Not Environmentalist, Not Athletic, Not Anti-Car - I Just Like Cycling...

All too often it seems, people assume cyclists  are all obsessed with saving the planet and keeping fit. They might also hate cars and certainly some hate Jeremy Clarkson. Well, I'm none of these, but there's plenty of them UK-side.

I just find pootling along either by myself or with company to be enjoyable. It also makes life easy and it's very cheap transport. It's also very useful - fast and efficient for short-shortish journeys in fair weather. Probably the pushbike's forte. For longer distances, it makes for a cheap day out.

Maybe if this type of cycling was promoted more forcefully (wrong word but can't think of something more suitable) instead of everyone getting all serious, more of the public would cycle, seeing it as something to enjoy instead of endure? I'm pretty sure it's not just lack of cycling friendly infrastructure that's a barrier to popularity, but the public perception of it - even image...

But what about the environment? All well and good but I'd probably still cycle if it wasn't environmentally friendly...

nuclear power - just as unpopular as cars with some cyclists...
photo courtesy of Stefan Kuhn from Wikimedia Commons.

Fitness? The type of cycling I do doesn't keep you fit - there isn't enough exertion and I don't want to (at the moment) - I run and go to the gym for that, or I try to...

A triathlete - if the cycling doesn't get you fit, the running and swimming will...
photo courtesy of Olivier Trudel-Languedoc from Wikimedia Commons

Cars? More than a few cyclists are on an anti-car crusade (despite many of these people being dependent on cars themselves...), but I like cars, am a Jeremy Clarkson fan, watch Top Gear on the TV on the treadmill at the gym, and would own one if I had a need for one. They're also the best option for some journeys. I don't think any one mode of transport is ideal for all journeys, which includes pushbikes. You can do your 30 - 60 mile round daily commute come rain or shine if you want, but I won't be joining you...as far as I'm concerned, this comes into the "making life difficult for no good reason" category. That type of distance is what planes, trains and automobiles are for...

for longer distances...once I've bought all the bikes I want first...
photo courtesy of Sovxx from Wikimedia Commons.

On a separate note, I shall be publishing once or twice a week as and when instead of every Thursday.