Who's been struck in the head by a pigeon, while biking? It happened to me this morning

I can't resist telling you this one - perhaps it's a common occurrence for cyclists.

I was cycling gently through Victoria Park this morning, near the lake by the Pavilion. My 3 year-old daughter was in the child-seat behind me.

Suddenly a flock of pigeons flew across the path - towards the water. I was right in the middle of the flock. Normally you'd expect them to avoid you. That's what birds do, isn't it?

Lovely photo by professional photographer
Simon de Glanville - Source

Well, one came thwacking into my head. Luckily I was wearing my helmet, which took the brunt of the hit. It didn't really hurt, but was pretty shocking. And unusual, I would have thought.

A quick query on Twitter was inconclusive about whether people get hit reguarly.

But this was revealing:

almacdSE1 @karmacycle I get pigeoned a lot in east London. Round Aldgate. Odd.

 

Anyway, if you have anything to add about the subject of being hit by birds while biking, please add to this blog by hitting the comment button!

How to keep cool on your bike in this London heatwave

30 degrees, they say. I've just come from a meeting and had ten minutes outside. I nearly fainted with heat and I'm not doing any excercise. On your bike, you're generally a bit cooler because the wind is like a fan. But what else can the cyclist do?

1. Carry a bucket of ice around on your bike and plunge your head into it at every traffic lights:

2. The bucket might not be practical. You have to find a balance between stripping off (ooooh, sunburn horror) and wearing too many clothes (ooooh, way too hot). I find loose clothing best

3. Have a rest more often. Preferably under a tree.

4. Consider carrying an extra water bottle of some kind. I get through my normal one before I get half way home in heat like today's

5. Cool down the pace

6. It's a good opportunity, if you don't normally wear one, to put on your helmet. It protects you from the sun as well as the roads

7. Consider a hankerchief or something to put on the back of your neck - if you wet it, it will keep you nice and cool, and stop the sunburn

Has anyone else tried anything?

Dave Cameron has a new problem: he can't cycle to work any more. We offer him tips

 The only reason I'm reasonably fit is because I cycle to work, then home again. The ride is exciting, often dangerous, occasionally infuriating, exhilarating and, let's face it, mostly a lot of fun. While on my way to work, my mind gradually empties of domestic issues and I arrive feeling ready to focus on matters of the office. On the way back, work worries slowly disappear as the more immediate threat of a juggernaut or an errant pedestrian come to the fore. Cycling is a great chance to be completely alone with your thoughts (yet enjoying a bit of cycling comraderie) and get some excercise at the same time.

Now I'm not thinking that in the last few months our Dave genuinely "commuted" every day from his home to wherever he was going. But I do know that now he's got a pretty major problem. He works in the same place he lives. 10 Downing Street. And even the trip to Westminster is a short stroll. I guess there's a slight environmental benefit to working in the same place as you live - but I worry for his fitness especially with all those fancy banquets and suchlike that Prime Minister's have.

So what advice can us cyclists chuck his way? Here are some tips - feel free to add:

1. 
   
   I've spotted Jon Snow (Channel 4) and Boris Johnson (London Mayor) cycling to appointments. Take a leaf out of their books when it's a short ride 
2. 
   
   Go anonymous. With a helmet, a mask and sunglasses, no-one will have a clue who you are. That's good for security
3. Sneak out at night. Night riding is fun and in London it can be more peaceful. Just make sure you have some good lights - and tell Sam what you're up to or she might get suspicious
4. Tell your office staff and security people you have an appointment which in reality you don't have. That will give you an hour of free time to ride
5. When you go on holiday, go somewhere cycle-friendly such as the Isle of Wight
6. You're now pretty friendly with the Queen - I'm sure that garden at Buckingham Palace has plenty of room for the occasional ride-about
7. Make the most of your weekends - strap the old bike on the back of the official car when you go off to the countryside and burn off your energy down the bridle paths of Gloucestershire or wherever
8. That's enough cycling tips (Ed).

Anyone else out there have any thoughts on the DC cycling problem?

Example of poor cycling

I've been mucking about with a camera on my helmet. You'll have to forgive the very poor editing but I thought I would show you this incident where a cyclist just pulled out right in front of me. Bear in mind I was wearing a very bright reflective sash, and had a light with brand new batteries flashing - and that he actually looked at me before manoeuvering right into my path. Nice work! I don't want to moan - I must say at the time I almost found it funny because it was so blatantly silly.

Every now and then, stop ... it'll make your commute much better

I've been meaning for a few days to stop and take a photo of Hyde Park. There's a particular spot where you just catch a glimpse into it and it looks like a paradise on earth, especially on a clear crisp day like today. Anyway - in spite of the fact that the bit where you have to pull over is tricky because it's on a fast road - and also annoying because it's right at the bottom of a hill so you have to start from scratch when you get going again, I did stop, and I did take a picture. It probably doesn't do it justice, but see what you think:

Note - saddle showing clear signs of wear and tear - see previous entries 

And while we're on interesting news - I spotted another person wearing a riding hat today. This time I'm pretty sure it was a real riding hat being used for cycling, rather than a fashionable cycling hat. And I spotted one of those really trendy hats I've talked about before. If you're wondering what the hell I'm on about, here's a link to previous entries on the topic.

Horse riding fashion is coming to cycling on the streets of London

I wonder if I've spotted a trend? I noticed a female cyclist around Mortimer Street (W1) wearing what at first sight looked like a riding helmet. On closer inspection (we'd stopped at lights!) it turned out to be a cycling helmet, I think, which just looked a lot like a riding helmet. I've done a bit of research on the net and I couldn't find the exact model. But it has made me now question whether it might really be a riding helmet, as plenty of the new riding helmets for being on horses, look like more like cycling gear. If you see what I mean.

Further proof of the trend was noticing another cyclist wearing what can only be described as long black ... wait for it ... riding boots. Again, you could argue that she was just wearing nice black boots, but it did make her look a bit like she was about to do riding.

Anyway, here's a bit of evidence that people are trying to make riding helmets look a bit more like "normal" hats - the company is called Yakkay

And here's a horse-riding site which clearly shows that horse riding helmets are moving in a biking direction.

It's called The Horse Riding Clothing and Saddle Blog

Final thought - do you think you could ride on a bike using a bowler hat for safety?