newsnet 05.05.06

The weekly newsletter for members of CTC

 

 

News

 

CTC expands MTB team

We are pleased to announce that Ian Warby has joined the CTC staff team as Senior Cycling Development Officer responsible for off-road issues. Ian will use the wealth of experience he gained from his time as founder and manager of the nationally-renowned Aston Hill MTB facility near Aylesbury to work on a range of projects including the development of CTC’s mountain bike training courses. We’ve also made permanent the appointment of Off-Road Campaigner Richard George. Richard has been spearheading CTC’s successful campaign to confirm cyclists’ ability to claim Rights of Way, and will be campaigning for a widespread review of Access and Rights of Way law in England and Wales. Read more

 

Cycling’s in the House

The fact that over 11,000 of you have emailed your local MP over proposed changes to the Highway Code means the issue has well and truly reached Parliament. Cycling portal website bikeforall this week reported on the encouraging noises being made by Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Transport, Derek Twigg. And on Tuesday, MP Mark Lazarowicz has secured a 90-minute Parliamentary discussion on cycling during which he has promised CTC he will raise the Highway Code issue

 

Cycling for Women

New events for our Cycling for Women weekend on 3-4 June are coming in every day. The event was covered in this week’s Independent newspaper, and Olympic medal-winning cyclist Yvonne McGregor is lending her support by leading a ride in Manchester. Read about how Yvonne got into cycling and why she thinks initiatives like this are so important here. For further information on the weekend itself, and details of how you can get involved click here 

 

It could be you

The current edition of Cycle magazine contains tickets for our Summer Draw with £4,000 worth of prizes up for grabs. The odds of winning are much better than the National Lottery and all proceeds go to CTC Charitable Trust. For extra tickets email cycling@...

 

What’s on?

 

Night riders

If you fancy the idea of spending a balmy evening exploring the capital, meet at the National Film Theatre Cafe on Friday 5th May (6.45 for 7) for a leisurely ride around Central London with our Cheam & Morden group. On Friday 12th the same bunch meets at Hyde Park Corner at midnight for its monthly Ride to the Coast under a full moon. Coffee at Gatwick Airport in the wee small hours, and sunrise somewhere near the South Downs. The plan is to hit the Brighton Prom just in time to meet the young people coming out of their 'discotheques'. More info

 

Have a heart

42,000 people die each year in the UK as a result of heart disease directly related to physical inactivity; that’s over 115 every day. It’s such a serious issue that CTC has teamed up with the British Heart Foundation to support its fundraising rides this summer. Every week in May, newsnet will highlight a health benefit associated with cycling. Use the facts to impress your non-cycling friends, then steer them to www.bhf.org.uk/lifecycle  If you’d like to organise you own ride in support of the charity, email helpaheart@...

 

In your area…

The CTC online events page is regularly updated. Find cycling events in your area here

For example, why not explore Cheshire & Shropshire on 11th June by taking part in a 50 or 80-mile route organised by Prescot-Eagle Road Club? Call Brian Farrington 01744 738307 50 for details.

 

Products

 

We have a huge range of cycling books, videos and DVDs for you to choose from, and as usual a CTC members’ discount of 10 per cent is available on the vast majority of products.

 

Please click here to browse our Books, Videos and DVDs…

 

The CTC shop can be found at www.ctcshop.com or feel free to give us a call on 0870 873 0069

 

Info

 

You wait ages for a bike bus, then 3 turn up at the same time. 

In Sheffield two seasonal Sunday services are running, and a bit further north another all-year bike bus service is added to the Calderdale Metroconnect network on routes around Todmorden, by West Yorkshire Metro West Yorkshire Metro Finally, not appearing on any bus information websites because it is free and not a recognised bus service is the Sunday service with a minibus and trailer into the Dartmoor National Park. More info 

 

Good Oman

Information on cycle touring in a new country (for us) has been received. Oman would seem to be a destination well worth considering if you’re a budding adventure cyclist. Find the information on sheet OM1.

 

Really rally good

Thanks to member Steve Gregson for providing information on another annual cycle rally, this time in Germany. Known as German Cycle Touring Week, he and his wife very much enjoyed last year’s event. This year it’s being held in the Kiel region of northern Germany from 17 – 23 July. More information from www.rg-kiel.de/ or contact bernd.schmid@...  You’ll need some knowledge of German for the website – probably not much at the event - most Germans speak English.

 

CTC Campaigns

 

Highway Code (Cont’d)

Your MP may well have written back to you advising you to take part in the Driving Standards Agency’s formal consultation process, and last week’s Newsnet encouraged you to do so. You now only have until WEDNESDAY (10^th MAY) to do this – please don’t miss the deadline!  Our suggested “template response” to help you do this is on our Highway Code campaign webpage.  CTC’s full-length response will also be downloadable from this page a little later this evening – by all means add things from it to your own response (or make other amendments to our suggested template) as you see fit. Send your responses to publications.dsa@..., with a copy to adam.coffman@...

 

New Transport Secretary

Today’s Cabinet reshuffle has led to Alistair Darling MP being moved from Transport Secretary to the Department for Trade and Industry. Darling’s tenure at the Department for Transport (DfT) was notable mainly for being almost entirely un-notable, for some progress (eventually) towards a national road charging scheme and a distinct lack of interest in cycling. His replacement, Douglas Alexander, has no previous background in transport. CTC wishes him well and hopes he will prove receptive to our messages!  We also await news of any changes in his junior ministerial team.

 

Why some drivers hate cyclists

Some motorists appear to hate cyclists because they're secretly scared of hurting us, according to new research by Cardiff University. Academic Ben Fincham has formulated the theory to explain why people on bikes frequently attract rage from other road users. Read more

 

Member benefit

 

Peace of mind

CTC’s Cyclecover insurance guarantees new-for-old replacement and there is almost no limit on the value of the bike being insured. Benefits include worldwide cover, free personal accident cover for CTC members, protection against vandalism and crash damage and up to 30% no claims bonus. www.cyclecover.co.uk  

 

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