The story of Darkmoor probably began when I landed a new job. In my previous job, I cycled to work, along well-lit roads, and only needed little LED lights to be seen. In the new job, however, I had to travel to, and between various customer sites, and therefore needed to drive to work. That … Read more
There is a cycling campaign called Space4Cycling, which was started by the London Cycling Campaign, but has since spread nationally. You can read full details of the LCC Space for Cycling campaign here: http://space4cycling.org/campaign-info Below I’ve copied part of the text found on the other side of the link above: “It follows directly from our … Read more
As we usually do, my mate Simon and I planned on cycling out to go and watch the Tour of Britain’s Devon stage, which this year was on the 11th of September 2014. I cycled into Plymouth at first, and in Yealmpton I bumped into Denis, who like me also cycle commutes. This was an … Read more
I’ll admit it freely: I do like cycling in the dark and I do like through-the-night bike rides, so it’s no wonder I signed up to ride the Exmouth Exodus.For those that don’t know, the Exodus is a 108-mile ride that starts in Bath (it used to start in Bristol) and ends in Exmouth. It … Read more
Over a year ago, my friend Simon and I decided to sign up for the Dartmoor Classic. Now the Classic is classified as a Sportive, and not a race, and for good reason, too: if it was a race, seeing as it’s held on public roads, loads more restrictions and regulations come into play. Now … Read more
Darkmoor is by its very nature unpredictable. It is a semi-organised bike ride over Dartmoor, through the night and there’s NO registration. As a result, there is simply no way to know beforehand how many people will turn up. When Simon and I started talking about setting up Darkmoor, we deliberately wanted to emulate the … Read more
Politicians so love the sound of their own voices! Sometimes they drone on endlessly, hardly ever saying anything at all, and we, every single one of us, to some degree or the other are guilty of letting them get away with it. Politicians have devolved into quite a different sub-species, often unable or unwilling to … Read more
I do a fair few miles per week, averaging around 160 miles, with most of those done on rural lanes. Now some lanes are quite good, but others are in shocking condition. All rural lanes are often debris-strewn, especially in winter. As a daily cycle commuter, cycling to work and back in winter, more often … Read more
Some mindless individual, R Henshaw of Liskeard, Cornwall, saw fit to write the following letter to the Evening Herald, Plymouth’s local newspaper: As ever, clicking the image will enlarge it on-screen, which should allow you to read it.For the benefit of those who can’t clearly read the picture, I copied the text of the letter … Read more
I’ve always viewed the start of a new year not as an event to be celebrated zealously, but rather as simply moving forward by another day. As a result, I don’t make grandiose resolutions and I don’t ponder the past year too much. That also explains why this post wasn’t posted at the start of … Read more
Last year I did a little over 5 500 miles of cycling, most of it with laden panniers on my bike. I ride a B’Twin Triban 3 road bike, which (although the frame offers anchor points for a rack) was never really designed for heavy-mileage, weight-laden commutes over often bumpy and poorly-kept country lanes. In … Read more
From the eastern parts of Plymouth, short of taking a huge detour, there are almost only two routes into the city: Embankment Road, or Laira Bridge. This is true for cyclists as well as drivers. With very short notice, Plymouth City Council published notice of a new flood defense wall, funded by the Environment Agency, … Read more
The city of Plymouth is mostly situated between the rivers Tamar and Plym, and as anybody with just a moderate degree of intelligence would gladly tell you, rivers tend to be disruptive to roads.To cross the Tamar, drivers can choose between the Torpoint Ferry, the Tamar Bridge, or a very long detour via Tavistock.To cross … Read more
No, South West Water (SWW), this is NOT how you do things! On Billacombe Road in Plymouth, South West Water are doing works to install a new water main pipe. This is essential work and disruption to road traffic is inevitable. In parts, the pavement had to be dug up, and the footway was therefore … Read more
Lately I’ve taken to cycling on Saturday mornings with a group called the Yealm Roleurs. The ride normally starts at the Yealmpton post office at 08h00 and the starting point is a fair few miles from home. This Saturday I was running a bit late, so I didn’t check my phone, other than to start … Read more