The spirit of the law

I’m a keen cyclist. For those interested, my current steed is a four year old Cannondale CAAD5 (R600), for those who aren’t its a road bike, what we used to call a racer (back in the day).

I ride most lunch times, as getting away from your desk when you work from home is critical, and well, hey I enjoy it. Most days I’ll put in about 10-15 miles around the outskirts of the city where I live. I ride on the road, well for the most part, and this brings me to the crux of this post.

This afternoon, as I always do, I crossed the road onto a footpath for 50 yards that leads to a canal path. At this point in my ride I’m starting my warm down, so I’m riding at a slow pace. There is a bus stop on this 50 yards of footpath and today there were two women with a child in a pram and another small child on foot. So I slowed to a walking pace, unclicked a foot from one cleat and asked “excuse me” to get past. The first woman says “oh sorry”, and I say “not at all”, smile and roll past them at less than walking pace.

The other woman snarled at me “bikes are for the road”. I’ve stopped and said “excuse me”, and she repeats “bikes are for the road”. Now after giving her a polite explanation of the fact that I had stopped so I was unlikely to hit any of them and hence avoid her purile threat to sue me (???), I eventually road off again at my slow pace, but it did get me thinking.

Technically and to the letter of the law I was violating the Traffic Code, but in the spirit of the law I was acting in a manner contrary to the reason the law was there is the first place. Now I have first hand experience of this as my other half had her wrist broken by a cyclist who barreling along a foot path and collected her as she stepped out from a shop doorway.

That guy was an idiot and had no regard for anyones personal safety, including his own. I’m not. I don’t jump red lights. I don’t swerve in and out of cars parked or otherwise. In short I’m a responsible rider and where there is any doubt I take the option which is least risky.

So I ask, do we have laws in the first place because the majority of people can’t think, won’t think or are just to stupid to see the consequences of their actions? I would like to think not.

England’s new squad

As a football fan who yawned my way through the 2006 World Cup, the next big event on the agenda was to see what the new man McClaren would do in terms of squad selection for the latest friendly, that being Greece on Wednesday.

With the obvious ommisions of Rooney and Owen, I was pleased to see that Bent and Ashton were getting a well deserved and long awaited trial. But throughout the team there are no real surprises with the possible exception of Phil Neville. I’ve never been a great fan, but it is a friendly and I have to say he did make a bigger impression at Everton than I thought he would.

But do you want to know who my favourite pick is? Terry Venables! Despite being born in England, I spent the majority of my life in Australia, having emigrated with my parents at 9 months old and having only returned to the UK at 29. I was witness to what he was able to do with the Australian squad on a part-time basis. What could he do with an England squad that is arguably one of the strongest in years?

‘Tel’ should have McClaren’s role in my opinion, but I am pleased that he will be there to have a whisper in his ear from time to time.

My prediction for the game on Wednesday. 2-1 to England!