A good video about cycling

This is 24 minutes long, and it is a presentation by the CEO of Trek (who made my bike).

I like it because it is not some long haired gumby in a hair shirt running around with his nuts on fire yelling about how all cars must be destroyed and the capitalist system laid waste and that we must all convert to using single sheets of recycled toilet paper.

It is a guy in a suit (well, a tie) at a large industry conference in Taiwan, and he is talking sensible facts and figures about what can be done. The bit about obesity at the start is horrifying, so if you only have 5 minutes to spare, just watch the first 5 minutes and the fat stats.

I liked his line that "No amount of money in the world will solve these problems", which referred to obesity and traffic congestion. No drug or pill will solve obesity. Physical activity really is the only option. That's what he meant about money - you can't just buy your way out of being fat - you need to invest a considerable amount of personal effort.

People aren't going to like that.

The same goes for congestion - you can't build enough roads to cater for the demand for traffic movements, although 50% of them are trips of less than 2 miles. I can believe that - before we moved, we used to drive to the supermarket several times a week, and it was only about a kilometer away (but I am not pushing a shopping trolley that distance). Similarly, the distance to school was only 2 or 3 kms, but the drive was made twice a day, every day. And it still is. Because we are not living in a cycle friendly world. I'm happy to risk my own skin, because I am reasonably old and wise and experienced and I keep my ears and eyes open, but kids don't do that. You can't chuck them out into the car friendly world that we inhabit today. It is unfortunately a place for grown ups.

And of course too many kids will be totally fat by the time they are old enough to be trusted on the roads, and they won't want to ride then because it will be uncomfortable and difficult, so they'll take the easy option and get fatter.

How glad I am to be at the tail end of the last generation of thin people.