Recently I went on a fact-finding mission to Oxford.
Hoping to bump into Phillip Pullman, he who wrote all those wonderful books about magic, destiny triumph and adversity, so that I could discuss with him his uncomfortable appreciation of cyclists [Ed - see Pullman's 28 October 2021 tweet], I had to settle instead for a guided tour of the suburbs. This was OK. The city centre, with its proliferation of antique sandstone colleges and antique sandstone academics walking around and muttering to themselves in Latin, was far too hot and far too busy. I was happy not to join the throngs of tourists.
Instead I met up with my co-presenters of a podcast called Streets Ahead, Adam [Tranter] and Laura [Laker, Cycling Plus columnist]. For the last couple of years, we three have been podcasting regularly about active travel.
Laura and Adam are experts in the field (the former an acknowledged journalist in the field, the latter the Cycling and Walking Commissioner for the West Midlands). We had come to Oxford to see what was what.
The city has one of the highest rates of cycling in all of the UK. Cambridge has a little more, but Oxford is second.
This story is from the October 2022 edition of Cycling Plus UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2022 edition of Cycling Plus UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Air Apparent - Pollution hasn't gone away. It's still there in every lungful, even if we can't see it in the air or on the news. But there are reasons to breathe easier, thanks to pioneering projects using cycling 'citizen scientists'. Rob Ainsley took part in one...
The toxic effects of pollution have been known about for years. 'Just two things of which you must beware: Don't drink the water and don't breathe the air!' sang 1960s satirist Tom Lehrer.Over recent decades, though, pollution has dropped down our list of things to worry about, thanks to ominously capitalised concerns such as Climate Change, AI, Global Conflict, Species Collapse, etc. That doesn't, unfortunately, mean the problem has expired. Air quality often exceeds safe limits, with far-reaching and crippling effects on our health.
No limits
Not every adventure needs to be that epic, says bikepacking Scotland founder Markus Stitz
UNBOUND UNLEASHED
Josh Patterson was one of 34 starters for the inaugural edition of Unbound in 2006. Now, with more than 5,000 riders taking part in today's event, he charts the rise of the most important race in gravel
FOREST COMMISSION
Looking for a goal race in 2025 that'll stimulate the synapses and live long in the memory? You'd struggle to do better than ENID CRV in Finland
15 OF THE BEST ADVENTURES
Featuring Yorkshire, the USA, Sri Lanka and more, here are our picks of the world's greatest gravel races and routes
The stuff of dreams
Ned sings the praises of the Paris Olympics road-race course
"I rode 3,000 miles around Britain on a bamboo bike to highlight our climate crisis"
Recordbreaking cyclist and triathlete Kate Strong, 45, took to the road to raise awareness of environmental issues
FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE
We venture into the hidden gem of the glorious Creuse, one of France's least populated regions
STAR TREK
New tube shapes and carbon lay-up makes the eighth generation of Trek's legendary Madone an aero and climbing bike all rolled into one
GOLD RUSH
With conflict around the world, Paris 2024 was a ray of light. Here are our highs of a mighty Olympics