Cycle Magazine Taster February/March 2019

cycle THE MAGAZINE OF CYCLING UK

On test

ISLABIKES JANIS EXCLUSIVE STOLEN GOAT JACKET TORQUE WRENCHES CUBE NUROAD & MORE

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 £3 OR FREE TO MEMBERS

OUT IN THE COLD

CLOSE PASS? FAIR COP

£1,000 ROAD BIKES FOR YEAR-ROUND RIDING & KIT TO KEEP YOU WARM

Educating drivers with Too Close for Comfort

Pages 66 & 75

PEDALS AND PAWS

Cycle touring around Europe with a dog

NO ONE AT THE WHEEL

Christian Wolmar on driverless cars

P lu s EXPLORE JERSEY’S GREEN LANES JENNY GRAHAM INTERVIEW TO FINLAND – WITHOUT FLYING AND MUCH MORE

MEMBERSHIP FROM JUST £3.88 A MONTH!*

CONTENTS 42

A short tour around the wonderful world of cycling

Welcome

07 This is Cycling UK

Local riding

Cycle editor

To find any Member Group or Cycling UK affiliate, visit cyclinguk.org/groups or phone 01483 238301

Paul Tuohy on empowering cycling; making active travel safer; a Bigger Bike Revival; Northern Ireland’s most cycle-friendly employer; and more

17 My Cycling Round-the-world record breaker Jenny Graham

20 My Bike Lionel and Joyce Joseph’s tandem

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22 Shop Window Previews of new products

24 Gear up Components, accessories, and books reviewed, with casual gear previewed

34 Letters Your feedback on Cycle and cycling

48 Weekender Family cycling on Jersey’s Green Lanes

61 Cyclopedia Questions answered, topics explained

81 Travellers’ Tales

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Cycling UK members’ ride reports

This issue 36 Pedals and paws Touring around Europe with a dog

42 Too Close for Comfort On patrol with the close-pass police

50 A reputation built by hand Framebuilder Winston Vaz

54 No one at the wheel Why driverless cars aren’t the future

56 Destination Finland

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By ferries and trains with four bikes

66 All-round road bikes

On the cover Ribblesdale, with Pen-yGhent in the background, by Jon Sparks

Ribble 725 Endurance Disc versus Tifosi CK7

70 Islabikes Janis A new bike for older riders

72 Cube Nuroad WS £1,000 gravel bike for women

75 Winter softshells Halfway between jersey and jacket

CYCLING UK: Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, GU2 9JX E: cycling@cyclinguk.org W: cyclinguk.org T: 0844 736 8450* or 01483 238300. Cycle promotes the work of Cycling UK. Cycle’s circulation is approx. 51,000. Cycling UK is one of the UK’s largest cycling membership organisations, with approx. 65,000 members and affiliates Patron: Her Majesty the Queen President: Jon Snow Chief Executive: Paul Tuohy. Cyclists’ Touring Club, a Company Limited by Guarantee, registered in England No 25185, registered as a charity in England and Wales Charity No 1147607 and in Scotland No SC042541. Registered office: Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, GU2 9JX. CYCLE MAGAZINE: Editor: Dan Joyce E: cycle@ jamespembrokemedia.co.uk Head of Design: Simon Goddard Designer: Katrina Ravn Advertising: Jack Watts T: 0203 859 7099 E: jack.watts@jamespembrokemedia.co.uk Publisher: James Houston. Cycle is published six times per year on behalf of Cycling UK by James Pembroke Media, 90 Walcot Street, Bath, BA1 5BG. T: 01225 337777. Cycle is copyright Cycling UK, James Pembroke Media, and individual contributors. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission from Cycling UK and James Pembroke Media is forbidden. Views expressed in the magazine are those of the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or the policies of Cycling UK. Advertising bookings are subject to availability, the terms and conditions of James Pembroke Media, and final approval by Cycling UK. Printed by: Precision Colour Printing, Haldane, Halesfield 1, Telford, TF7 4QQ. T: 01952 585585 *0844 numbers are ‘basic rate’, costing under 5p/min plus your phone company’s access charge on a BT landline. Other providers may charge more.

