Come and adore the mighty Veloheads

I spent some of this morning with my boys down at Veloheads a new business come social enterprise in my neck of the woods, down the Avenue in Starbeck. Harrogate has it's fair share of bike businesses. Why am I getting excited about this one, I hear you murmur with barely repressed indifference? It opened for business this morning and I had the heads up, as I met the owner a couple of months back. Carl Nelson said owner, seems to have a different...

They work for you - Richard Cooper and NYCC fail to spend the cycling money they do have

I know I know, I had retired from this campaigning lark but this one has me spitting feathers. So there is money in the pot for a toucan crossing (bike traffic lights) on Wetherby Road/Slingsby Walk by the hospital. This is part of a government grant for bike infrastructure in Harrogate (LSTF if you are nerdy). What could possibly go wrong? Without this crossing, on a bike, North Yorkshire Area 6 (transport dept) believe this crossing...

Sutton Bank MTB trails

I got out with the family at the weekend to the trails at the top of Sutton Bank. Park up by the visitors centre at the top of the hill and there is a new shop Sutton Bank Bikes. Take some change for the parking meters it's four quid and you can't use a card, I ended up parking down on the road but there are only a few spots. You can hire bikes, we had our own but if you need them there is a good choice of sizes and kids bikes and tagalongs...

Open Harrogate A review

So whilst I was off my holidays the Open Harrogate App/website thingy came out. What of it? There is a website with some info on it for residents and visitors which is nice to look at and easy to follow. It includes some good advice on why cycling walking and public transport are sensible decisions. There are some suggested routes as a walker and a bike rider which are good as far as they go. Along with the above there are some links to bike...

Cycle cultures

Whoosh they were gone. I shouted for Cav and the whole team Quickstep until my lungs burned. They had control of THE Tour De France with 2k to go, barreling in toward Parliment Street as the sun burned down. Until that is Spartacus spoiled the party. Then with everyone else in the fan park I watched the bottomless heartbreak unfold. Next day in Starbeck and Kittel rides past in pole position, I clapped but I had hoped to be cheering a Manx...

Play fantasy Tour de France

I posted this last year. Other than the venue for stages one and two its nearly all still true. But this time they are coming TO OUR TOWN Its that time again Wiggo is out but Froome looks on form and the behemoth of Cav looks as good a bet as ever. Its tour De France time. Get yourself by a telly at about 4.15 in the afternoon for the next few weeks. The nice people over at velo games run a fantasy Tour De France game, league, thingy. You...

This years hot ticket

This from Andy Grinter, about an exciting one off Performance by the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Knaresborough, as well as a chance to talk to some of the people involved in the drama. It will sell out as there are not many tickets, I would suggest if you want to go you act now. "Beryl" excerpts from the West Yorkshire Playhouse production of the play by Maxine Peake at the Frazer Theatre, Knaresborough. Start: 12 June 2014 7:30...

Our most Important campaign ever, please help

We are working with local cycling groups and councillors to get a cycling and walking plan funded for Harrogate. Harrogate Borough Council have said they won't fund this important piece of work  You can help in three ways, more information he...

If you want it you can have it

Can't decide whether to sell this story as local government going wrong or right, it is a bit of both. Here goes, Liberal Democrat councillor and prospective parliamentary candidate Helen Flynn is trying to get Sustrans gawd bless 'em to do a feasibility study on how Harrogate could build more bike infrastructure. Here is her briefing document on what she proposes. I'm supporting it, not because I'm a Liberal Democrat, I'm not. For...

Who wants to be famous?

Just got this sent my way From: "liz stainthorpe" <liz.stainthorpe@hotmail.co.uk>To:Subject: Brief - cyclists Video Shoot - Alistair Griffin - Tuesday 15th April Hoping you and your cycling pals may be able to help. We are shooting the music video to accompany "The Road" next week just outside Leeds and need some cyclists as extras. Hoping you might be able to add to my numbers. We need 20-25 people.] Here are the details for the video shoot. I have attached a basic outline of the video and some references for the era/style...

