mike.

A ride in the park

I spent this morning riding round Highwoods Country Park in Colchester, mapping a route for Keep Colchester Cycling, including a little quiz along the way.

I’ve never really appreciated or even thought of going for a ride in the park, but after today I can thoroughly recommend it. The cycling infrastructure in Highwoods in general is fantastic, and when that’s teamed with beautiful scenery and a sunny day it really is something special.

Chapeau is yours for the taking

Chapeau! will open its doors for the first time on Thursday 7th June, kicking off with an evening of talks and music in partnership with fifteen Queen Street.

Although the planning for Chapeau itself only started about four months ago, the idea has been tumbling around in my head for a lot longer than that. From the moment I sat on my very first bike I knew cycling was something very special to me, and apart from a couple of years when I was physically unable to, I’ve been riding bikes ever since.

It’s been incredibly exciting to see Colchester embrace cycling over the last few years, and the incredible gains in cycling infrastructure that has come with it. Of course there’s a long way to go until everyone can use the road in harmony (something i’ve written about before), but it’s a start and now is the best time to capitalise on the momentum and drive forward.

So what do we want to achieve with Chapeau? Through working with various organisations in and around Colchester such as Re~Cycle, Colchester Travel Plan Club, Cycle Colchester, Colchester Cycling Campaign, Keep Colchester Cycling, SusTrans and Hub & Spoke Harlow to name but a few, it has become pretty obvious that there is a desperate need for a focal point. Currently there isn’t anywhere to host, let alone facilitate discussions either within or between groups and organisations such as these.

We’d like Chapeau to be that place, the glue that brings all of these groups and organisations together. Our aim is to provide somewhere for meetings, discussions, rides and chats. Somewhere that can be a one-stop destination to allow all of the cycling groups and cyclists in Colchester to communicate with each other.

In order to do this, Chapeau will host bike-themed evening events run by members, led rides for all abilities, maintanence workshops and classes and will host the Keep Colchester Cycling hire fleet. We will also be selling refurbished vintage beautiful & unusual bikes in partnership with local charity Re~Cycle.

Building on the enthusiasm and momentum of the last year, as well as the frustration we have dealt with as a result of failed projects such as the Bike Guru Café. There have been opportunities before, but nobody has seized them and realised their full potential.

This is where we believe Chapeau can succeed, but it will be down to the cycling community to make the most of what we are able to offer.

If you’re interested in getting involved, be it through hosting an event or ride, or would like to help us get the shop ready then please get in touch.

A little project i’m working on