Top to bottom: Alamy, Dan Joyce, Colin Goldsmith-Hodder, Thomas Hogben

Even in February, there are places where the sun always shines: the Canary Islands; the pages of cycling magazines; and, if you’re fan (I know you’re not) of Eighties Scandinavian synth-pop, “on TV”. But not outside my window or, I suspect, yours.

There’s a disjunction between the idealised cycling world and the one we inhabit, especially now, at the fag end of winter, on a northern European island in an unforgiving slate grey sea.

It explains why so many road bikes that aren’t built for racing nevertheless lack the clearance and fittings for mudguards, equipment that’s about as ‘optional’ as the windows and windscreen wipers of a car.

Some roadies are so committed to the mudguardless dream that they’ll claim you don’t need them. In a British winter! It’s denialism, the Emperor’s New Bike. Even the language around mudguards is revealing. They’re not ‘components’ or ‘equipment’ but accessories. Road bikes that are built to accommodate them evidently aren’t welcome in the other three seasons; they’re winter training bikes.

They should be called road bikes, and those that don’t accept mudguards branded race bikes – or summer bikes. It would nice if there were more winter road bikes, too.

We’ve got a review of a couple you can buy starting on page 66.

The review will look a little different from previous ones because we’ve refreshed Cycle’s design this issue. I hope you like the new look.

DAN JOYCE

Every issue 04 Freewheeling

Our Bike

Lionel & Joyce Joseph The 95-year-old couple gave up tandem riding just last year – although they’re still cycling.

Victoria Heywood met them

operations,” Lionel says. “I was on leave from the Navy. I knew Joyce was off in the afternoon.

My parents were living in Walliswood near Dorking – in huts because our house at Ewell had been hit by a doodlebug. But my brother’s tandem and other stuff was still up there.

“I rode from Walliswood to Ewell, swapped to my brother’s tandem, rode it to Isleworth on my own, picked Joyce up at two o’clock, and we rode to a tea party at Walliswood. Afterwards, we rode back up to Isleworth, ensuring Joyce was at the hospital by 10pm on the dot. We made it with two minutes to spare! Seventy miles in an afternoon for Joyce, 140 for me.”

200 miles a week

Joyce & Lionel in 2018 and (below) 1944. Visit the website to see a short film of them: cyclinguk.org/lionelandjoyce

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ycling UK life member Lionel Joseph and his wife Joyce hit the headlines last year when they revealed that, after a lifetime of cycling together, they were giving up their tandem due to inconsiderate drivers.

Joyce holds her hands up to show a tiny gap. “Motorists will pass you with this much to spare, which doesn’t accommodate a wobble or a hole in the road.” Nor the tandem’s greater length and more deliberate steering.

When they stopped, Lionel and Joyce had been riding tandems for the better part of eight decades. They bought their most recent, a British-built Dawes, from a cycle and pram shop in Dorking in 1986. Lionel reckons that it’s done around 20,000 miles, touring extensively across southern and south western England. One of its last big outings was a 20-mile trip to Lionel and Joyce’s joint 90th birthday party. They had to be stopped from riding it home again…

Their most memorable tandem ride, however, wasn’t on the Dawes but on Lionel’s brother’s BSA, during the war. “I was ‘taking the girlfriend home on appro’ shortly after D-Day

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Tech Spec

LIONEL & JOYCE’S DAWES TANDEM Frame & fork: Reynolds 531 throughout, 21in front, 20in rear.

Wheels: 700C, 14g stainless steel spokes, alloy rims.

“Never any breakages until we ‘dropped it’ to avoid a riderless motorcycle hurtling towards us!”

Drivetrain: Crossover drive. 6-speed 14-34 block.

“The early index lever wore out in six months, hence the more durable DIY model.”

Brakes: Shimano centre pull, plus rear hub brake.

Steering & seating: Brooks B17 for Lionel, B76 for Joyce.

