Ah now WFB what was the HG Wells character called who escaped his humdrum life as a poor shop assistant by cycling in the south downs on a Saturday afternoon?
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Events, rides etc.
POP2013
(42 posts)-
Posted 13 years ago #
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Kipps A simple soul
Though I appear to have trusted a précis in the guardian rather than reading the book, given the synopsis on wiki. Kipps run down by a playwright on a bicycle called chitterlow following a POP meeting in the pub
Posted 13 years ago # -
There was also Mr Hoopdriver in Wheels of Chance.
Kipps was the basis for Half a Sixpence with Tommy Steele.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Mr. Hoopdriver was "an ill-paid draper's assistant in the establishment of Antrobus and Co. in Putney High Street' (1). A humble man, who cycled during his annual summer holiday.
1 - Bergonzi, B. Introduction to Wells, H.G. 'The Wheels of Chance', 1984, p.vi
Posted 13 years ago # -
You can get Wheels of Chance from Guttenburg and read it on the electronic device of your choice. Kipps might be available too but I read it years ago on tree based media.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Kipps also a draper, I am sensing some wiki-confusion unless HG obsessed with drapers. Should stick wherever possible to original sources.
Posted 13 years ago # -
From Wells entry in wiki:
No longer able to support themselves financially, the family instead sought to place their sons as apprentices in various occupations. From 1880 to 1883, Wells had an unhappy apprenticeship as a draper at the Southsea Drapery Emporium, Hyde's.[8] His experiences at Hyde's, where he worked a thirteen hour day and slept in a dormitory with other apprentices,[6] were later used as inspiration for some of his novel material The Wheels of Chance and Kipps,[9] which delve into the life of a draper's apprentice as well as providing a critique of the world's distribution of wealth.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Should stick wherever possible to original sources.
I quoted from my paperback edition of The Wheels of Chance, published 1984.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Back on topic...
I can see the appeal of several feeder rides into one central point, but can I offer one thought:Keep It Simple. The more complicated the event, the more difficult it will be to organise and the more people will be confused and/or discouraged. The beauty of POP last Saturday was it's relative simplicity. Bunch of people turn up at point 'A' and cycle to point 'B'. In some smaller conurbations a multi-feeder event could end up with more feeder routes and marshalls than participants. All the best parties I ever went to at Uni were crowded, single room affairs.
POP2013 (Edinburgh) should be the same again... rather than try to make the structure radically different, lets* concentrate (in Edinburgh) on doing what was done last time, only better... more publicity, stronger media coverage, leading to a bigger event. And then let's encourage other cities/towns to have similar events on the same day. Keeps it simple, keeps it local.
[*I'm painfully aware than I am sounding like someone who was in the vanguard of last Saturday's organisation (which I wasn't) and who has ideas of using POP to take over the world ...or at least the Meadows... as a sop to his own megalomaniac ambitions (which I don't...mostly). But I'm willing to lend a hand next time around...I do like a nicely turned out tabard....]
Posted 13 years ago # -
I think I'm with Its_Me_Knees that simple works!
Thought: Maybe it's because I wasn't able to actually be at POP (bit bitter!), but I'd love to see it again in 2012 - The Budapest model of twice a year (April/September) might be a good one to copy. Their ride grew each time too, which gives me hope! Their first ride in Sept 2004 had 4,000 cyclists, then in April 2005: 10,000, Sept 2005: 20,000,... by 2008 there were up to 80,000 cyclists! (what?!) - that might be a little ambitious for a ride in Edinburgh! But maybe having it twice a year keeps it visible, keeps up the pressure and helps it grow?
The two main concerns I have are:
1. 'fatigue', both of the participants and of the organisers. 2. there's more pressure, e.g. if the number drops from last time (e.g. bad weather etc).On the other hand: I'm surprised by the number of people who didn't know about it (and said they would have gone if I they had). Surprisingly far more publicity is still needed. I wonder if, after the last one, media organisations will be more willing to report (and therefore indirectly publicise) the event.
It_me_knees: I was also not really very involved this time (just postering etc) but next time I'm very happy to dedicate a lot of time and effort to it, [as long as it happens before I leave Edinburgh].
PS Random thought about which months to have it: I was looking at the amount of rainfall in Edinburgh (monthly averages) here:
http://www.rbge.org.uk/science/plants-and-climate-change/edinburgh-weather-station
and to my surprise (and slight disbelief) it suggests April is actually the least rainy month!Month mm of rain
Jan 66
Feb 49
March 53
April 40 <<<
May 49
June 59
July 62
Aug 62
Sept 63
Oct 79
Nov 64
Dec 63Posted 13 years ago # -
to my surprise (and slight disbelief) it suggests April is actually the least rainy month!
Not this year it wasn't.
"April is the wettest month for 100 years
It has been the wettest April in the UK for over 100 years, with some areas seeing three times their usual average, figures from the Met Office show."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17897982
Eastern Scotland had twice the average rainfall for this time of year.
Posted 13 years ago # -
crowriver: Yeah, but still: April's famous for rain anyway, isn't it? Anyway, the variance around those means is huge, so it was a little pointless anyway. Never mind!
Posted 13 years ago #
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