WORLD BICYCLE WEEK 30th MAY – 5th JUNE & BICYCLE DAY 3rd JUNE 2021…

Following on from my previous post on some great gadgets for cycles I thought this article on World Bicycle Week 20th May – 5th June and World Bicycle Day on 3rd June, 2021 was appropriate.

Bike Week, delivered by Cycling UK, is an annual celebration to showcase cycling and how brilliant it is. Join thousands of people all across the UK and enjoy the simple pleasure of riding a bike. Let’s make the world better by bike.

The theme of Bike Week 2021 is health and wellbeing.

Cycling remains a great way to keep fit and active and is a good way to boost immunity, it’s also fantastic for your well-being. This year they will be launching with the World’s Biggest Bike Ride. You can also take part in their virtual #7daysofcycling challenge, giving you an amazing way to reunite with your friends and family in the outdoors. Be inspired by some exciting challenges and routes. 

The most important thing is to take part, record your ride and have fun.

Cycling is incredible; it will help improve so many aspects of your life.

  • Cycling to work can mean you have a 45% lower risk of developing cancer, and a 46% lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
  • If you cycle regularly in adulthood, you will enjoy a level of fitness equivalent to someone 10 years younger.
  • If all cycle journeys increased from the current level of 2% to 25% by 2050, the collective benefit would be £248bn.

Thousands of people took part in Bike Week last year and they have seen a huge increase in the number of people riding their bikes since the start of the pandemic. There is a chance to win one of these excellent prizes, all you need to do is log your ride on the Bike Week website. 

To celebrate the first day of Bike Week and The World’s Biggest Bike Ride they are celebrating togetherness and connection. Take part in your own way, but virtually join thousands of others as they ride as part of the World’s Biggest Bike Ride

World Bicycle Day celebrates the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the bicycle and promotes it as a simple, sustainable, reliable, fun and affordable means of transportation.

In 2018 the United Nations declared 3 June as World Bicycle Day. World Bicycle Day is a chance for people around the globe to pay tribute to the bicycle and the many benefits it brings to society. Riding a bike can be a profession, a form of entertainment, a tool to freedom, an outlet of expression or quite simply the best way of getting from A to B.

Bikes are free to ride, brilliant for your physical and mental health, good for the environment and the economy, and are a stress-free way to get where you’re going.

Whether you’re a pro cyclist, a regular rider to work, school or the shops, or just enjoy a social pedal on the weekend, we can all agree that the bike should be celebrated!

No matter where you live, you can celebrate the freedom of movement and ride on World Bicycle Day. Here’s how you can get involved…

#Justride and WIN!

World Bicycle Day is a chance for people around the globe to celebrate the many forms of bike riding. At Bicycle Network their aim is to get as many Australian’s as possible to sit in the saddle and spin the wheels. So please join in, it doesn’t matter how far you pedal on the day – #justride.

To help get you pedalling this year on World Bicycle Day, they are giving away 5 x $100 Kathmandu vouchers. Simply share a photo of Thursday 3 June 2021 tagging @Bicycle_Network on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and use the hashtags #WorldBicycleDay and #JustRide to be in the running.

Terms and conditions apply.

Need some inspiration?

Check out last year’s winning #JustRide photos from World Bicycle Day 2020.

What has four wheels, eight legs and will be attempting to set a Guinness World Record? Monash University’s quadricycle!

To help spread the joy and fun of bike riding, a team of four riders will be aiming to set fastest time for 10km ridden on a quadricycle. Led by ABC Radio Melbourne Breakfast host and comedian Sammy J, the team will be trying to beat the existing record of 44 minutes 21.91 seconds set in the UK in 2015.

They’ll be pedalling around Hawthorn Velodrome, which will take around 30–34 laps to complete 10kms. An official timekeeper will be on hand to officiate the record attempt.

When

The record attempt was scheduled for World Bicycle Day on Thursday 3 June, however has been postponed due to the Victoria coronavirus lockdown. A new time and date will be confirmed when possible.

