Newsletter for Winter 2003
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Editorial -  History was made on Wednesday 24 September 2003 when over 8000 cyclists followed the Mayors of Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam, the postmen and women of Paris, and police on bikes to take advantage of a warm autumn evening. We cycled from l’Ecole Militaire, past the Eiffel Tower, Hotel Georges V, down the Champs Elysee, the Place de la Concorde and along the banks of the Seine to l’Hotel de Ville. Never in its long history, apart from the last day of the Tour de France, had the Champs Elysees ever been closed for cyclists. We were there to mark the Velo City Conference 2003.

Over 800 delegates attended from all over the world from Africa, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Europe, India, Japan, New Zealand and the USA. There were many speakers on the theme of the conference, "The bicycle as an essential tool for winning the city back," and they ranged from US Congressmen, Ministers of Transport from France, the EU, the deputy Mayor of London, Steven Norris Chairman of the National Cycling Strategy Board of the UK to local cycle campaigners.

Norris outlined some of the problems he met when he first became Minister of Transport in John Major’s government. "Why don’t you do more for cycling?" he asked a top civil servant in the Ministry. "We don’t do a lot for cycling, because not many people cycle Minister." Norris went on to say, "All politicians are inoculated with a disease called Big Projectitus. We spend £Billions on massive projects – we don’t lack money – but we do lack information. Civil 

 Engineers do not understand. They think the white lines painted on the roads are imbued with a magic property. But just when you most need cycleways we neglect to provide them. Where the route becomes really difficult signs appear, "CYCLISTS DISMOUNT." This removes the magical properties. There are 20m bikes in the UK and we buy another 2m each year. They get ridden a few times and polished, but then they get consigned to the garden shed where they stay for many years assuming as they age, an iconic museum status."

Africa is in dire need of those bikes. In rural areas of Africa only 2% of journeys are made by motor transport, 90% are on foot and most of these involving heavy loads are made by women. Only 4% of Africans own a bike. Bikes give access to social services, health care, clean water, education, markets and information. The role of the bike in Africa is different from that of the north where a bike is mainly used for leisure. In Africa it is a source of livelihood for the majority of people and the only affordable means of transport.

As the conference drew to a close we moved from the splendours of the Maison de la Chimie to the even more extravagant splendours of the Hotel de Ville de Paris. "Could you have imagined 10 years ago," asked the Mayor of Amsterdam, "that cyclists would one day have assembled in a room like this?" Above his head hung 12 chandeliers from a gilt encrusted ceiling resplendent with paintings of cherubs. And as the Mayor of Paris said, "People will remember 8,000 cyclists in the Champs Elysee for a very long time." Maybe we are getting somewhere at last.

Sam Webb

Allez Oppy! - Next year Spokes celebrates its tenth anniversary. In its early days Spokes members took part in the first Sustran’s millennium ride and cycled from Inverness for a stop off at the 1995 York Rally where the riders were awarded the "Oppy Shield" by the CTC for cycling the furthest distance ever to the Rally. One rider cycled from Broadstairs to Inverness and back down to York. Sir Hubert Opperman was a legendary Aussie cyclist. Born 29 May 1904 Oppy became an extraordinary world champion. At various times he held every long-distance road-racing and track record in Australia. He broke or set 57 world records and 68 Australian records with a cycling career of almost 30 years. His record times in the Bol d"Or in France covering 904km in 24 hours at an average of 40km per hour and a 1000 mile (1600km) motor paced event in Sydney have never been beaten. In later life he became a politician in the government of Robert Menzies. He hung up his bike at the age of 90 although he can be said never to have stopped cycling. On 18 April 1996 Oppy died at home while exercising on his training bike. He was a month off his 92nd birthday.

Murderous talk at Trust's AGM - The speaker at the AGM of the Crab & Winkle Trust on 2 May 2003, was Sturry detective novelist, Catherine Aird. She spoke about the murder of James John Jordan of 7, Post Office Row, Tyler Hill, who was one of a gang of five – the others were Frederick Setterfield, Alexander Faulkener, William Tufnell and Thomas Philpott – working on the line on the night of 24th June, 1909.

The men had arranged for a bottle of beer to be left out for them beside the crossing keeper’s hut near the Tyler Hill halt as they would be working late that night bringing down telegraph poles. Although the bottle of beer had an unbroken seal over the cap, it actually contatined a quantity of strychnine, a very dangerous poison. The contents of the bottle were shared between all five men in the gang. James Jordan was last on the scene and unfortunately for him had the last swig. Since strychnine is heavier than beer this had sunk to the bottom of the bottle, thus the victim had the share of the beer in which the poison was most concentrated.

