The Bugle | Blast 372

Friday 1st February 2019
Chilly Edition



 

QUOTE  OF THE WEEK

“The introduction of the fixed penalty is not aimed at responsible cyclists who sometimes feel obliged to use the pavement out of fear of traffic and who show consideration to other pavement users when doing so.

“Chief police officers, who are responsible for enforcement, acknowledge that many cyclists, particularly children and young people, are afraid to cycle on the road, sensitivity and careful use of police discretion is required.”

Official Home Office guidance which some police people forget. Penalty notices should only be imposed when pavement cycling is causing a nuisance or a danger to pedestrians. 

BICYCLIST OF THE WEEK

You thought it was chilly this week? No that's not a very late Santa Claus but Jorden Wakeley of Grayling Michigan this week. Jorden was the winner of the Arrowhead 135 - the ultra marathon that takes place in the coldest part of winter in the coldest city in the United States. 135 miles where this year wind chill at one point brought the temperature down to minus-68 Fahrenheit (-55C).

Jorden set a course record on his fat bike, finishing in 11 hours, 43 minutes. You dont have to cycle - you can ski or run as long as you complete. One runner was using a wearable water container that hung next to his chest to prevent it freezing, but the zip on his jacket froze and he couldn’t get to it.

Are you hard enough to sign up for next year? Their website is here: http://www.arrowheadultra.com/

FAT BICYCLE  OF THE WEEK

SMARTPHONES & GPX TRACKS: A SHORT TUTORIAL

This is using Google Chrome on Android. Here it is the three dots at top right of screen that brings up the pop-up menu (right). The down-arrow top-middle of the menu is the one to tap.

That's it - you have a pukka GPX track on your phone. Now to use it. You will, of couse need an app that will display the GPX track on your screen. The one I use is GPX Viewer which is free and can be downloaded from Play Store.

Once you have that (or another) click the 'Downloads' link on the menu. Click on the GPX file you want to see (left). The phone should give you a choice of apps that can read it. I selected GPX Viewer and up this pops (right).

That's it. Under a minute from email to following the track. The blue dot will tell you if you are on track or not.

The advantage of having your track on the phone is that you are not reliant on a continuous connection to the internet. Those deep country valleys may mean the effort of uploading it to Strava/Ridewith GPS etc is lost with the signal.

All on simple cheap (compared to Garmin) smartphone. Getting GPX tracks onto a Garmin can be challenging. You can upload to the cloud and back down again or use your PC. That's beyond the scope of this week's lesson.

Any questions - just hit reply. I am Android so if you have an iPhone I may be more limited in the help I can give.

Don't forget all the tracks on the website Ride Report have 'Download' just under the elevation graph. So, if you are planning a ride, you can pinch somebody else's just like that. Good Luck!
 

CLUB ICE CARDS

Tom V writes:

I have attached a sample ICE card that I offered to produce for members. These can be laminated and each member can request up to 4 cards for free. All members have to do is email me (or reply here) with the following details:

* Up to 2 emergency contacts.
* Emergency medical details including current medication and blood type if known.
* DoB - Why? It would help the emergency services to track down your medical records.
 
That's it. Do it now before you forget
 

REMINDER: CLUB DINNER

ANYONE FOR A SWIM(ATHON)

This is being organised by the Rotary Club of Purley. Full details here: http://www.rotary-ribi.org/clubs/page.php?PgID=723400&ClubID=885

Bob the Fireman writes:

Our slot (lane) is at 1700 hrs on Sat 23 Feb for 55 mins to do as many lengths as we can as a relay. So 10 swimmers in team 5 either end a quick 25m sprint. Next swimmer & so on for 55 mins

I understand Tom V is doing the My donate page for Anerley BC swim team to get sponsorship for the 3 nominated charities. Which this year includes The Fire Fighters charity which is dear to my heart!

Members can come along and cheer  as well. Get your name to Bob or denise pdq.

 

RIDE REPORTS

UPCOMING RIDES

FINALLY: CITY CONGESTION - IRISH KIDS HIT BACK

Something to shame our local schools? Each morning, a convoy of cyclists travel a three-kilometre stretch along the Western Distributor Road, in an effort to promote activity and cut traffic congestion. 

School children join the group at a number of points along the route, with adults volunteering their time to oversee the journey. 

Watch the video and find out more here: https://www.rte.ie/news/connacht/2019/0125/1025475-schools-galway-cycling/





Happy Cycling!