Day 24 - some thoughts on London cyclists

I was back in London yesterday on Mental Health Network business. My term as chair ends in July 2011. It has been a huge honour and I will miss it very much. It is good to have helped launch the cross-government strategy No Health Without Mental Health. And the national anti-stigma campaign Time to Change goes from strength to strength, with Ruby Wax, Stephen Fry and Terry Pratchett speaking out about discrimination.

But this is a cycling blog, and i promised to write about London cyclists. Here is my typology:

The Fixies: They flash past in a blur on drop handle bars and ultra thin tyres at 25 mph plus. Standing up is essential because they have no gears and unfeasibly narrow saddles. Cyclists like me are invisible to them.

Boris-Bikers: Picking up their bike in Knightsbridge or Chelsea, they pedal gallantly in full work regalia to their offices in Whitehall, the City or The Inns of Court, Aquascutum mackintosh billowing behind. They pop their furled brolly and attache case (worth more than my Brompton) in the clever front basket, and arrive pink cheeked without a hair out of place. Must be all that training on the ski slopes.

Stunt-bikers They ride peculiar little bikes that might have been liberated from the circus. Pedalling furiously, they weave amongst the huge wheels of buses and lorries. With their dark hoodies firmly pulled up, from behind they look like that advert for the film ET.

Cath Kidstonians: Yummy mummies on bikes - if Kirsty Allsopp were a cyclist, she would be one of these. On Pashleys or colourful equivalents, they pedal in a sedate upright style. Their wicker front basket has a floral lining and a jaunty french stick poking out. Cycling gear includes a long cotton skirt, a pastel cardigan and ballet pumps. If they wear a helmet, it looks like a riding hat.

Bromptonites: These are ubiquitous, but there is a class system, based on the age of your Brompton, number of gears, colour and rarity. I am at the bottom of the pile, with a brand new 6-geared black bike - very common.

Death Wishers: These people ride any sort of bike, but they have other things in common. Eschewing lights and high visibility gear, it is compulsory that they hang bulging carrier bags from their handlebars, only ride through traffic lights when they are on red, cycle the wrong way up one-way streets, take right turns into moving traffic, never use hand signals, and wear headphones so they can't hear people screaming. I wouldn't want to be one of their mothers.

Today, my fundraising has reached £2,200, with more promised, and I have photographs of the 10 children we are supporting. Please click HERE to learn more. Thank you.

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