All the men were ill but only John Jordan died. He was 35, married, and the father of four children, the youngest under two years old. The dregs in the beer bottle were sent to an analyst who 

 – by methods that would have stood up in court today – found them both to contain strychnine.

In those days this poison was commonly used for dealing with vermin such as rats and was only sold by chemists to known customers. An inquest was held in the Iron Mission Hut, Tyler Hill, at which the foreman of the jury asked the police if it was true that some two years previously dogs had been found to have been poisoned by strychnine. This was confirmed by Superintendent Heard.

Nevertheless, when the Coroner asked the jury if they wished the inquest closed, they said they did not. This did not mean they were unaware of who might have been guilty – indeed, local legend says that they knew who it was. And that the murderer had only meant to frighten off – not kill – the railwaymen who were in such a good position to poach a gamekeeper’s pheasants.

Catherine Aird’s three latest books are: Little Knell, The Amendment of Life and Chapter & Hearse. The latter is a collection of short stories – mostly but not all criminal in nature. All are published by PanMacmillan.

 

New shared use paths agreed for Whitstable and city - Over the summer Spokes members took part in negotiations with Canterbury City Council over the provision of two new shared use cycle paths. The first runs along the original 1930s cycle path along the old Thanet Way between between the pedestrian footbridge over the Thanet Way at Foxgrove Road and the first Chestfield Roundabout. The second is along the Rheims Way pavement from Habitat in Canterbury to Canterbury High School. As funds become available both of these routes will be extended in the future.

Further meetings have taken place with the City Council over the Draft Walking & Cycling Strategy. This is due to be presented to the Full Council after we go to press.

A Big Thank you

Dave Jones who ran Dave Jones locker in Orange Street Canterbury for the whole of Spokes’ existence, stocked Brompton Bikes and carried out many repairs for us over the years, has hung up his spanners for the last time.

John & Emily Shirley, founder Spokes members presented Dave with a Spokes reflective jacket to mark his retirement and now that he will have more time for cycling.

Spokes needs your support -  If you would like to join Spokes, please complete the online joining form and send it off. Or join at :

SPOKES, The Canterbury Environment, Centre, St Alphege Lane, Canterbury, CT1 2EB Tel 01227 457009.

The centre is open Tuesday to Saturday 10.30am to 4.30pm. Good food, drink and lots of useful resources and information.
Charity rides will boost Lady Mayoress' appeal - and mark Spokes' tenth birthday - Sunday May 2nd 2004 marks the local Lady Mayoress’ Charity Ride. This is a local 25 mile ride taking in Canterbury to Whitstable along the Crab & Winkle Way, Whitstable to Herne Bay and Herne Bay to Canterbury. There will be three start and finish points. Final details will appear in the next newsletter. This ride will also coincide with the Crab & Winkle Anniversary and Spokes’ 10th Birthday.

Early on Thursday 6th May 2004 cyclists will set off from the Buttermarket to cycle to Rheims to mark the Lady Mayoress’ Twinning Ride. Riders will arrive in Rheims on Saturday 9th May. These promise to be big events in next years cycling calendar.

One for the Christmas Stocking - "Ever since he could remember-which wasn’t very long as he was only eight-Joe had wanted a car. That wasn’t so unusual for a young boy…" So begins Martin Wagner’s "The Little Driver."

Joe is obsessed with cars. He spends all his time drawing and inventing new ones. Big red shiny ones. Ones with fat wheels. Some which look like snow ploughs, clearing their way through traffic and buildings in their path. His dad owns a car factory. One day Joe’s dad takes him for a ride, swaps seats and tells him to drive. "But I’m only eight," he says, barely able to peer over the steering wheel. "No," his father says, "you’re 18." He looks in the mirror and sees an eight year old peering back. His father gets out and so the nightmare begins.

 This is a story for modern times. A story which blows away the myth of the freedom of the road. Where are the empty roads the adverts talk about? Joe can’t find them. He is locked in an endless jam, assailed at all turns by road rage drivers and people who just hop in and out of his car at will. He meets an old man marooned by the traffic.

Like all great children’s books this one is for adults too. The Little Driver takes a fresh look at our obsession with cars through the eyes of a boy still young enough to take nothing for granted.

The Little Driver by Martin Wagner pub by Pinter & Martin ISBN 0953096459
Gifford's Gadgets come into the fold- An occasional feature reviewing some of the best in cycling wizardry

 Having been the proud owner of a Mission folding bike for a year now, I thought I’d take a dispassionate look at how they compare with Bromptons. You could say I’m taking a long, hard look at the Missionary Position!

