Tag: cycling

Bad behaviour …

SFLeave a comment

… or does increasing intolerance, come with age?

I recently commented on cyclists misbehaving particularly in London.

As a lifelong cyclist I’m shocked by cyclists showing disregard for pedestrians and generally breaking the rules.

Yesterday I had a return train trip. On arrival in St Pancras passengers for the return trip up-north piled onto the train, blocking the exit.

That and the behaviour on the tube questioned whether it’s our general attitude that’s deteriorating. This article by Emily Bratt in the Observer, picked up the issue.

My recent trip from London was by contrast, a great experience.

In the park

SF2 Comments

Watching people run…

and cycle

play football —- in a cage. 🤭

Climb trees

Adventure

Pedal their ‘cars’ (semi -incumbents)

Walk their dogs

What a fun day, but there’s one or two problems.

BB— ball bearings help solve a complex worldwide problem — friction but it’s another BB namely Bad Behaviour, that helps create friction between the people.

An example of this is not following the rules.

I’m not talking of these rules

But these…

…. the people who rent electric cycles, often break the rules.

Cyclists are typically considerate of others — pedestrians and cyclists, obey the rules of the road, including stopping at red lights but in the last few years there’s been a big change.

The inexperienced cyclists who rent electric cycles are often reckless and unsafe —- ignoring the traffic lights and the general rules of the road, riding fast, weaving in and out at high speed,

It can be very risky …

But for now

I get back to my book.
and watch the water.

Peacefully

There’s even a zoo and FREE toilets.

I was visiting Battersea Park and stumbled across a festival …

more later

Cycling is like flying

SFLeave a comment

Well not really

I have flown a chipmunk trainer and glider in my teens. I can tell you … Cycling can’t match it.

Nor is it like swimming

But IT IS liberating.

It’s one of our best ways to adventure and get us moving.

Back home now

And it’s cheap!

Stephen

Cycle to school

SFLeave a comment

Kaveri suggested we cycle to school. So after a ‘dry run’ on Sunday and a potential wet one yesterday we finally launched today.

We’ve cycled together for over three years and she was confident cycling before we met but it’s provided an opportunity to improve our safe cycling.

Between this and pillion on my Enfield like me, she’s pointing out all the reckless incorrect road behaviour.

That’s my girl

New Year’s Day

SFLeave a comment

Thank you Hema for arranging the young generation to join me on a mycycle tour.

Hema has already joined both a Srirangapatnam and Mysore Tour. I obviously hadn’t messed up as she returned with more of the family.

Fab!

Great to meet and spend time together … Harsh, Mitali and
Joshua.

A lovely mix of US and India

Memory Lane

SFLeave a comment

Part one with Julia and Tom

My tour of England led me to Sheffield, my home city.

Warm showers

I was visiting Julia and Tom intrepid cyclists who’d visited us last year, in Mysore, on their journey across Asia, through Europe and back home to England.

Warm showers is a network we’re part of where hosts offer an overnight stay to distance cyclists.

They now live in Sheffield the city of my birth and their new home is just round the corner from the first place I escaped to at age 18

That was fifty years ago. I lived with my first serious girlfriend Tricia who kindly supported me for the final few months of school

Stephen and Tricia with my mum’s poodle.

A great revisit. The house no longer exists but there was plenty of reminiscence.

Part two

A lovely couple.

Bringing MAnjula home

SFLeave a comment

Manjula appeared behind my cycle as well as in our hearts on what would have been her 50th birthday.

We celebrated with 100 children at Kaliyuvamane

Today I brought her home.

We cycled through the countryside, along the national highway, through the suburbs and on my cycle route around Chamundi Hill.

The countryside behind Kaliyuvamane
Layouts are planned
New friends Preetham and Preeti
Whoops
around the backside of Chamundi Hill
Chai stop at Lalithdripura
Breakfast stop
Back home at Mysore Bed and Breakfast

Stopping to chat as people wondered what it was all about.

It’s about our love and her kindness

… and now we’re back home at Manjula’s Garden

Manjula’s Mysore

SFLeave a comment
In Memory of Manjula, Satish and Tanuja have launched our new business.

It’s same but different….

…as it will continue to provide services to help people visiting Mysore, have a great time, through Mysore Bed and Breakfast and MyCycle Tours.

We’ll also commemorate Manjula through her gifts and now with the added extra of working with young people, to help them grow, develop and thrive..

….

Most recently we celebrated Manjula’s birth anniversary with an eventful day for visually impaired young women. Here’s our press release

We’ve helped with a young man’s education and plan to do more of that next year by supporting a young girl

We’ve also:

  • sponsored meals at an ashram for older people
  • sited benches in two parks in Mysore
  • taken our team on holiday to the beach in Kerala
  • provided almost 50 cycles as gifts to individuals and organisations
Satish helping out at our eventful day for forty visually impaired young women.

Manjula’s Mysore was our domain on the internet but we’ve now gone one step further and named the new company after the woman who made it all possible.

Manjula’s Mysore will continue to do good, reflecting Manjula’s kindness, through partnerships of NGOs, business and with our team of community volunteers.