It’s annoying, and possibly dangerous, but let’s not extrapolate from there that all cyclists jump red lights. Of course there are cyclists who routinely mount curbs at speed and jump red lights. Yes I am a cyclist (one of the insufferable kinds of cyclist who worries about having a bike under 9kg, carbon frame rigidity and gear-sets) but after hundreds of miles of pleasant, relatively uneventful riding this year, I don’t feel like a menace.Ĭertainly I’m not blind to the realities. He just turned 70 and is still able to hike his way around 30-mile circuits. It’s also an egalitarian form of exercise I keep meaning to join my dad’s cycling group on one of their regular jollies through the Trough of Bowland. There’s also a near limitless number of routes taking in coastal roads, beaches, urban sprawl, hilly climbs and gentle countryside.

Locally there’s a good selection of cycling clubs like Hoppers Rollers and the Ribble Valley Cycling and Racing Club, which cater for all fitness and experience levels. Could I be a menace on the roads?įor the most part, I can only take away positive experiences of cycling this past year. Could this article be baseless polemic? Sheer hyperbole and clickbait to bump readership and fuel an unnecessary and divisive culture war between drivers and cyclists? It got me thinking about my own year as a cyclist in Preston. These cyclists shouted and woke up whole villages at 7am, they rode 15 abreast and were a clear and present danger to pedestrians, dogs and sheep… Yes, not even the sheep were safe from these marauding bike hobbyists. I was recently forwarded an article where the writer bemoaned ‘lycra louts’. As the sun bathes the picturesque, undulating country roads leading to Beacon Fell and the winds gently kick the dust of the Longridge peaks – the air has been once again cut by sleek aluminium frames and Lycra-clad forms. As Lancashire’s brief summer lopes on, a leap in pandemic bikesales coupled with the glorious landscape Preston was tragically blessed with inevitably means that drivers and cyclists will be having more ‘interactions’ on their journeys. Sadly, Preston has a wealth of natural beauty spots and is unfortunately surrounded by wonderful countryside to the north.

Posted on - 20th August, 2021 - 12:00pm | Author - Daniel Burt | Posted in - Observations, Opinion, Preston News, Roads, Sport, Transport Out for a cycle on the Guild Wheel Pic: Tony Worrall To the workhouse! Bed sharing and the ‘itch’ in Victorian Prestonĭiscovering Preston’s former cinema sites (part one) ‘Russian Lidl’ set to open soon in Preston once finishing touches have been added to the storeįive months of road closures between Broughton and Whittingham to build new aqueduct

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