Cycling to the Moon…

Cycling to the Moon...

Katja left a comment on my Traffic Cone Fashion post and provided a link to this picture and the text below.

“I am from Germany.

I come from a country where cycling is the norm.

There are no strange whisperings and looks when you whiz past on your bike. Or shouting abuse from your fellow road users.

I am struggling to understand UK cycling. It is weird, and I really don’t mean it in a wonderful way. Recently I went to a cycling conference, where someone described a mainland European saying: “You UK cyclists always look like you are cycling to the moon, and back again.”

That simple sentence summed it all up for me. That’s how I feel about UK cycling too. Cyclists look serious, almost on a mission. A secret sect. It doesn’t look fun and certainly doesn’t look normal – you need a uniform and safety equipment to participate in that special activity.

But I believe this is now changing. Change is coming. Slowly. There are rumblings. People on bikes are not prepared to take it anymore. We know we are an intricate part of the solution to one of the biggest problems we are facing in the UK: tackling the World of Indifference.

Be different. Be strong and be proud of being different. For that even I may sometimes dress if I were cycling to the moon. Return ticket always included!

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The Newcastle Cycling Campaign wants cycling to be normal and commonplace newcycling.org.uk”