoyed the hospitality and fantastic vegetarian food of Sikh temples before eventually arriving at Southall, London on Sunday.

'CTUK provided us with marshal training classroom sessions, pre Dr Bike session and a marshal/Dr Bike for the event. We found their services really useful and will definitely be taking advantage of more of them next year, particularly road marshal training before the event. Ernest was brilliant. He provided encouragement to the riders at the back as well as providing a fast repair service en route. In fact I flagged him down once as I knew he’d be at the very back of the ride. He stayed with the rider and did on road repairs.' Harmi Kaler, SACA Ride Co-ordinator

Ernest on the road

Ernest had this to say about the event: ‘This ride was quite different from anything I'd done before but it was really enjoyable. The people were very friendly and I’d definitely do it again. I got a bit of a name during the ride for being ‘Mr Quick Fix’ and for the size of my calves!

You can find out more info about SACA at: www.charitybikeride.com
To see more photos of the ride go to www.jmphotographic.eu

Don’t be a kerb hugger

CTUK Instructor David Dansky was one of the experts The Sunday Times called upon when discussing The Cycle to Work Scheme (26th July).

The article ‘Tell the staff to get on their bikes’ focussed on women’s experiences commuting in London. David emphasised the need for cyclists to be visible by being assertive and riding in a position where they are visible.

You can read the article here:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6727931.ece