Thursday 31 December 2015

2015: In the news

Billie Fleming Tribute Rides

Women paying tribute to Billie Fleming - by cycling every day of 2015.  Details at http://www.tributetobillie.co.uk/   Our ride on 18 July was a Ride Like Billie ride.  As the records of Billie's routes for the autumn are mostly lost, and as word about the Billie Fleming Tribute has spread, any ride you wish to dedicate to Billie's ride and ideals can be added, visit the website for how to get involved.

Super article in Cycling Weekly, tells you more about Billie Fleming: "In 1938, then named Billie Dovey, she rode a staggering 29,603.7 miles across the United Kingdom on a mission to promote the health benefits of cycling. She rode every single day of the year in a wide variety of weather conditions to spread the message. Her mammoth tour included many evening engagements that required her to give a talk at the end of a long day’s pedalling. Fleming’s ride attracted a huge amount of interest and press attention as the year progressed." Recommended reading.

Green Ring
Green ring map
Still not fully complete, although most of the work is done and some more signage has been installed recently (November).  The last section to be completed is the crossing of Sandpit Lane, as statutory permission was needed and took longer than anticipated to be granted.

St Albans District Council has a web page devoted to the Green Ring, it includes the feasibility report for the ring as a whole.

Gardening News

Spotted in North Berwick, East Lothian in August 2015 this pallet garden won a Gold Medal.


The given theme was 'recycling' and the gardeners called their pallet Real Cycling.

The nifty message is 'leave a pallet's width when passing cyclists'. As you can see, there was an interactive element and you may be sure the bell was rung!

Needlework news

Spotted at L'Eroica Britannia festival  in June 2014, so old news now, but such a lovely picture is staying put.



Bikes and Bloomers is a project bringing history to life by interweaving archival data with new Victorian cycling garments made from 1890s British patents in collaboration with local craftspeople - the website is fascinating.  Lovely film of the bloomer making workshop and subsequent bloomer ride based on Look Mum No Hands cycle cafĂ© in London.

Over in the Netherlands, cycling and sewing combine, thanks to Marieke Post of the Slow Bicycle Movement for this picture.  I don't know if the record player is also cycle-powered.

20s Plenty for St Albans - this campaign has a petition you might like to sign if you support 20mph for residential areas.