My passport has run out, yes I knew about it last year but was a bit lazy. I did have a few trips to do and didn’t want to run the risk of not going because the passport was not ready yet.
You can’t call the Embassy to book an appointment, you have to go there in person to get the appointment. Because of the number of Danes in this country, I was told, so there is a massive waiting list to get that appointment. So all in all you have to make three trips to the Embassy if you want a new shiny Danish passport.
As soon as you set your feet inside the Embassy you are greeted by posters and magazines telling you that you should have a cycling holiday in Denmark, trust me it is a great place to cycle so do go if you have the chance.
Imagine my disappointment when I saw that the Danish Embassy had put up some massive flower pots outside, well let’s just call them what they are: concrete bollards. Yes, I know there were some issues with some drawings a few years back, but there is a better way to tell …

Thursday I had to got out to Greenford in west London to pick up my new toy, more about that in another post. Since I was in NW6 and therefore not far from the Grand Union Canal, which runs from near the Docklands in east London all the way through north/central London to the west. You can even go as far as Bath and Milton Keynes and beyond if you are that keen.
I jumped on the canal in NW6 and started to ride on what I really hoped would be a pleasant ride across London. Away from the cold north westerly wind and traffic, the sun even came out to play a few times on my journey. This part of London is generally very nice and at bit of nature in the city especially in the spring and summer. Spring hasn’t arrived yet in London. A wee bit late because it’s been cold for a loooong time and we even had snow that lasted more than a few hours. The canal does cut through a few parks and next to other green areas like a golf course, so plenty of green to look at. Even the odd wildlife like ducks, …

I think the Rainlegs were created for horse riders but soon found its way to cycling and other outdoor activities. The first time I saw them, I honestly thought that it was a gimmick. Yet another thing someone was trying to flog to us cyclist with no real use. After talking with a few cycling friends and actually seeing them in use, I changed my mind.
Even the lure from wiggle and £7 didn’t get me to buy one of the denim coloured ones. We went for the bog standard black version on offer at nearly triple the price.
When they arrived they where nicely rolled up, which I still have to figure out how the heck that is done. As the kinda roll up into themselves and you close the “sausage” with the buttons that are in the top mess. This mess runs across your belly so that you don’t cook in them.
At closer inspection I found that some of the stitching were not as even or straight I would have liked. And some of the traps weren’t burned/cut neatly and started to run before I even had put it on. Some of the straps are clearly too big for the …

I finally had the chance to cycle in the snow with my Surly Long Haul Trucker. What can I say, it is sooo easy.
I have done my fair share of cycling in the snow and snow storms where I couldn’t see further than 50 metres ahead. Quite often I had to stop to remove the snow out of the wheels and away from the brakes. The most “fun” to ride on is when there is one layer of snow that have plenty of tracks from people moving about on bicycles or foot. Which slightly thaws doing the day only to freeze during the night while getting a new dusting of snow.
The main trick to cycling in the snow is pretty much the same when it comes to “normal” cycling.
1/ Don’t brake when you turn, do that before. And don’t slam on your brakes you will only skid.
2/ Cycle at a speed where you have control of your bicycle. Don’t cycle above your skills.
3/ Keep the momentum, not racing, but keep the bicycle going.
4/ Look ahead and around you, so you know what is going around you so that you can plan your route.
5/ If your bicycle is drifting/sliding …

The last few miles of a wonderful first ride of the year got ruined by a plonker. And now, after some hours thinking about what happened yesterday, I know that we should maybe have acted differently, since now it is too late. And I honestly can’t be arsed since the work from our side will be a lot and with some banging our heads against the wall for little effect towards the plonker. Such is the system today.
Here is a little background on why I did what I did last night. I ride in a zen-like way and don’t let others egg me on, because when I’ve arrived at my destination I really don’t want to spend time calming down again. Because my work and my friends do not want to hear me ranting along about the bad behaviour of some stupid plonker of a driver, pedestrian or cyclist.
So yesterday we had a day out with great friends and a beautiful ride and were on our way over to some good friends for a cup of tea and cake. This great day I was not in mood to be ruined because of some plonker with no road sense. So therefore …

Last year took us to Scotland (Grand tour of Edinburgh) , Wales (3 wet days loop), Surrey Hills (3 days tour with TEA), Isle of Wight (one small wet ride), Pyrenees (more up hills than you can shake a stick at) and Denmark (flatter than flat rides) and a few more day trips and pootles here and there.

Apart from my day job I’m also a professional cake eater guinea pig connoisseur. I’m very lucky to have a superb partner who is a whiz in the kitchen and her cake baking skills are unbeatable.

Well we didn’t see any boxing but there was plenty of natter, drinking and eating cake. Only 16 miles on the bicycles but it was done in very good company and lots of laughs.
We arrived at the starting check point (read : Pub) and enjoyed the view before we went in enjoyed beer and tea. We then jumped on our bicycles for our planned few laps of Richmond Park. But after queuing for half the way around the park we bailed out. Since the park was full of cars queuing to get into the parking areas. A total contrast to the cycling around London that we did the day before.
So headed to The Ship in Mortlake, a great place with plenty of room for many bicycles at the back and good food and the odd guest ale.

Well, nearly. I have seen, and been let to believe, that the streets of London will be deserted on 25th of Dec. But they were not. Well, I suppose they were pretty empty compared to a normal Sunday morning.
But the sun was out and we had a nice 28+ miles pootle around town. We didn’t have to worry about anything other than tourists walking around photographing the empty streets. Plenty of pubs, restaurants and cafes were open in the centre of town. And of course every corner shop worth its weight in gold, e.g. cashing in on the “feed the little one some candy while out on a walk” and the “oh feck I forgot x, y, z, quick down to the shop” shoppers.
Oxford Street was total naked of its normal red snake of buses stretching from end to end (well, as far as the crowd and buses will let you see). We had a little stop on Oxford Circus, where we and other cyclists and tourists were busy taking pictures of the car-free zone. All the cyclists we saw were clearly out enjoying the sun and the empty streets: a cycling utopia.
Even Old Compton Street in Soho was dead …

Last night we went to the O2 Arena in London out on the Greenwich peninsula. It was the first time out there so arriving on bicycle was a bit of a test.
No clear signs for a cyclist from Greenwich town centre and the closer we got we only got a dual carriage way and signs for the dome erm the O2′s parking lots, for cars that is. After been told at one car par that we couldn’t get in there, we doubled back and found a cycle path. This cycle path were not clearly marked as road marking had worn of and there was plenty of grit, gravel and glass on it.
We then by asking found our way to the bicycle parking, quite a few unused Sheffield stands, only used by 10 or so motorbikes and only our bicycles. That told us that the O2 is not a cycling destination :)
We then walked over to the O2 under a marquee which would be a great cover for our bicycles. Walking in it looked like mini Vegas (though I have never been there) with all that light and big screens. The escalators up to the different levels was in full use …