7th April 2010

First day back at work :-(

It would have been a perfect day for a cycle ride.....but I am being careful with my leg....

I desperately want to do the Heart of England 300k on Saturday...

I have been eyeing up a Cyclocross bike for the next NCR ride, I may or may not do....(NCR 8 Cardiff to Holyhead)

Whilst I still remember the NCR5 ride I thought I would summarise the ride and my thoughts...

I don't know how typical NCR5 is from any other cycleways but I do not think it is intended to be treated as a usable route....In the same way as the A1 or A5 roads.

The first 10 feet of NCR 5 gives an indication of how usable some of the National Cycle Route is...

It does however take on some very picturesque and quiet roads

It extensively uses pre-existing footpaths (that have not been adapted for the use of bicycles)

Quite lanes (Although there are less cars there are still cars and impatient drivers)

Canal tow paths...

And even muddy fields and byways


Every so often there is a shining example of how it could all be (Stratford-upon-Avon Greenway and Chester-Connaughs Quay)

But all with the exception of the footpaths, roads and fields are marred by the obstacles that are placed in the way to stop bicycles from traversing the cycleways....



I do understand the need to slow the bicycles down in the area of pedestrians and also to make it impossible for motorbikes/mopeds to use the paths, but some of the obstacles make it VERY difficult to get a bike through, I would suggest that children/elderly would NOT be able to in some cases.

I was very disappointed when the cycle paths were closed to find NO assistance on how to rejoin it, as a minimum all that was required was a few directions on a notice or even a map...


The NCR signs can be almost impossible to see, without a GPS and a pre-plotted route it would have been impossible to follow it! Even WITH the GPS it was bloody difficult!

I sometimes found it difficult to fathom why the cycle way followed some of the routes it did...The Canals were sensible, the Greenway and Chester cycle ways were a joy but doing a loop up hill around Bangor was strange and hard work...If it was to get a view of the mountains there were much better on the other side of the Menai

I found the 4 days 377.74 miles and 11,531 ft of climb of NCR 5 considerably harder than the 11 days 950.11 miles and 61402 ft of climb of JOGLE, and I am considerably fitter and more experienced now! The main reason it was harder was the terrain, the road bike rolls and can maintain 17 mph easily, the Hybrid on the rough tracks was difficult to maintain 12 mph, we could always argue that the weather conditions of Sunday and Monday didn't help and I would agree, but I am factoring in that on Fridy and Saturday I had a full on tail wind and it was still bloody hard work!

I did enjoy doing the ride and I do think that the National Cycle Routes are a good idea...but for it to work it needs better support, in some cases it was clear that the cycleway was a jewel in the crown, but in other cases it was equally clear that they were just to get the bicycles of the road...

And some of the cycle lanes were just down right comical and add to the scepticism of their true benefit.

It was sometimes very difficult to know where I was, if I was in a car I would get a welcome to Oxford or Birmingham sign, on the cycle path it was as if they didn't want me to know where I was!

It would be good to see a real end to end cycle infrastructure but I do not believe there is the political will or the money to actually make it work....