This gallery contains 15 photos.
Following the intensive three days of the ECF AGM in Stockholm my wife and I decided on a very low key, chill out day on Sunday. And for that we followed the example of millions of residents and visitors each … Continue reading
Thanks to social media like Twitter and Facebook wonderful gems come to the surface sometimes years after they are created. My thanks to Cosain (The Community Road Safety Action & Information Network) in Galway who over the weekend retweeted a link … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
Watching the numerous baking programmes that have become so popular on the TV my ears pricked up at the mention of a cake named for one of the world’s great bike rides – the Paris-Brest-Paris. Created in 1910 to celebrate … Continue reading
This gallery contains 7 photos.
That’s how my father tried to explain this week’s holiday in Belgium to his non-cycling friends. It was then followed by a more detailed explanation of how the so called “Grand Tours” of cycle racing often take excursions outside their … Continue reading
This gallery contains 4 photos.
Last week work took me to Plovdiv, second city of Bulgaria. I was there for a factory tour and visit to the offices of Max Europe, one of Europe’s biggest bike manufacturers. When the visit was over we had time … Continue reading
This gallery contains 3 photos.
Recently my colleagues who manage the wonderful international EuroVelo cycle route network asked us all in the ECF office if we had some EuroVelo memories or trips we could share as part of an occasional series on their web site. … Continue reading
This gallery contains 3 photos.
Some of the fun things about Belgium country life are the local festivals, markets, walks and indeed bike rides that are put on by community groups and local councils. There is always something happening in Lasne and at least twice … Continue reading
This gallery contains 3 photos.
I wrote recently about last year’s visit to North Cyprus when I was looking at the potential for more cycling with some of the local cycling promoters and supporters. That write-up was dominated by the relationship between mountains and coast, … Continue reading
Way back in 2012 when almost nobody read my blog except my family and a few friends I really enjoyed writing a piece about one special Saturday. The onset of spring was its theme, marked by “La Primavera”, the classic … Continue reading
This gallery contains 6 photos.
Yesterday I took my first cycling club ride of the year, breaking into the start of the Belgian cycle touring club season. As usual our club split into two groups, with those who have been riding all winter or who … Continue reading
This gallery contains 6 photos.
At a Velo-city Taipei conference full of colourful characters there is little doubt that one of them almost stole the show, mostly by not being there. Elections for city mayors can occasionally throw up some characters who can be described … Continue reading
This gallery contains 10 photos.
A week of intensive discussion about the global future of cycling is coming to an end. Visionaries, technicians, academics, business leaders – they were all here. But of course what everybody loves is a good photo moment and the annual … Continue reading
This gallery contains 2 photos.
My fifth time here in Taipei and the start of a great 10 days, Velo-city Global and Taipei Cycle Show back to back. It was a gleam of an idea four years ago, now it is a reality. But before … Continue reading
This gallery contains 4 photos.
In the middle of gloomy news and predictions for 2016 two of the media organisations I follow carried very similar stories of a small ray of sunshine in Europe. 2016 might be the end of a 42 year old conflict … Continue reading
This gallery contains 2 photos.
2016 has started with a bit of a whisper on idonotdespair.com I have as they say been “otherwise engaged” and most cycling activity except watching the cyclocross on Belgian TV has been deferred. We have just moved from the rented … Continue reading
I Do Not Despair 