Ben - 9's Waterways

Friday 5 March 2010

Record Breaking on the Leeds and Liverpool

Mr PW keeps asking me to write a piece for this blog. I keep telling him that nobody reads it but he assures me that someone called Andrew Denny does, so - just for you, Andrew - here are a few thoughts about Record Breaking on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal towing path.

Now, just in case you are wondering, I am not talking about violent protests involving piles of Des O'Connnor albums, but of over-speedy cyclists.

It seems that the Leeds and Liverpool, being Britain's longest canal, is attracting the attention of folk who want to do extreme things to raise money for charity. Some people walk the entire 127 miles for charity. Some people paddle the entire length in a canoe or kayak. Some people do the journey on a bike.

Nothing much wrong with that, you might say. But some cyclists are not content with a pleasant pootle from A to B - no, some of them want to do it as quickly as possible. Some talk of setting records for cycling the 127 mile towpath in the shortest time. Some are even talking about setting records for the fastest two-way journey of 254 miles!

Last year, a fellow called Colin Dobson cycled from Leeds to Liverpool and back in 22 hours and 38 minutes! This year he is planning to do it again but is hoping to take less than 20 hours! Read all about it here.

Now, he seems to be a very well-intentioned chap and he raised over £3,000 for a motor-neurone cause. But surely, people would still sponsor him for the epic journey even if he wasn't going so fast? He admits that he hadn't set out to beat any record but that he just sort of got carried away. I have noticed that a lot of cyclists do seem to become highly focused on the act of cycling to the exclusion of what is going on around them.

Think, then, of a typical canal towpath, with its mixture of users. You've got your dog walkers, sometimes with their dog on one of those extending long leads. You might have families out for a stroll with their young children.You will have fishermen with their encampments of equipment, occasionally pulling in their perch poles to do whatever needs to be done. You could have a group of ramblers walking along chatting as they go. A couple of them may be a little hard of hearing. You could also have leisure cyclists wheeling casually along in ones and twos.

Then, into all this varied mixture of users, like a scythe through butter, comes hurtling some well-meaning charity-sponsored cyclist trying to get from Leeds to Liverpool in under eight hours! Imagine the scene as towpath users go scattering in all directions to get out of the way! How many might end up in the cut? What of the elderly rambler who can't hear him approaching from behind? What of the dog on one side of the towpath, attached to its owner on the other side of the towpath by a length of extending lead? What of the unsuspecting boater just hopping off the bow to set a lock? Or the angler in the process of pulling in his pole?

Quite simply, the canal towpath is not the place to attempt cycling speed records. Doing so is going to put other canal users at risk! By all means use the towpath as a route for a gentle cycle ride to raise money for worthy causes, but if you want to make it some sort of speed challenge then - please cyclists - go and do it on the roads instead!

Now, if the idea of one chap on a bike hurtling along the towpath as fast as he can makes you uneasy, then hear this... on March 29th and 30th you will have at least 27 sponsored bikers whizzing through! A group of badminton players from Leeds Metropolitan University are doing a two-way cycle of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal towpath over two days. With three weeks to go they have 27 riders signed up so far. Read more here and here.

Now the badminton players don't say that they are out to set any records, but if they are going to cover the whole 127 miles on each of the two days, I can't see them wanting to hang around.

Don't get me wrong - I am all in favour of people doing sponsored events for charity, but I am worried that the canal towpath is being seen as a convenient traffic-free route where the riders won't need to stop for traffic lights or other such inconveniences. (Do cyclists stop for traffic lights?) I am not convinced that the cyclists will be very aware of or considerate towards the needs of the various users they will encounter.

Just wait until some of these cyclists discover that the Rochdale Canal towpath is being converted into a super-cycleway! Anyone for Halifax to Manchester in an hour?

Ben
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5 comments:

  1. Hope he's got a bell or horn on his bike. We've come close to being run over, many a time on the towpath along the Leeds & Liverpool. A little warning sign would help avoid such calamity!

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  2. I agree. Fast cyclists are a real problem. There seems no restrictions on them at all. A return to effective licensing AND insurance for tow-path use would be very wise!
    In fact it wouldn't be a bad idea on the roads too!

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  3. Hi,
    I'm Colin Dobson, the guy who broke the record last year. I just wanted to clarify a couple of things.
    Firslty, As you rightly mentioned, I never set out to break any records. My average speed over the 255 mile distance was 11mph. Only slightly more than most joggers who use the same towpath. On sections of towpath where people were present I only cycled at a safe, slow speed of about 7 or 8 mph.
    Secondly, I contacted BW beforehand about the bike ride and obtained the relevent licence and permission to use the non-specified sections of the towpath for use by a cycle. I also used a bell and not once did I cause anyone to dodge or go out of their way to avoid me.
    I gave plenty of notice using my bell to walkers and always slowed to walking speed when passing other towpath users.
    I did however pass plenty of other cyclists who didn't show the same courtesy as me and I totally agree that some users need to show a lot more in the way of manners if using the towpath to cycle.
    The vast majority of the distance was over isolated parts of the canal which is where speed could be increased due to nobody being about.
    I agree with the other two comments and hope that anyone who uses the towpath of any canal does so in a safe manner and always uses a bell.
    Thanks! Colin.

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  4. Hi there
    Just update you all, I rode this on Tuesday (10th June 2014) in one day, I didn't race as it would be impossible (of me) to race for that distance. I used my bell and didn't upset anyone, luckily it was very quiet along the towpath as well.
    I rode it from Liverpool (where I live) to Leeds (where I was born) in just under 9 hours 30 minutes (9:29:06)
    If you would like to read about it I did a blog on our club mtb website here
    http://www.thewoollybacks.co.uk/entry.php?35-Why
    Cheers
    John Moore
    aka Kiwi
    aka JohnClimber

    ReplyDelete
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