Freewheeling

One of the best decisions I ever made while living in London was starting cycling. I admit that it might seem a bit mad, getting on your bike and steering it into the frenzy of London traffic. And yes, for sure the first time you’re wedged in between two double decker buses it feels a bit unsettling. But hey, what is it they say about human nature? We can adapt to almost any situation!

Once you stop having visions of yourself splattered all over the road, cycling becomes extremely enjoyable. It’s got reams of benefits. Of course, you’ll get quite fit, but that’s not even the half of it. You’ll get to know London really well. You'll also be able to always feel really smug. And hard core. Being a fanatic cyclist will also sometimes get you out of trouble. If you find yourself in a threatening situation, just start talking about how great cycling is. Chances are your attackers will think you are mad and will start to back away, slowly, so as not to agitate you further. (You might think you could pull this one off without being a cyclist, but I’d imagine it’d be difficult to fake that zeal unless you really are a fanatic cyclist.)

As it happens, there’s a wonderful little cycling community in South London. The Lambeth cyclists meet every third Tuesday of the month upstairs in Bread and Roses on Clapham Manor Street to talk about how great cycling is (actually I’m just guessing that; I haven’t been yet, so it is possible that they meet for other purposes, such as planning events...). They do a bit of lobbying for improving cycling conditions in Lambeth, organise rides and maintenance classes and so on. Useful stuff. On December 18 they’re having a little Christmas party in Bread and Roses. You can join by sending a blank e-mail to Lambeth_cyclists-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Since they are a subgroup of the London Cycling Campaign you might also have to join them.