Equipment: DIY saddlebag attachment. Bottom bracket roller dynamo, plus Relites.

The couple had met while commuting into London. “Joyce was riding from Kingston to Holborn,” Lionel says. “She left school at 16 and was filling in time before starting nursing at 18. And I was a minor civil servant riding from Ewell up to the Bank every day. There weren’t many girls riding the King’s Road every day. As cyclists did then, we stopped and chatted.”

One day, at Tibbet’s Corner on the edge of Wimbledon Common, Lionel offered to take Joyce’s picture with his plate camera. They kept in touch during Lionel’s time in the Navy in the final years of the war. Meanwhile, Joyce was pursuing her dream of nursing and became a midwife, a job which in those days put her cycling skills to excellent use. Given an area of 25 square miles to cover, between Leatherhead and New Malden, she easily clocked up 200 miles a week cycling between appointments.

Children of their own came along after they married in 1947: four sons, Martin, Graham, Michael and John, then two foster daughters, Lydia and Anne. They continued cycling, of course, initially with Watsonian sidecars.

Indeed, they’ve never stopped cycling since learning how in 1928 at the age of five. “It was a case of riding to school,” Lionel says simply.

Joyce adds that, later on, “It was our only means of transport, with petrol rationing and everything. We had the freedom of our bikes.”

They still do. The tandem may have been put away, but Lionel and Joyce continue to ride their solos.

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Casuals P re v i e w s

Style counsel

Cycling’s sporting aesthetic doesn’t encourage transport cycling or beginners. Help us redress the balance! Send your everyday cycling photos: cycle@jamespembroke media.co.uk

RIDING YOUR BIKE IS RARELY A RACE – AND NEEDN’T LOOK LIKE ONE

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DZR Pigeon $99 Millennials seem to like slip-on trainers, often sans socks. These ones are designed for SPD cleats.

They’re vegan too. An option for Shoreditch fixie-riders or other clipless utility cyclists. dzrshoes.com

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Brompton Tote Bag in Cherry Blossom £80

Kikkerland Bird Bike Multi-tool £15

A bird in the hand! The feet are 2 and 3mm Allen keys, the tail feathers 4, 5, and 6mm, and the beak is a Phillips head screwdriver. kikkerland.com

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Practical luggage that looks less like a pannier off the bike, this coated-cotton and leather handbag is showerproof (a rain cover is also included) and has a capacity of about nine litres (28×30×11cm). brompton.com

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Gazelle Classic

£499+ Proper Dutch transport, this steel roadster has bumpsoftening big wheels (635mm rims), a relaxed seat angle (65°), and all the required accoutrements. gazellebikes.com

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Endura Wms Urban Primaloft Flipjak II £119.99,

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Shimano Transit Long-Sleeve Check Shirt £79.99

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You can cycle in any shirt but this one won’t get clammy: it’s quick-dry polyester.

There’s stretch in the shoulders for a better bike fit, zip pockets, and reflectivity. bike.shimano.com

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Osloh Women’s Porteur Jeans

£118.05 Other manufacturers note: it’s not just men who want cycling jeans. These 98% cotton, 2% Spandex women’s jeans have a lightly padded seat, plenty of pockets, and an adjustable waist. osloh.com

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A two-in-one hooded jacket, the Flipjak II is reversible: the brighter colour and reflective logos are for bike use, the more subtle styling for wearing off the bike. It’s showerproof and windproof either way. endurasport.com

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Normalise cycling

Help Cycling UK campaign for active travel funding. Visit cyclinguk.org/ wouldyourather

Details Where: Europe Start/finish: Start: Devon. Finish: to be determined Distance: 10,000km so far Top: Tilly resting after a long Norwegian climb Bottom: Lofoten Islands

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Pictures: Colin Goldsmith-Hodder

P EDA L S & PAW S

LUCY GOLDSMITHHODDER Qualified physiotherapist Started touring with a three-night trip in SW England

G R E AT R I D E S

Great Rides

PEDALS AND PAWS Cycling UK members Lucy GoldsmithHodder and husband Colin are touring Europe with their Border(less) collie, Tilly

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ood morning... Bad morning.” With these words our new Latvian friends plonked down a sausage and a bottle of vodka next to our stove, where the porridge was bubbling. There was a chill in the early morning air. Mist rose off the river we were camped beside, and a fine coating of dew lay on the tent.

