Inevitably, one talks about the weather when confronted with the awkwardness of chit-chat with strangers. This is not because it is easy or boring to talk rainfall and temperatures, but rather because it is familiar and comforting, and how the sun shines or the rain pours has such an impact on us fragile beings. However, there is no one so fragile as a cyclist in winter weather, so this week we dedicate the Blog Digest to the love of the cycle and that curious culture phenomenon – the ghost bike.
Copenhagenize.com
http://www.copenhagenize.com/
This blog is not about one city that embraced a love of cycling, but about how you can all get on yer bikes and make for a happier, stress-free and carbon-neutral urban environment.
Did you know that 40 years ago Copenhagen was pretty car-clogged, but now 55pc of the population cycle to work or school, with 37pc in the greater metropolitan area?
And the uplifting motto: ‘Copenhagenizing is possible anywhere’.
Bike Blog NYC
http://www.bikeblognyc.com/
Honking taxis, yelling cabbies and stiletto-clad ladies who lunch are not the only residents in the Big Apple. There is a thriving urban bike culture here and why not with beautiful open spaces like Central Park and Brooklyn Park to get lost in?
A recent post highlights NY DJ Paul Fischer’s radio show on his lifelong hobby of biking, something that would be great to see here in Ireland. He was old school before firms offered bike racks and has broken more bones than he cares to remember.
As he says, it’s “about living a life that doesn’t quite fit peoples’ expectations. A cyclist’s life.”
Pragmatik.org
http://www.pragmatik.org/
Pramatik is a blog about the general love of cycling, but one of the most interesting posts involves a ghost bike. For those who are not aware, a ghost bike is a bike painted all in white and left at the location of a cyclist who has died in a road accident.
Poignant yet eerie, ghost bikes are a touching tribute, even more so now that they have sprung up all over the world as fellow cyclists stand in solidarity and mourn as one.
The Irish Cycling Blog
http://worldwidecyclesblog.com/category/irish-cycling/
Blog of Irish bike shop WorldWideCycles.com, this is a top spot for finding out about any and all bike-related events happening here in Ireland.
Read the hilarious post called ‘Cyclist gets bagged’. It involves Cadburys chocolate, mouthwash, a Garda breathalyser bag and a sober, bemused cyclist trying to make his way home after a race.
Photo: Copenhagenize.com’s website.
By Marie Boran
