Early days and the origins of Spokes

Everything has to start somewhere. On Sunday 2 July 1989 a small group of cyclists joined hundreds of others and set off on a ride from Blackheath Greenwich to Canterbury Cathedral. This event was to lay the foundations of CLIPS-Chartham Ladies Intermittent Pedalling Society and later SPOKES. The ride was organised by Beatrice Shire founder of the earlier Canterbury Cycling Campaign. She had put a poster in John Hunt’s Albion Bookshop which Sheila Webb noticed. The small group consisted of Beatrice and Stan Shire, Chris Harrington, John Hunt, Reg Steel, Eileen Butler, Sheila and Sam Webb. All are still members.

Between 1989 and 1994 Sheila wrote many letters to Sustrans, Kent County Council, Canterbury City Council and met Robin Townsend. Surveys were carried out including one along the old Crab & Winkle railway line which was then shoulder high in brambles. Where the Thanet Way Bridge now is, was a morass of mud and water with a single plank bridge. Other surveys went round the North Foreland. Cycle maps were drawn up, from embryo Cathedral to Coast routes to local City maps. Sheila was instrumental in getting Sustrans to draw up the entire county cycle survey for KCC.

On 3 December 1992 a meeting was arranged in Canterbury with John Grimshaw as speaker. By then, largely due to Robin’s insistence we had met the Bridge Irregulars, John and Emily Shirley and we all started going out on rides together, sometimes with the CTC.

 We decided that if we all banded together we would have a much stronger case for proper cycling facilities in east Kent and so SPOKES was born. Borrowing the name from the original Edinburgh group we published a newsletter. In the last ten years we have achieved an immense amount. All on a voluntary basis. Some of the more notable SPOKES’ achievements are:
Sustrans Inverness to Dover Ride 1995 and the Belfast to Lands End Ride 1996, Regional Route 16 from Canterbury to Dover 1996 – this was the first marked regional route in the UK, RR17 Canterbury to Folkestone and Dover 1997, together these form the Cathedral to Coast Routes, the Channel Tunnel Cycle Service – SPOKES members went on the inaugural ride – helped set up Walking Buses in Kent which is now a major success thanks to KMG and Simon Dolby – Cycle Friendly Villages scheme, cycle parking at K&C Hospital, surveyed and helped build the Crab & Winkle and the Fordwich off road routes and through the yearly commuter challenge gave birth to the Big Wheel of Kent Rides. SPOKES brought Car Free Day to the UK. Lastly this year SPOKES’ members were instrumental in organising the Lady Mayoress’ Charity Ride from Canterbury to Reims.

Apart from those mentioned many others have made things happen, Martin Farbrother, Andy & Sylvia McNally, Rich Gifford, Ben Knox, Paul London, Phil Pittock, Gary and Jamie Macgowan, Nick Evans, Paul London, Natalie Wilden, Catherine Keagan, Isobel Stoddart and where would we be without Trotty to put together our web newsletter. Thanks, but there’s still a lot more to do.

SAM WEBB

Reims riders raise £25,000 in the rain - After a day a half in the saddle with 120 miles accomplished, the worst soaking we had had was the cold shower back at the Hostel where we stayed for our first night. 

Now however it was half way through the second day and we were all gathered under a gazebo too small to shelter the 40 plus people trying to squeeze under it.  It wasn’t raining yet, but the black clouds and thunderstorm raging around said that it would be very shortly.

And eventually rain it did, and although people told stories of how on previous occasions it had all dried up in 10 minutes and the sun came to create a glorious day it soon became evident it wasn’t going to happen on this occasion.  There was talk from the support team of ferrying us on to St Quentin in the people carrier, 7 at a time.

It was purely down to this talk I believe that led without any prior announcement to the mass exodus leaving the gazebo in pouring rain and mounting bikes and pedalling hell for leather towards our destination, the final 47 miles to St Quentin to complete the 90 for the day.

And from one who had never trained in the rain for this event it felt good – the wind was on our backs, our tyres rolled over the wet surfaces more easily and we were more focused on the task.  We were out there doing what we come to do and we weren’t going to be shipped onto the day’s close by the sag wagon.

By the time I had my bike off the wet grass of the field, the first of the peleton was moving away.  I mounted and pedalled after them, not wishing to be dropped by the main group.  I needn’t have worried though as the majority of the group soon reformed and we made good time into St Quentin, ever mindful of the sag wagon breathing down our necks. 

And so too was the final day one of rain and wind. But now we knew we could do it.  And it was worth it, just to receive that heroes welcome in Reims.  Two (it seemed like many more) police motor cyclists escorted us down the main artery into Reims, blocking roundabouts and traffic lights, to allow us to keep pedalling at an even pace straight up to the Mayoral presentation awaiting us.  It had felt like the tour de France before, pedalling though the countryside of France, but now we knew that we really were in it.

And as the Mayoress of Reims suggested next time I’d like to spend more time doing it and enjoy the villages, towns and cities that we cycled through.  So if anyone wants to repeat the trip ….

(As we went to press the ride had raised nearly £25,000.Ed)          

White bikes mark death blackspots - "Wrecked bicycles painted white like skeletons, are turning up at traffic blackspots in the American heartlands. So called “ghost bikes” are a spontaneous campaign in car-obsessed America to commemorate killed cyclists and urge drivers to be aware of the pedal pushers. ”It’s eerie, seeing this bike where somebody was struck down” Carmella Rihn of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania said. She lost lost her husband when his bike was mown down by a driver fiddling with her air-conditioning controls.” It will make drivers think”.

“Car accidents make the news but bike accidents never do,” Brad Quartuccio, 25 of Dirt Rag magazine, said. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 662 people died in 2002 in cycling accidents.

The “ghost bike” campaign is the idea of Patrick van der Tuin, a student from St,Louis, Missouri, who has been knocked off his bike three times. Since last autumn, he and his friends have placed 20 buckled white bicycles at accident black spots in St.Louis.

As word spread, cycle lovers elsewhere began erecting their roadside memorials.

Last month Kevin Cronin placed ten bikes around Cleveland for National Bike Month, and Mr. Quartuccio placed 14 around Pittsburgh. “If the bike is all crushed up and covered in white, tyres and everything, it really pops out” he said. “ It makes an impact”. 

James Bone, the Times correspondent in New York.