Note to council officers/pedalpushers: see below for comments on Moor cycle parking.
Anyway, about those unconventional loads;









Roll out the barrel...
Actually it was empty - the remains from the CICS BBQ. By running it back to Kelham Island, another car journey saved.

Now what does this tell you about the cycle parking around Sainsbury's at the bottom of the moor?






or this?



(That's my bike fighting for space with a scooter and the remains of a mountain bike.)

Now there's actually lots of space for extra cycle stands and even some motorcycle parking.....


Strikes me that you could even replace some of the trees by putting them in between the cycle stands, thus preventing the market traders from running them over...

Meanwhile on London Rd the ratio of bikes to cars was 5 to 1 (including me and the guy in front you can't see) ...

Bush goes biking...

More bike news from Beaver County

DfT report on impact of LTP2

http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_control/documents/contentservertemplate/dft_index.hcst?n=14325&l=3

Bike Routes from Midland Mainline Stations updated today. Reported successful outcome to campaign to get Sheffield CC to particpate in the CT regional benchmarking scheme.

Rides site updated
Admin for pedalpushers & ppmail
Respond to mpoole re removal of bikes service on rural buslink
Events updates on Sheffield Forum

Sent out meeting minutes by email

Preparatory work for Day of Action: Talked to Press : Attended cycle forum meeting

Set up new northern-urban -cycling ng; Advised members of our pieces in Shef Telegraph that day. Explanation of Day of Action event 10/12

sumfink I did for work
posted details of new cycle route - Meadowhall-Chapeltown

The blog is being hijacked! I'm not doing any incredibly interesting cycle trips at the moment, but I need to keep a record of
what I do as secretary of Pedal Pushers, so I'm going to keep it here.

Pedalpushers Events Diary

Warren Zevon has died.
Entertainment Story - canada.com network

this a.m. Have to collect something from the sorting office. Am also heading off for the weekend so am heavily laden with panniers etc, including Brompton pannier, as am planning to switch to the B. (IL having borrowed it to go to the Bikes on Trams conference in Nottingham the day before. Get to sorting office to discover the item is in fact a big box of Sheffield Cycling Packs. How do I get this home? Conumdrum. End up with it on the rack, and Brompton pannier bungied to front rack and waving about a bit . Just about make it home - not recommended. Later discover all trains cancelled, so no need for BRompton & Bag after all! Going to drive instead -wld have gone to bed earlier if I'd known that.

Saturday: Start of National Bike Week (It's always something week isn't it) Did Dr Bike in the city centre - pretty good fun, we fixed a few bikes. Sunday, blew off all that nonsense, went for a nice bike ride to Abney and up to the gliding club, back via Eyam.

Sunday 9th:To Meadowhell Retail Park to whinge about my Palm which is no longer synchronising. It seems you have to ring the Palm support line. Is it open on Sunday? No. 5 Weirs walk is OK with a trailer - reminds me that we need an Accessibility register for cycle routes in Sheffield for people with unusual bikes. Having established that scanners are about UKP20 more expensive at PC World than they are at Maplins, back into town to pick one up, along with a USB hub and some rechargeable batteries. Then up to work to pick up the laptop - haul the lot home, get home just in time to miss the rain, which could have been embarassing. Monday, ring up the Palm helpline, after half an hour picking up the voicemail "options" trying to avoid buying some support that I've already paid for, get through to a Glaswegian lassie who judging from her croaky voice survives on 60 Benson & Hedges a day. I know and she knows that the device is faulty, but we have to go through the hoops of uninstalling the software, removing the references in the registry that the crap uninstall program has left behind, and re-installing the software only to find that it doesn't work. They then ask if I can try connecting it with a different computer. I say OK, but subsequently realise that I can't be bothered. So I ring back and say "tried that, didn't work" They then agree to send out what they term an "Expansion Card" which, they say, will solve the problem. They could have done that in the first place and not wasted my time, but presumably they make you jump through the hoops in the hopes that you will give up and go away. I am awaiting the card, so we'll see how we get on.

Tuesday: Just the usual, hauled the recyc, up to Beanies to load up with foodstuff (tue and thurs are veggie delivery days - get there early) home for a delish stirfry. OLC + trailer.

