Cycling Cultures: Hull

Today I spent time at Costello Stadium with a group that provides opportunities for disabled people to experience cycling with their family and friends. I not only witnessed people thoroughly enjoying themselves but I took the chance to join in. I circled the park many times on a very sweet red tricycle with a basket on the back.

The group have a collection of bicycles that are easy to ride for people with different forms of mobility. Clients and carers told me not only how much fun it is but how the activity builds confidence, new skills and fitness levels. The smiles, laughter and shrieks of joy made it very clear how much cycling is enjoyed by everyone.

I then cycled from the stadium to Beverley Road where I interviewed a key member of the Beech Holme Tandem Club. Although, Rachel and I have been regular participants in the weekly tandem rides and we held a focus group with four backriders earlier this week, I thought it would be valuable to have even more focused time with an experienced backrider. And it was great. Talking about cycling is not always easy for people. But in some cases, such as this, it was filled with fabulous stories and rich history of the area.

This map kind of shows my movements today – however it only captures half the trip. Double it and add speed for a better representation – my goodbyes at the stadium took longer than expected and I had to race back into town for my next appointment. Like yesterday, the weather was perfect which meant I was kind of warm when I arrived.

I went out again with the Beech Holme Tandem Club on Wednesday night (23.6.10). This time there were five tandems. We cycled from Beverley Road to North Newbald, via Skidby and Little Weighton. It was about a 30mile ride and we stopped at The Tiger Inn for refreshments. Topographically it was quite different to anything I had done with them before. This time there were hills. Tackling hills on a tandem is technically and physically hard work. Everyone was putting in a lot of effort. It was a gorgeous summer evening which meant that it was pretty warm work as well. And oh my, do they go fast on the downhills.

I chose to ride my road bike this week as I’ve found that when I pilot a tandem, I can think of nothing but piloting the tandem. It makes me completely re-think how I cycle, which is terrific for fieldnotes. But, this time I wanted to capture the broader experience of cycling with the group. As a single rider I could get closer to tandems, talk more with riders and think about the landscape we were traversing – all of which is more than possible for an experienced front rider but not me (yet).

Photos were captured every 5 seconds using a Go Pro camera attached to my handlebars. I used over 1000 images in this time-lapse sequence.

Music is “Ambient-M (2003)” by Antony Raijekov. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.5 Bulgaria License.

Beverley Road to North Newbald with the Tandem Club from Kat Jungnickel on Vimeo.

Yesterday I cycled from Princes Quay to Bransholme and used the Foredyke Route, a quiet leafy and relatively smooth off road cycle path, for most of my journey. I have been on this track many times over the last few weeks, but usually I jump in and out of it as I criss-cross the city for interviews, rides and meetings. It is used by cyclists and walkers, many with dogs and in my experience, everyone is fairly considerate of other track users. Cyclists approach walkers slowly and walkers, if they are in the way, swiftly move to one side. Likewise, dog walkers rein in their pooches or direct them out of the way of danger. Much like a country town, people on the track tend to say hello to one another or wave.

I attached a handlebar camera and took a photo every five seconds. The blurry shots are the result of the camera bumping on the handlebars when the bike hit uneven ground. They represent the texture of the track. The images also provide glimpses of my wayfinding tools. Not knowing exactly where to exit via sight alone, I regularly checked my map and, at points, cycled with it in my right hand. When I was sure I had overshot my exit I referenced my location by GPS on my phone. Those very familiar with the track might also notice a few backtracks when I missed a point.

Music is Cool Aberrations by General Fuzz – licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Princes Quay to Bransholme from Kat Jungnickel on Vimeo.

Yesterday I rode with the Hull and East Riding CTC club from Cottingham Green to York for the annual York Cycle Rally. Although it was initially overcast when we set off at 9am, the skies cleared and it turned into a gorgeous blue sky summery day. We arrived at the show at around lunchtime. I attached my GoPro camera to my handlebars and set it to take photos every 30seconds. I’ve collated the images in a time-lapse short film:

Cottingham Green to York Cycle Rally from katjung on Vimeo.

I stared the day today as an observer at a Cycle Training session at the Endsleigh Primary school. It was interesting seeing how year six students are taught to ride on the road.

I then cycled to Hessle for an interview with two people. One has cycled her entire life and would be ‘lost without my bike’. She commutes, shops and goes on weekend trips with her partner – all on her bike. She cycles so much she says she wears out a bike every two years. The other interview was with a man who had recently returned to cycling after a 40 year break. He used to cycle as a child but this everyday practice was totally eclipsed by getting a car driving license when he was 17. He couldn’t believe how ‘brilliant’ he finds cycling now and he is incredulous it took him so long to return to it.

During the interviews I locked my bike at nearby bike racks which exhibited both good and bad characteristics. They were undercover and located in a high pedestrian area. This meant they had good ‘natural surveillance’ which means fewer opportunities for theft – it is a term that keeps emerging in interviews with policy makers and other stakeholders. Unfortunately, the ‘butterfly’ system only allows cyclists to lock the front wheel (unless they have several locks including a long cable – I don’t). I’m not a fan of this system for this reason and also because of the risk of damage to the front wheel. If anyone was to even so much as lean on my bike they could bend spokes.

I then cycled back across town to Preston Road to photograph a cyclist for the Bike Portrait project. After this I headed back into town for another bike portrait, this time in the pedestrian mall on Jameson Street. I have done 12 portraits now and I aim to have them on the site soon.

Overall, it was a busy and interesting day for the research. To top it off, it was a gorgeous summer day. The sky was pure blue and the sun was warm.

I was lucky to spend nearly four hours with an interviewee today. We cycled for nearly two hours. We talked for over an hour and a half. I then took a portrait of him and his bike. All of it was incredibly valuable for the project. The guided tour was eclectic and fascinating. We cycled the historic edge of the city via the docks, along busy industrial roads to quiet green cycle tracks. We looped East Park. We crossed through the city. We looped Pearson Park. We finished at a cafe on Newland Avenue. Phew. And the rain mostly stayed away. It was good.

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