Liberal Democrat Helen Flynn responds to Cycle Harrogate's questions

This from Helen Flynn in response to my recent questions in the run up to the Council elections. 1. If elected how will you work to get more people in Harrogate cycling as part of the Cycle Yorkshire 10 year plan? The whole agenda rests largely around behaviour change which takes time. Think how long it took to stop smoking in public places--a long public information campaign to describe the benefits and get "buy-in". So, much of the work will be about having an ongoing "conversation" (achieved through PR, poster campaigns, partnership...

Question time - Calling local politicians and candidates

We have elections coming in May, I don't know if there is such a thing as a cycling vote in Harrogate, I suspect there are just a fair few people who already cycle and would like it to be easier and a few more who would take to two wheels if it was. I posed some similar questions a year or so ago and got some limited responses but I think as a town we have moved on since then. If local people care about cycling and if your read the advertiser...

Cycle Yorkshire Cycle Harrogate

Cycle Yorkshire was launched yesterday the official Grand Depart legacy brand, the link is to their prospectus. It's a welcome to Yorkshire initiative. I was hoping to be at the launch at the International Centre but I had to work after taking the Wednesday off as the NUT were on strike. So I was on childcare duties. What to make of the initiative? I have argued for a while now that cycling has failed to progress in these parts as much as...

It's not about the bike - Nidd Valley Road Runners

I haven't been riding my bike much recently. I was a bike commuter for 6 years but a change of job means lugging tools around rather than pedalling. What cycling I have been doing has been with my kids and as a family. The kids are mad for it, I suppose we will be doing loads more. So to close my activity gap, I have been doing a bit of running. To lose a bit of weight and to improve my climbing grade. Climbing has always been my one true exercise...

Short term Hire Bikes at the Station - use them and tell your friends

Picture Patrick Dunlop stray Fm There have been short term "Boris" style bikes at the station now since Christmas. Seems nobody knows and nobody is using them. Quite why Northern Rail and the bike hire company  have done nothing to promote them is beyond me and Patrick Dunlop at Stray FM. Anyway they are available for short term hire if you need a bike for a few hours, tell your friends who are coming by train. If the people who are supposed...

Mint - Moutainbiking in Timble Woods

I took my kids to Swinsty/Fewston today to ride the new'ish Yorkshire Water Moutainbike trial. One 8 year old and one 5 and a half. I wasn't sure if it would work out, but work out it did. You park in the car park by the dam, bizarrely there is a separate car park 50 metres away for horses and bikes, to protect who from who I'm not sure. Come out of the car park take a right down the minor road to the junction at the other car park. Then head...

The vision thing - Harrogate the bike town

Helen Flynn Lib Dem councillor and prospective parliamentary candidate for these environs has been ruffling feathers recently. She has blogged about why we need to make Harrogate a bike town, I agree with her, we do. She has also had a pop at Borough and County Councils and "the Tories" for not all working together to make this happen, with a few caveats (some people are working hard), I agree with her. Thing is she is detail lite...

Good news and looking forward - Rejoice

I don't know if you saw Inside Out, the local BBC news magazine programme on Monday 24th February? It was a Tour special. It featured  Paul Ogden contrasting cycling Harrogate to Leeds with a commute in Holland. Suffice to say it was a lot easier in the Netherlands. He was riding from Harrogate with some of Harrogate Nova. Predictably they left him for dead after a few miles. Anyway it got me thinking that there really is is no decent...

In the news this winter

A bit of a news roundup from me about local  bikey stuff. Harrogate Borough Council have now got onboard with the Cyclescheme that gets employees a cheap bike. Lots of big local employers in town do this now. HBC had been dragging their heels, but they have gone swiftly from heels to wheels and the scheme starts in April, good on them. Andrew at the big red bike co is delighted it's a scheme that works at his shop, this quote is...

The Curious incident of the Frox in the spotlight

Recently and curiously in Harrogate, a local shop puts out a sign saying you can park in the cycle lane. Twitter and Facebook go ballistic with righteous fury, the press get involved as does the national cycle media. The shop issues an apology. Except there were a few more things going on here if you looked. Snooty Frox the shop in question put the sign up and got quite a few bike rider's backs up last weekend. It was picked up on a Saturday...