Our coffee was brewing. Beyond the haze above, a blue sky promised a beautiful autumn day. But now vodka had been added into the equation…

I’d been tending to our breakfast under Tilly’s watchful gaze when a car had pulled up. Two grey-haired men with moustaches had unloaded a rubber dinghy, then approached with jovial smiles.

They had little English and, though we’ve picked up bits of other European languages, we had no Latvian. Luckily, Tilly apparently speaks every language, or at least that of anyone who has food, so she helps us to make friends wherever we go.

With hand gestures, the Latvian men sketched out their plans for a day’s fishing. The sausage was for Tilly, they mimed, the vodka for all of us. Did we have cups? It was 7.30 in the morning.

EMBARKING ON A JOURNEY Autumn in northern Europe is a special time.

With its golden grasses, birch trees, and tens of thousands of reindeer, northern Norway had shimmered spectacularly. As we continued down through Finland, Estonia, and now Latvia, the seemingly endless forest

Travelling with a dog adds another dimension.

People delight in seeing Tilly in her trailer, and we are frequently photographed

was in the midst of the autumn change. I can’t imagine a better season to experience this part of the world.

That morning, as we feigned sips of vodka, I exchanged looks with Colin and smiled, the question unspoken. How had we ended up here, drinking vodka at breakfast with Latvian strangers?

It all started with the Cycling UK forum. In January 2013, an exchange of messages on the Land’s End to John o’ Groats board culminated in Colin and I arranging to ride LEJOG together, selfsupported, in the March of that year. At the time we were living almost 1,000 miles apart, at opposite ends of the route.

We met for the first time two days before setting off from Land’s End. Five years later we were married, with a dog, and about to set off on our cycle touring honeymoon, a trip we titled, ‘Revolutions around Europe’.

Our trip began in May. We left our home in Devon, heading towards London. First we had to deal with the South West’s brutal hills. It was a rude awakening. In spite of our previous touring experience, we had over-packed. In spite of the fact we had been cycling Devon’s hills for years, we had underestimated the particular hills on our route. And in spite of our knowledge of the fickle English weather, we had not anticipated the scorching hot day we were to set off on.

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SAM JONES Sam is Cycling UK’s Senior Campaigns and Communications Officer.

When he’s not campaigning, he does his utmost to be out exploring the world on two wheels.

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Feature

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT CYCLING UK’S VR HEADSETS AND CLOSE-PASS MATS ARE HELPING POLICE MAKE DRIVERS SEE SENSE ON OVERTAKING, AS SAM JONES EXPLAINS

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BIKE TEST

F L AT- B A R R O A D

Dimensions in millimetres and degrees

670 610 440

72.5˚

50

440

665 71˚

65

57

460

682

170 282 1100

135 622 31

Tech Spec

ISLABIKES JANIS

Biketest

Islabikes Janis The children’s bike specialists have launched a range for pensioners. Dan Joyce reviews an Iconic road bike

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Other options

hile Islabikes Even on a lightweight have long had bike, hills are hard when an adult bike you’ve got less power. in the range, the versatile This is compounded by Beinn 29, they’re best road bike gearing, which known for their benchmark is arguably too high for children’s bikes. The new anyone who isn’t racing. The Icons range is aimed at Janis has a bottom gear of Above: The 11-40t cassette the other end of the age just 20 inches, despite its and 30t chainring give a 20in bottom gear – much lower spectrum: over-65s who 1× drivetrain. The cassette than that of most road bikes aren’t ready for an e-bike. is huge (11-40t) and the The Janis (after Joplin – chainring small (30t). Top you can work out the others) gear is smaller too but it’s is the flat-bar road bike in the range. It’s a fair trade; you can’t coast far up hills. distinguished by its step-through, mixteOther chainrings are available (26-38t). style frame, which makes it easy to get Most road bikes, even flat-bar ones, on and off. Most step-throughs – bespoke demand an athletic position that’s good ones and Moultons aside – are heavy. The for going faster but not for aching backs Janis is a mere 9.19kg. As with children’s or arms. The Janis sits you more upright. bikes, low weight makes a bigger Less weight on the front wheel makes the difference the less strength the rider has. steering feel light initially; you soon adapt.