Why did I go for a Mission rather than a Brompton? Well, price basically, Mission offers two models for £199 and £320 compared with between £375 (C3) and £626 (T6) for a Brompton. You pays your money and you takes your choice. The Brompton, British made, is clearly a design classic, whereas the Mission is a Taiwanese built copy. Both fold to about 65 x 65 x 30 cm in a few seconds including folding pedals; one (Brompton) and two (Mission) and can be carried in a bag (optional extra for both). The both weigh less than 14 Kg, have 16in wheels but a full size frame, have an integral carrier/stand and elastomer suspension. The Bromptons have calliper brakes, the Mission has a vee brake on the rear, side pull on the front. Both have hub gears, from 3 (basic Brompton and both Missions) to 6 (the top of the range Brompton).

People have done the End to End on Bromptons and a number of people rode the Sustrans Millennium ride Belfast to Lands End (1000 miles) on them in 1966. "Although expensive to buy it requires little maintenance and has saved me lots of time and money in bus, tube and taxi fares so has probably paid for itself twice over. When travelling by train, I can stow it under the seat," our editor says. He’s had his for 9 years but I’m a novice folder- only one year, but have also ridden it on proper rides as well as used it to enhance rail journeys.

(Two other folders new on the market for 2004 are Dahon’s 26" wheel folding Espresso city bike £299 and the aluminium Matrix trail rider 24sp folder at £450-Ed.)

So what’s the verdict? If you want to fold a lot, perhaps go for a Brompton, whereas an occasional folder might go for a Mission and save £300 or so. Bromptons and Dahons are available from Downland’s Cycles, Canterbury West Station, CT2 8AN 01227 479643 & 07786 235203 bryan@downlandcycles.plus.com & Missions from The Bike Warehouse, Preston Street, Faversham. 01795-539439. Mission also has a website.
Spokes subscriptions rise - first in years - Over the last 9 1/2 years Spokes has managed to keep the annual subscription down. In 1994 single membership was £2. This rose a couple of years later to £4. It has stayed at this level ever since. But rising costs, particularly postage has eaten into our funds at an alarming rate and we now, regretfully, have to increase the single member sub to £6 and the family sub to £10. The unwaged/student rate will be £5. Spokes has achieved a huge increase in cycling provisions not just in east Kent but throughout the county and through your support we have achieved a national and international profile. We need your support to continue.

Tour De France inspires as Lance makes it five in a row - The centenary race began near Paris, outside the Café Réveil Matin, where the inaugural Tour began. It also revisited the 6 original stage finish towns – Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes and back to Paris. Retracing history was in the organisers’ power: making new history was for the riders and, worthy of the epic past, this Tour was a humdinger. Armstrong had to fight grimly this year to join the elite club of five-times winners.

However, in celebrating the Tour de France, a wonderful testimony to the beauty and even the folly of this amazing event, one rider epitomises its genius. In the horrendous crash at the end of Stage 1, Tyler Hamilton sustained two hairline fractures in his right collarbone. He decided to ride on his shoulder firmly bandaged to reduce jarring – to help out in the team time trial two days later. Then he would see. The team mechanic bound his handlebars with three rolls of tape, further padded with strips of gel, and raised them to make braking and changing gear easier; he lowered the pressure in his tyres, adjusted the saddle to make the riding position less extreme. Hamilton finished Stage 2 as 

 white as linen, having gone through every song he knew in his head to distract from the pain.

Hamilton not only did not give up, he rode Armstrong close in the mountains and, in the last week, took a stage victory after a lone break of some 95km. Nearing the line, he turned and beckoned to his manager Rijs, driving the car which had shadowed him all the way. The team cars have to turn off before the finishing strait but Hamilton wanted to thank the man, his friend, who had given him such support, to thank him publicly. Rijs drove up and the men shook hands.

Hamilton finished in Paris 4th overall. An inspiration.

An updated edition of Tour de France: the history, the legend, the riders by Graeme Fife, containing a full write-up of this year’s race will be published in mid-October by Mainstream.

The Terror: the Shadow of the Guillotine, France 1792-94 by Graeme Fie appears in the new year, published by Piatkus.

Graeme Fife
VIKING COASTAL TRAIL LAUNCHES NEW LEAFLETS - Three new Mini Routes, entitled "The Path of St Augustine’s Ride", "Smugglers’ Haunts Ride" and "Exploring Birchington Ride", have been launched on the Viking Coastal Trail, Thanet’s leisure cycle route . They focus on different sections of the Viking Coastal Trail and highlight various attractions and features of historic interest to be found in specific parts of Thanet. They complement the three existing Mini Routes, "The Five Churches Ride", "History, Art and Architecture Ride" and "Historic Broadstairs Ride". The Mini Route leaflets are available from Visitor Information Centres on 01843 583333, and can also be downloaded from www.vikingcoastaltrail.co.uk

Last change: 28 February 2004