East London Cycling Archives
The newsletter of Tower Hamlets London Cycling Campaign Group
January 2003
 Celebrate 2003 with the Wheelers
Happy new year! Join us for the second annual Wheelers new years' meal out
on Wednesday 22 January, to celebrate what will hopefully be, with your
continued support, a successful and enjoyable year for Tower Hamlets cycle
campaigning.
We'll go to the Meds cafe on Burdett Road (the north end, near Hamlets
Way) for 7:30pm, then to a local pub afterwards. Meds is an unlicensed
restaurant, so bring your own booze! (off-licenses nearby). Cycle parking
stands are located opposite in Mile End Park but do bring sturdy locks. To
book your place contact Gary Cummins 020 7265 9095
gary@towerhamletswheelers.org.uk
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Pot-hole photo stunt
Following a discussion on the email group about the sorry state of Tower
Hamlets' roads, we staged a stunt 'planting' a Christmas tree in a
particularly hazardous pot-hole on Brick Lane.
In an email survey, over three quarters of respondents encountered
pot-holes 'often', 39% reported that a pot-hole had damaged their bicycle,
and 16% had actually been thrown from their bike due to a hole.
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Rides and socials
Cycle Tours
We're thinking of doing a tour of Ireland, or the North Sea Route: France,
Belgium and the Netherlands, in the spring/early summer. Not a race but a
holiday! Contact Gary if you're interested or have ideas of where to go.
Burns Night
Following an excellent night at the Greenwich Cyclists' Ceilidh in December
(see back page), organised by the marvelous Barry Mason, we're keen to go to
the seventh annual Hackney LCC Burns Night supper and dance on Saturday 25
January.
The traditional supper of haggis (veggie option), neeps, tatties and
whisky will be accompanied by party pieces and recitations. To follow,
there's dancing to an excellent six-piece ceilidh band, The Muckers. Bar is
available and dancing will continue until midnight.
Tickets are £12.50 (£8 conc; £4 kids) and the venue is Sir Thomas Abney
School, Bethune Road, N16 (Stoke Newington). Doors open 6.30pm and haggis is
paraded at 7:30pm.
For more info and to book tickets, contact Ben Webster: 07880 505596; or
Clare Groom: 07947 509589. Email: claregroom@hotmail.com Or send a stamped
addressed envelope and cheque made out to "Hackney LCC" to Clare Groom, 63A
Allen Road, Stoke Newington, N16 8RY. Please specify if vegetarian. Or take
a look at
www.hackney-cyclists.org.uk/bn03.htm
Please join the Wheelers who are cycling there from Tower Hamlets, as
this will be an excellent night. Please contact Alix 020 8880 6873
alix@towerhamletswheelers.org.uk if you are thinking of going.
Bike rides
Every month there is a Wheelers bike ride. We often go out into the country,
usually 30 miles or so in total. It's not a race - there are plenty of
breaks and tea stops!
The January ride is: "Nice flat ride along the Thames estuary with hardly
any traffic, along Sustrans path. 40ish miles, maybe less. One caff en route
for tea, lunch in the hell of Bluewater mall." Tempting??! Meet 9am top of
Mile End Park's Green Bridge Saturday 11 Jan
Keep an eye on the 'diary' section of www.towerhamletswheelers.org.uk for
other rides, join the email group (see back page) or contact Gary Cummins
(also for above ride). All the rides listed below are by Greenwich Cyclists
and start 10am Cutty Sark Gardens. Contact Barry Mason 07905 889 005
www.greenwichcyclists.org.uk
Sunday 19 Jan: Thamesmead/Beckton link? Riverside ride to Thamesmead, then
via the ferry to Beckton. Let's see where this possible new bridge may go.
30 gentle miles.
Sunday 9 Feb: Locks, Docks and one smoking ferry. The ever-changing 30 mile
tour of Docklands.
Saturday 22 Feb: Barnes Wetlands Centre Along the Thames Path to the very
impressive Centre and its overwintering birds. Entry fee. Ride or train
back. 15 miles there.
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 Sing for your supper
As advertised in the December newsletter, and email list, some of us went to
The Space's Christmas concert to join in with some of the carols that the
London Docklands Choir was singing so excellently. Here are Gary and Steve
warbling away (above), with Lindsay and Alix supping mulled wine and mince
pies, all for just £5, just out of the shot. Another great night!
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We three Wheelers...
Here's a ditty to the recent Greenwich Ceilidh (penned by a shy anon) to a
familiar twelfth night tune...
We 3 wheelers from east London are
To Greenwich we travelled afar
Got a soaking, I'm not joking
All for a christmas jar
(chorus) Oh... Through the tunnel, through the night
Our LEDs were burning bright
Southward leading, it's still peeing,
Guide us to thy perfect night.
For a bash in Greenwich were we
More specifically Barry's Ceilidh
He's a star, without a car
Made it worth going so far
(Chorus 4th line: Heading for the Greenwich lights)
Safe secure our bicycles were
Locked downstairs with wet clothes and myrhh!
Got a few rounds in, the music's pounding
fiddles and pipes recur
(chorus 4th line: Hurry up, I want my pint)
Off they went, our females two
To change their clothes and become beautiful
They all came back
joined in the craic
And we met up with Helen and Drew
(chorus 4th line: Lindsay and Steve joined in on the night)
This round is mine, it's bitter again
Or a pint of Stella my friend
Lots of dancing, silly prancing
Shame it so quickly ends!
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Noticeboard
New Year's Revolution..?
Haven't you always wanted to fix your own bike and keep it in good working
order? Cycle Training, a not-for-profit company, starts its next bike fixing
course on Tuesday 21st January at 7pm at a venue just south of Blackfriars
Bridge. In four 2-hour weekly sessions you will learn how to fix punctures,
adjust brakes & gears and diagnose problems, all for £55. Contact Jane: 020
7564 5990 / 7582 3535 info@cycletraining.co.uk www.cycletraining.co.uk Cycle Training UK Ltd, 15b Dryden Court, Renfrew Road, London SE11 4NH
Cycling PM knocked down by car!
A new driver had her first accident - knocking the Belgian Prime Minister
off his bicycle and breaking his elbow. Marijke de Smet, 36, was navigating
a roundabout with her four chidren in the back when she hit Belgian premier
Guy Verhof-stadt."I just didn't see him," she said after the collision.
(seamustuff@yahoo.co.uk - 5/11/02)
CTC London
Annual Regional Meeting of the Cyclists' Touring Club (the national cycling
campaign) is to be held on Saturday 18th January 2003 at the University of
London Union, Malet Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1E 7HY at 10am for 10.30
start. www.ctc.org.uk
We've gone monthly
There's so much great stuff going on I can't fit it all in the bi-monthly
newsletters that you get in London Cyclist if you are an LCC member. So East
London Cycling is now being produced every month. If you would like to
receive the 'in-between London Cyclist' ones in the post (like this
specially-posted one), please send a cheque/PO for £5 (or more!) payable to
'Tower Hamlets LCC' to Alix Stredwick, 109b Roman Rd, E2 0QN. This will
cover printing and postage and will also help print more copies to hand out
to passing cyclists. To receive it by email (PDF file) email Alix with
'newsletter' as the subject. Please consider donating anyway! * thanks! *
Buddying scheme
Help with our 'buddying' scheme to get motorists onto bikes... not as
forcefully as this though! Contact Alix 020 8880 6873 alix@towerhamletswheelers.org.uk
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