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ISLABIKES JONI

ISLABIKES JIMI

A low step-through roadster that weighs 11kg, thanks to its aluminium frame and carbon fork.

The 1×8 gearing uses an 11-40 cassette.

The Icon range’s mountain bike: a step-through 29er (size S: 27.5in) with a rigid carbon fork. Gearing is 1×10, with a sub-20in bottom. Weight: 9.9kg.

£799.99

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Price: £1199.99 Sizes: XS, S, M (tested), L Weight: 9.19kg (no pedals) Frame & fork: 7005 aluminium frame with fittings for mudguard, rear rack, and (stock models) external dropper seatpost. Islabikes full-carbon fork with 1 1/8in straight steer and mudguard fittings.

Wheels: 30-622 Islabikes Road tyres, Islabikes ‘Easy-TyreChange’ disc rims, 28×3 stainless steel spokes, Islabikes QR disc hubs.

Transmission: no pedals, 170mm Islabikes low Q-factor Sram-fit direct

mount chainset, 30t narrow/wide chainring, external threaded bottom bracket, KMC X10 chain, 11-40t Sunrace 10-speed cassette.

Sram Gripshift control, Sram GX rear derailleur.

10-ratios, 20-73in.

Braking: Sram Level TL hydraulic discs, 160mm front, 140mm rear rotors.

Steering & seating: 600×31.8mm flat handlebar, 80mm×17º stem, integrated headset.

Islabikes saddle, 27.2×350mm inline seatpost.

Equipment: Sunnywheel aluminium mudguards. islabikes.co.uk

There are concessions to limited hand strength. The Gripshift gear control is light action. Hydraulic discs transmit little lever effort into lots of braking power. The rims have a less prominent lip, so it’s easier to get the tyres on and off.

I’ve no real criticisms beyond the front wheel being out of true, a potential issue with any bike arriving in a box. But I’d like: a slightly (10mm) lower bottom bracket to make it easier for those who don’t fit a dropper post to put a foot down; flared, Ergon-style grips; a front mudflap; and ‘more cupholders’ – that is, a handlebar bottle mount as standard, not an extra.

£1199.99

Verdict

Inspired! A lightweight, low-geared, stepthrough sports hybrid for pensioners that would suit riders with mobility issues at any age.

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WEEKENDER

JERSEY

Above: Mont de la Guerande.

Below: Cars are restricted to pedelec speed on the Green Lanes. Bottom: Victoria Tower, completed in 1837

Weekender

Jersey’s Green Lanes

Jersey might be famous for its beaches but, as Matt Lamy shows, the island’s quiet lanes are a family cycling paradise

W MATT LAMY Cycling journalist Matt grew up in Jersey; this is his back yard

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ith a land mass nine miles by five and a maximum altitude of just 450ft, Jersey is a leisure cyclist’s dream. There are trafficfree cycle paths along St Aubin’s bay, linking the west of the island with the town of St Helier; a new off-road cycle path up the lush St Peter’s Valley linking south and north; and the original ‘Railway Path’, which turned Jersey’s pre-war train track into a safe route for pedestrians and cyclists (and which predates Sustrans’ famous Bristol to Bath route!).

However, the jewel in Jersey cycling’s crown is the 48-mile network of Green Lanes: signposted country lanes with a 15mph speed limit, where cyclists, horse riders, and pedestrians have priority over cars.

