Just in the process of uploading some photos from the Trek Marathon Championship held as part of the BIg Welsh Weekend at Margam Park. A glorious weekend held in magnificent settings. Chapeau to those that took on the 100k in that heat!

If you require any of the photos from the recent events just drop me an email and I will email the file back. All free for as long as I can, all I would like is that if you use the file on the internet or in the public domain, is that a credit be placed to www.bikefotos.com. Contact me at phil@bikefotos.com.

Posted: 23rd February 2009 | Source: Welsh Assembly Government

The Welsh Assembly Government today (Mon 23rd Feb) unveiled an ambitious new plan to get Wales walking and cycling more in a bid to make the nation healthier and greener.

The four year blueprint aims to get more people to walk and cycle safely as part of their daily lives. It brings together a range of key initiatives and policies with the sole objective of getting more people, both young and old, to walk and cycle more.

Launching the plan at the Wales Millennium Centre, the Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones and Environment Minister Jane Davidson underlined the importance of the initiative.

Mr Wyn Jones said:

"More walking and biking in Wales is a win-win situation on all fronts. It will ease congestion, lower emissions and address growing obesity levels. If levels of activity increase we will have a healthier nation. Surveys show that 57% of adults in Wales are either overweight or obese. We can transform this through making changes to our daily lives."

Ms Davidson said:

"The truth is too many of us still opt to take the car when we could walk or cycle. The car is still king in Wales, with the majority of journeys being less than five miles long. This plan aims to change that. We want to enhance and link up cycle routes on an all-Wales basis and support communities to make a difference. Importantly, we want to change people's behaviour and attitudes.

"More walking and cycling will mean a healthier Wales, but also be good for the environment. Making more trips by bike or on foot will mean fewer cars on the road, lower carbon emissions and will contribute to our fight against climate change."

Main points of plan

Jane Davidson also revealed new targets:

"We will take action to encourage people to change their behaviour when it comes to travelling to work or picking up the children from school. Currently, only 39% of children walk to school. I want to see this figure increased to at least meet the UK average of 46% by 2013. Only 10% of adults walk to work, and I want to see this doubled to 20%, again by 2013. I also want to triple the number of people who use a bike to get to work."

The Walking and Cycling Action Plan identifies a number of actions, including:

Prioritising walking and cycling in public transport investments
Encouraging employers to offer incentives to employees; for example through the tax free bike purchase scheme and the use of a mileage expense rate for cycling
Introducing National Standards for cycle training and supporting cycle instructor training
Ensuring that local authorities provide and maintain high quality routes and facilities for cyclists
Increasing provision of safe traffic free walking routes to schools and workplaces through continuation of the Assembly Government's Safe Routes in Communities Programme
Using EU funding to improve the quality of the cycling and walking tourism product
Opening an all Wales Coast Path, including provision for bikes in appropriate places, which be complete in time for the 2012 Olympics
Implementation of Rights of Way Improvement Plans by all local authorities
Introduction of the Sustainable Travel Town project in Wales.

Sustainable transport charity Sustrans Cymru is marking today's new plan by launching a toolkit of advice, which is already helping staff at the Wales Millennium Centre to make their commute more active.

Jane Lorimer, Deputy Director for Sustrans Cymru, said:

"We have become far too reliant on using the car for short journeys that a generation ago we would have thought nothing of walking or cycling, and this is increasing health problems such as obesity. Yet it can actually be quicker and easier to walk or cycle many everyday journeys - whether it's to work, to school, the shops or to visit family and friends."

 By BikeRadar

Wales is set to get a new trail centre (Mark Thompson /Allsport )

The Forestry Commission has approved plans that could lead to the creation of a new Welsh trail centre. The idea is to open up 26km of trails in the Garw Valley to organised cycling events and link up with similar centres in Glyncorrwg and Afan Argoed. Former Commonwealth Games cyclist John Pritchard, from nearby Cwmfelin, is supporting the project. He told the Glamorgan Gazette: “The trails are already there and all we need are proper signposts to let cyclists know where they are going. I understand there are plans for a proper visitor centre in Blaengarw and we hope to link up with the nearby BMX track too. We hope to eventually link in with the network of trails through the Llynfi Valley too. The Garw looks like a little Switzerland from the mountain trails and will be very popular."

Planning permission has been granted for a cycling visitor centre next to Parc Calon Lan in Blaengarw, but community council clerk Wyn Davies said work would not begin until Welsh Assembly grant money had been received. He said: “We hope to work with Glyncorrwg and Afan Argoed rather than compete with them, but the tourism possibilities for the Garw Valley are fantastic.”

