A Mongolian Horseman stole my Bicycle

There’s a hoary old joke about Sherlock Holmes lying in his tent with Watson. He asks Watson what he sees, and the good doctor replies, “The stars.” But Holmes, as ever, contradicts him and launches into a soliloquy about the Milky Way, Saturn and the Moons of Jupiter. He asks Watson what it all means, “Somebody”, says Watson, “has stolen the tent.”  

One night in August this year Ed Genochio was lying in his tent alongside a lake near Ulan Bator in Mongolia. Being a careful soul he had tied his bike to the guy ropes. Then in the middle of night he was awoken by the clink of harnesses, muffled voices in a strange tongue and the galloping of hooves, before the richness of the night sky was revealed to him in all its splendour. Horsemen had made off with his bike and tent.

Ed’s story made headlines all over the world. He was the subject of radio and TV interviews. The police recovered his bike and caught the thieves. But the bike was a wreck, the tent in shreds. He appealed for help.

As I was eating my cornflakes I heard him on, “Home Truths,” the Saturday morning programme by John Peel whose signature tune, in Ed’s case, is the aptly named, “Let’s go Trekking!” It seemed Spokes could help.

So I sent Ed an email. Sheila and I have, and I kid you not, a friend called Sylvie in Ulan Bator and she happens to be married to the newly appointed French Ambassador to Mongolia. It just so happened that he was away in Paris receiving his seals of office from President Chirac when I emailed them, but Sylvie sent her Mongolian mobile number which was passed onto Ed, who contacted them when they returned. So while he waited for a replacement bike and tent to come out from England, Ed stayed in the French Embassy, dining on foie gras and other French delicacies and drinking champagne. As he said, “ It will be difficult getting back on my bike.

Ed is doing the ride for two charities. Donations to these will help the Nanren Project In SW China which Ed helped to set up some time ago, and the Lotus Children’s Centre in Ulan Bator which cares for the poor and orphaned street children. He set off in February from Exeter, has now reached Beijing (late Sept 2004). He will get to his destination, Shanghai, in October before returning home. You can catch up with his exploits on Ed’s website.

You can also email him some words of congratulation on his epic ride for by the time you read this he will have finished.

SAM WEBB

Canterbury Cycle Centre update - First mooted almost a decade ago the Cycle Centre was an idea put forward by Spokes when the Whitefriars development was being promoted, as a way of providing something for the benefit of the local people rather than anonymous shareholders. On the strength of this and the library, which subsequently was withdrawn for other reasons, the development received approval from the public.

Now after delays caused by the Roman remains discovered at the site, the centre is about to be built and Spokes have been asked by the Council and the expected tenant to assist in making it a success. Currently the idea is to have a bike shop on the ground floor with a café and bike storage/ changing rooms and lockers on the first floor with the hope that regular commuters in particular will make most use of it.

I have been talking to Robin Thorn of St.John St.Cycles in Bridgwater and at a recent meeting with council officers, Malcolm Burgess and Kim Bennet, proposed a trip with the tenant, to Bristol to visit Sustrans and the highly successful MudDock Café. Kim Bennet also has ideas as regards pupil use of the centre.

There are perhaps two schools of thought to pursue here. Firstly for the café to be a general one, unthemed, and open to everyone, fit cyclist or not. Or secondly to hang paintings/posters and unusual bikes/ trikes/ tandems/trailers wherever there is space available and have say, a transport czar on hand one or two afternoons a week advising people of routes, how to get around in winter, at night, how to combine with public transport etc. The transport czar could be a volunteer from Spokes or perhaps the council.

Whatever the eventual approach it appears to be an accepted fact that the centre should be promoted by the council, Spokes and Sustrans as part of a general long term campaign to encourage the use of cycling, walking and public transport, using posters, leaflets, word of mouth and of course this newsletter.

Members of Spokes, who are Sustrans’ Rangers, spent an enjoyable Sunday in October clearing a section of the path in Amery Court Farm on the Crab & Winkle Route on National Cycle Route 1. This had become overgrown with nettles and brambles during the summer and these were cut back and the path cleared. If you would like to join us for a productive time please contact Ian Rogers 01227 733792.

Speed was the AGM theme - The speaker at this year’s AGM was Chris Rogers, project manager of the Kent & Medway Safety Camera Partnership.  The speed of vehicles on our roads is a major factor in how safe we feel when on a bike, so this talk was of great interest and relevance to everyone.  Anything that slows traffic on the roads that cyclists use must make cycling safer.

Chris started by explaining how the change in legislation about where the money from fines went was not “carte blanche” to generate revenue.  He then went on to cover the strict rules required for the placing of enforcement-cameras.  In a brief description of the science used in the cameras, Chris explained how only law-breakers were correctly identified.  His talk didn’t just cover the fixed cameras.  Mobile units are deployed round the county and, in these situations, an added deterrent is the uncertainty of when the unit will be used in a particular place. 

Finally, Chris talked about “active” signs.  They are becoming more common in the county, especially where the crash statistics don’t yet justify a camera.  Active signs flash the speed limit when triggered by a speeding vehicle, reminding the driver of the limit.  Although they provide no enforcement, they do have an effect on many motorists, particularly the ones driving too quickly because they are not concentrating.

Safety cameras save lives.  There really isn’t any doubt about that.  It is Chris Rogers’ aim to do himself out of a job by having everyone keep within the speed limits.

Andy McNally