Jersey may be closer to France than Britain, but it’s just 4.5 hours by fast ferry from Poole, or less than an hour by plane from Gatwick. The route described – through Green Lanes in the island’s northeastern parish, St Martin – is just a sample of what’s available.

FE B R UARY / MARCH 2019

Kids’ stuff

Cycling UK has lots of information about family cycling. Visit cyclinguk.org/family to read more.

JERSEY

WEEKENDER

Weekend ride

JERSEY’S GREEN LANES Start/finish: Top of Mont de la Guerande Map: Jersey Official Leisure Map (1:25k) Distance: 8.9 miles/14km Climbing: 145m Bike type: Any Ride level: Beginner/Family GPX: cyclinguk.org/Jersey-green-lanes

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View of Mont Orgeuil Before you set off, look back and admire the view of the imposing edifice of Mont Orgeuil (or ‘Gorey Castle’), built to protect the east of the island from French invaders. Being within sight of the French coast, it also served as a visual reminder of British power on our Gallic chums’ doorstep.

Gorey Village If you’ve brought a car, the car park at Gorey beach is a perfect place to leave it. You can then push or ride your bike along the front towards the castle (beware of parked cars – the Dutch Reach hasn’t yet reached Jersey). Then you’ll push your bike up Mont de la Guerande to our starting point.

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LA HOUGUE BIE Simply ‘Hougue Bie’ to locals, this is something of a mystical place, with an 18-metre long passage grave – one of the 10 oldest buildings in the world – underneath a 12-metre high earth mound, and a couple of medieval chapels on top. The museum (family ticket £28.55) is open daily from from 29 March to 3 November.

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St Catherine’s Breakwater After a brief section of main road, you’ll arrive at St Catherine’s. The 600m breakwater was built as part of a giant port to house the Royal Navy. Work was never finished as the bay wasn’t deep enough for modern steam ships. Now it’s a great place to stroll or fish.

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VICTORIA TOWER Rather than the more common Jersey Round Towers, Victoria Tower on Le Mont Nicholas is a genuine Martello Tower, built as part of the island’s defences in 1837 when Queen Vic herself was on the throne. Lying in the undergrowth nearby are more recent defences: German bunkers from the Occupation during the Second World War. More recent still is an underground nuclear early-warning facility.

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Faldouet Dolmen If you want to get a better idea of what the floorplan of the passage grave at Hougue Bie looks like, Faldouet Dolmen is the place to go.

With its mound long since removed, you can see exactly how Neolithic Man used great granite blocks to build this tomb. There’s no fee to enter this dolmen; simply ride up the path and enjoy.

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JERSEY

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© inkatlas.com, OpenStreetMap

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Ride somewhere new Download routes from the website. Join a local group.

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cyclinguk.org/140-routes cyclinguk.org/local-groups

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MEMBERSHIP FROM JUST MEMBERSHIP £3.88 FROMAJUST MONTH!* £3.88 A MONTH!*

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GROUPTEST

SOFTSHELLS

Details

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

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Cut & sizing

Like any cycling jacket, a softshell needs to be longer in the arms and lower in the back to prevent exposed skin.

Manufacturers’ sizing varies; try before you buy if possible.

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Grouptest

Winter softshells

Dan Joyce tests four close-fitting, cold-weather windproofs that will shrug off a shower

Weather protection

All softshells keep the wind off. Rain resistance varies. Most are fine on drizzly days; some will stand up to sustained precipitation. Warmth correlates loosely with weight.

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Pockets

You won’t have a jersey underneath and couldn’t get at it on the move if you did, so rear pockets are essential,

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DAN JOYCE Cycle editor

inter softshells blur the line between jacket and jersey. Like a jacket, they’ll keep out the worst of the weather.

They’re windproof, or at least wind resistant, and either showerproof or rainproof, thanks to waterrepellent fabric and/or a microporous membrane.

They have a full front zip, a high neck, and reflective detailing. But like a jersey, they’re stretchy and tightfitting rather than loose and crinkly, with elasticated pockets in the back.