 Mr Pritchard said he hoped the new centre would be opened by Olympic gold medallist Nicole Cooke. He said: “Nicole uses tracks between Llangeinor and Blackmill which are always highlighted in cycling magazines, so maybe we could even name the new trail after her to recognise her achievements." He added: “Families in London who want to go mountain biking make a weekend of it and need somewhere to stay, somewhere to eat and somewhere to buy cycling kit, so the Garw could certainly benefit from this project. The 2012 Olympics are holding the mountain biking in Essex but you cannot build the sort of landscape we have here. There are also cycle tracks from here right down into Bridgend and on to Ogmore-by-Sea, so there is something for everyone.”

Fox Racing Shox. (James Huang)

Fox Racing Shox, based in Watsonville, California, has issued a notice regarding DIY modifications to its suspension forks:

"It has come to the attention of Fox Racing Shox that certain individuals and/or entities are modifying Fox forks to accommodate mountain bike wheel sizes other than those having a 26-inch nominal diameter. One such modification includes removing material from the lower leg cross bridge in order to fit a 29-inch tyre in the fork. Such modification will ultimately separate the lower fork legs at the cross bridge (i.e. the weakened cross bridge will fracture) and may cause bicycle instability and crash that results in SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.

Do not modify or misapply Fox forks

NEVER REMOVE MATERIAL from any portion of a Fox fork. USE ONLY 26-INCH WHEELS with Fox 32*, 36 and 40 bicycle suspension forks. Those Fox forks are designed and tested for use ONLY with 26-inch mountain bike wheels/tyres. Use of Fox forks with any wheel other than 26 inches and/or alteration or modification of any Fox fork will subject the Fox fork to loads and forces it has not been designed or certified to meet and will void all warranties.  The Fox 32*, 36 and 40 models meet CEN and ASTM testing standards ONLY when used with 26-inch wheels/tyres and are not recommended or approved by Fox Factory, Inc. for use with wheels larger or smaller than 26 inches, either as original equipment or aftermarket.  

Do not ride modified or misapplied Fox forks

Proper forks are critical to proper bicycle handling and stability. Improper function or failure of a bicycle fork while riding can cause a bicycle to become uncontrollable and result in a crash. Use of Fox 32*, 36 or 40 forks with wheels larger or smaller than 26 inches, or any other modification, may cause crashes that result in SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. Never ride a bicycle that is, or appears to be, fitted with a Fox 32*, 36 or 40 fork that has been modified and/or fitted with any wheel larger or smaller in nominal diameter than 26 inches.

Use the right fork for the job

For those of you who want to ride on 29-inch front wheels with suspension, Fox offers the 32 F29 fork designed specifically for 29-inch wheels. The F29 is available in 80mm, 100mm or 120mm travel configurations and is ideal for tall wheel applications. The F29 is the only Fox fork available for use with 29 inch wheels and is clearly labeled “F29” on the right leg. The F29 should be used only with 29 inch wheels. As with all Fox forks, do not modify or misapply, or ride on improperly applied or modified Fox F29 forks.

Contact Fox

Do not modify any portion of a Fox fork and do not purchase or use any fork that appears to have been modified. Any Fox 32*, 36 or 40 model fork that appears to accommodate a tyre larger than 26 inches in nominal diameter, such as 650B or 29 inch, should be avoided. If any doubt exists as to the originality or proper application of a Fox fork, please contact a Fox representative at www.foxracingshox.com."

By Richard Peace

Two new traffic-free sections of the National Cycle Network, one in Wales and one in Yorkshire, are now open for use and both pass through renowned local beauty spots.

The Clydach Gorge walking and cycling route was constructed along the formerly disused Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny railway for eight miles between Llanfoist and Brynmawr, and passes through the Clydach Gorge Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Completed over two decades, it now marks the beginning of the Heads of Valleys route from Abergavenny and Neath. It is also a first important stage forms in the creation of the forthcoming Valleys Cycle Network, which National Cycle Netork founders Sustrans will create over the next five years, along with local authorities.

Gwyn Smith, South East Wales Area Manager for Sustrans Cymru, said: “It (the Cydach Gorge route) provides both a leisurely ride into the top of the Valleys and connects small towns at lower levels, creating a viable alternative to busy trunk roads for everyday journeys.

Meanwhile, up in West Yorkshire, the iconic Thornton Viaduct will re-open for the first time in nearly half a century on 21st November.

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