Follow

ABC Radio Melbourne will be giving updates on the world record attempt as it happens. You will also be able to track the ride on ABC Melbourne and Bicycle Network social media pages.

SOME NEW CYLING SAFETY GADGETS…

With more and more of us cycling now, it is important that we look at the safety side of this.

Be safe and be seen is something you need to remember and we need bike lights not just for the shorter days but for the rainy and dull ones. Bookman’s Scandinavian visibility devices are a beautifully designed and sustainable solution.

The lithium ION batteries give lengthy run times and a quick charge via a micro USB cable.

Rechargeable and powerful wearable light clip for visibility and safety in traffic during urban outdoor activities such as running, cycling, walking or other. 

Clips on securely to any bag or garment. Every light is equipped with both white and red LEDs so you can switch between white light for front mount and red light for rear mount. Compact and lightweight size.

Another great find for your bike is the nifty accessory from Kikkerland what will help to keep you safe on the roads. It is essentially a rear-view mirror, which you wear on your wrist and allows you to keep tabs on vehicles and other hazards without having to turn around and look.

The velcro strap makes it easy to pop on and off, and it is also reflective for safer cycling in the dark. Eliminate those Blind Spots! Available from Stanfords.

See Sense Blog wrote about the difference between cycling in the UK to cycling in Denmark which has been par for the core for many years.

Denmark (and more specifically, the two-wheeled loving city of Copenhagen) will always come up trumps as the most bike-friendly region in the world (Wired). 

We think that the main difference between cycling in the UK and in Denmark really comes down to attitudes and culture – the fact that the Danish see cycling in a completely different way than we do here in the UK.

They see it as a means of transport, a human-powered vehicle that can easily take you to work, take the kids to school, to the shops – almost ALL of your day to day journeys. People in Copenhagen live their lives in the saddle.  Cycle superhighways have been a reality for a while now, leading cyclists in and out of the city for miles! It’s totally normal to ride your bike to get around in Denmark. Here in the UK – we just aren’t there yet, are we?

But was Copenhagen always this way? Actually, no! (This is often a very common misconception). The cycling nation of Denmark was due to HUGE investments in cycling, and more importantly, investing and campaigning for cycling to become a means of transport. So lots of hard work really! But we can tend to take it as a given.

Here in the UK, we can tend to think of cycling as more of a sport or competitive activity than thinking of it as a means of transportation. Getting a sweat on, building up those miles, burning off loads of calories (which is still all amazing stuff, by the way!). There is no denying that the car is king here in the UK. However, the good news is that people are actively working to help transform the state of cycling in the UK.

Safety comes first so before you embark on your daily use of your bike make sure you have all the right products to be 100% safe.

Cycle bells do not seem to around as much as they used to but this can be frustrating to a walker on a public path as more often than not they will not hear the cyclist coming along. A great cycle bell from Knog and available on Amazon, Knog’s 01 Classic Bike Bell is as streamlined and minimal as bike bells get, wrapping around the handlebar without protruding or taking up much space at all. Fits bars 22.2mm diameter

Nylon clamp with hex screw to secure bell to your bike. Just pop it over, give it a quick tighten up, and you’re good to go. No sliding down the handlebars, no dismantling and re-assembling. 

Outdoor Cooking

Hygge Design

Outdoor cooking: the new trend to spend as much time as possible outdoors with loved ones.

One of the things we need most in this period of continuous lockdown is to spend time outdoors with the people we love most, family and friends. The new trend in the design sector is to design houses with a large terrace or garden that can include a kitchen for outdoor cooking and eating.

From the classic fireplace for grilling meat and fish to full equipped kitchens that are just as good as the one inside the house. Of course, the materials are different: weatherproof materials are used.

It is advisable to choose a kitchen that matches your outdoor environment. If you are lucky enough to have a garden, use wood or stone combined with stainless steel to create a modern kitchen with natural elements….

The watchword is simplicity; the kitchen must blend in…

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