Unlike hardshell waterproof jackets, which function fine off the bike and can be worn over normal clothing, softshells are cycling specific. You wear one over a baselayer, with bike kit.

As such, it doesn’t matter that they’re designed to keep you comfortable rather than completely dry. Softshells are best for cycling that involves pushing on rather than pottering, and where a hardshell waterproof would be too flappy or too hot. That’s primarily road cycling, including club riding, audax events, and training, but they’re also good for mountain biking.

one zipped so there’s somewhere secure for keys/phone.

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Visibility

Black may be fashionable but it’s hardly eye-catching on dim days. You won’t wear a softshell in noncycling situations, so bright is fine. For night use, reflectivity helps.

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Care

Read the label before washing. Don’t use fabric softener.

It compromises sweat wicking and the breathability of membranes. Water repellency degrades over time but can be refreshed by treatment with, for example, NikWax SoftShell Proof Wash-In.

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TRAVELLERS’ TALES

Pfalzgrafenstein Castle, near Kaub, Germany

Western Europe Above: Take your camera.

(Remember to pause Strava) Below: Sa Calobra climbs 668 metres over 9.4km

Mallorca

Sa Calobra in spring Becci May and nine of her clubmates spent a week in Mallorca last April

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ast April, when the spring sun was shining for the first time at home, ten of us from Alton Cycling Club stepped off an Easyjet ’plane in the rain. We were heading to Platja de Muro, near Alcudia, on the north east coast. The hotel was perfectly set up for cyclists, having underground bike storage area and hire bikes available.

Our first day’s warm-up ride started with most of us feeling a bit fragile after a few glasses of local wine the night before. But it was dry and sunny and we were happy to be on our bikes.

Mallorca is a cyclists’ mecca. Not only does it have perfect cycling weather in April, it has great mountain climbs, some with wonderful sea views. Quiet lanes wind through rural areas and old towns.

There’s the scent of orange blossom and wildflowers in the air, and groves of almond, fig, olive, and oak trees.

We whizzed down (and up) a few hairpin bends, some with sheer drops on one side. The ride to the lighthouse north of Alcudia, which attracts thousands of cyclists and the occasional vehicle, has fantastic – and sometimes precipitous – views.

We rode between 60 and 140km a day for six days solid. On our final full day, the crazy, curvy infamous Sa

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Calobra descent was calling – as was the returning climb, because once you reach the sea you can’t go any further. A few of us stopped at the top of the awesome ascent to spectate and cheer on the others.

After struggling through some dismal winter weather, this was a wonderful kickstart to spring club riding. It was a great way to emerge from the winter blues. So: where to next year?

facebook.com/CyclingUK

FE B R UARY / M ARCH 2019

Bromptons down the Rhine Neil Hutchon and his wife rode from Austria to the Netherlands We began our trip down the Rhine from Bregenz in Austria to Arnhem in the Netherlands apprehensively. We’ve done long tours before but not for years, and the difficulties of getting our tandem to central Europe meant we were using Bromptons instead.

They can be carried onto trains, including Eurostar, as luggage.

The Rhine cycle route was perfect for us. It was downhill almost all the way. The walled medieval towns, quaint villages and wooded hillsides of the High Rhine (Bodensee to Basel) were followed by the plains of the Upper Rhine (through Strasbourg and onto Mainz). Then we rode through the spectacular Rhine Gorge, seeing more medieval towns, vineyards, and the hilltop castles of the Middle Rhine.

After industrial Duisburg, the flatness and big sky of the Lower Rhine towards the Dutch border was a bit of a shock. Our route was mostly on well-marked cycle paths along the river. Our daily average was 35 miles.

We took a couple of short hops on local trains to shorten longer days.

The folders were great. We’re planning to explore central or southern Europe with them next. Or should we dust off that tandem?

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Share your story

Cycle wants your Travellers’ Tales. Email the editor – cycle@ jamespembrokemedia.co.uk

Twitter@wearecyclinguk

cycling@cyclinguk.org

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