Wed: Set off on the Wednesday night bike ride w/ Gerry & the Doctor - Lurch having decided he was in too much of a hurry to wait on his way to Litton. Us three go up the parks and carry on towards Fox House - the Doctor fancies a bit of rough stuff so he goes up Sheepshaggers Lane, while Gerry & I hit the main road in a rainstorm, other cyclist are cowering under trees but we carry on. We wait for the Doctor over a pint at the Fox House - he arrives soon after, complaining that what he thought would be a pleasant country lane was more of an obstacle course- the effect of four-wheel drivers anbd motorbikes tearing up the surface, unfortunately. The Doctor has an appontment with the Dentist so we leave him there, and carry on towards Litton, having arranged a lift home. Our route takes us through Grindleford, up the Eyam road which is closed because of subsidence and therefore very pleasant, continuing to climb onto the limestone plateau known as the White Peak. Rain buckets down as we turn onto the Main Road, a fast but not pleasant run down to Wardlow Mires, and back up to get onto the Litton Rd. Our lift is already waiting for us at the pub, and Lurch's wallet is lying on the floor, so I pick it up, remove a tenner and buy a round. He himself has been do eager to get there that he carried on past the Litton turnoff and ended up at Peak Forest, so had to come back again - adding about 9 miles to the journey. Some very bad jokes are told, and Terry the landlord invites us to pull our own pints, so we do. Back in town there have been floods and hail.

Headed off to work this a.m. in shorts,realised I had nothing to change into (having taken my smart trousers home at the w/e for washing). So there I am, meeting with the boss in half an hour, no trousers. Solution, pop into office, turn on PC, check messages, shoot down to Burton's and buy some trousers, shoot back, still in time for quarter hour preparation for meeting. You couldn't do it any other way - mind, you wouldn't find yourself in this predicament in any other way either...

Saturday, Did the Pedal Pushers Sheffield to Derby ride with SWMBO Fantastic day, lots of highlights.
Sunday, Did a little shopping - HP 5550 printer, new rubbish bin, new curtain rail - hauled the lot back home in double quick time, (photo here) as had to get to the supermarket before it shut at 4. 8 bottles of mineral water clink rather a lot. Got back just as it started to rain.

3 days tandeming in West Wales with the Doctor. Day 1: Get a lift to Rosebush, high in the Preselis. A ten mile downhill run to Narberth, where we are slightly held up by a puncture. Climbing up again from the river valley, reach the southern braid of the Celtic Way, part of NCN route 4, Fishguard - London. This takes us down to Saudersfoot, a slightly downmarket resort with which we are not impressed, and up the big hill again to drop down to Tenby. We tour the town to look for a b&b, the tandem attracting attention from all, eventually ending up in the Ventnor hotel, the scruffiest place in town, with wood-chip panel abounding. As the Doctor likes to have a smoke before retiring, this suits us down to the ground, and nylon sheets are hard to find these days. Out to hit the town, all the pubs are heaving, find a relatively quiet one, then on for dinner. The second bottle of wine might have been a mistake - can't finish the tin of lager afterwards, wake up feeling a little fuzzy. Never mind, a day on the tandem sorts out most problems. Heading East, the coastal cycle route takes us up hill and down dale, perhaps slightly more than we would have wished. A long swoop downhill takes us to Laugharne, home of Dylan Thomas' boathouse (where he presumably used to drink himself insensible as he was young and easy under the apple boughs. We satisfied ourselves with a large pot of tea and a Cawl for me, the Doctor not being partial to lunch. Climbing out of Laugharne, we chased a posse of ancient british motorcycles down the hill on the main road to St Clears, where the pub beckoned.
Two pints of Greene King IPA under our belt (accompanied by a TV advert for Greene King IPA - can you say no to another? ) we set off on a short trip the wrong way up the A40 before diving off to mount another hill, the A40 having stolen the easy route, and climb through Welsh countryside, past the county fair, the blue signs guiding us through the lanes (just one missing) until finally we hurtle down into the industrial area of Camarthen, across the railway and the trunk road, eschewing the quiet route by the river (it's to late for that) up past the war memorial, rejecting Spillman's hotel, settling on one of the rambling old comfortable inns on the high street,Tried all the real ale listings, (lovingly torn out of the book before leaving Dinas) and a 20oz steak at Hamilton's, unconscious as soon as the telly came on, leaving the Doctor to inspect his medicine chest.
Day 3, breakfast didn't go down easy, many hours have been spent discussing whether to follow the route which is a mighty switchback for the first five miles, or join it further on having cut out the hard stuff. We go for the latter, get a good speed going up the A40, the hard shoulder not too hazardous, and a bike route on the other side, taking the side road to Meidrin, starting to meet the hills, then two ledges to gain the height (we walked some - we're not proud) Agreed that a big f***-off triple clanger is required - the bike's a little too slow in top, and it doesn'r crawl like an Evans - but once we're up there she steams along, soon at Tegwyn and rejoining the route. We find Dinas mill, looks in need of some refurbishment, and pass the watershed. Rain threatens but the donning of waterproofs staves it off as ever. We sense victory as we crest the hill to find the sea and the view of Dinas Island before thrshing down to Crymych, where the Cafe, open on bank holiday, serves us nourishing soup. There are more cyclists around as we skirt around the Preseli, in the bowl of the mountains. A last climb above Maenclochog find us once again on the road to Rosebush, earlier than expected - an hour with a pint or two reading the papers, before we take the long downhill gradient into the Gwaun to meet our families, Bessie less impressed with our exploits than we are.