Stocker Road is the Mount Everest of Exeter. Climb it at 9 a.m. after a heavy night out and you truly can understand what Edmund Hillary went through.
I mean, yes there’s not really as much snow and yes, technically the altitude is not quite comparable. But screw all you doubters! Our lives are hard!
Here are our best suggestions of how to get up Stocker Road without any effort at all…
Sir Edmund Hillary knows what’s up!
1. The classic First Year Backpack Grab. Find a first year – much like those poor year 7s you used to mock back in the day, you spot them by their enormous backpacks. Grab onto the handle of said backpack and let the poor fresher mite drag you up the hill. If they complain, just ignore it. They don’t know how you feel.
2. Crawl. There’s no shame in getting on your hands and knees and crawling up Stocker Road as tears silently slip down your cheeks. You may never live it down, but if you want to get up Stocker Road in your own sweet time, you gosh darn will.
3. Pop on some skis and let a bike drag you. We’re all Exeter students so we’ve all been water skiing. Right? So you know the drill. Pop on some skis, find some annoying biker who’s probably out making better life choices than you and let them drag you up the hill. It won’t be quite like that time in Marbella but it beats actually having to use your legs.
4. Or go one further and campaign for a ski lift. Okay, so the campaigning requires a little bit of effort but we’ve all heard this idea so many times before that it’s time it was made a reality. Granted it would be a lot better if there was more snow in Exeter but this can’t be helped. We need a chair lift and we need it now!
5. Call Estate Patrol for a lift. But actually, really, really don’t.
6. Via pony. Here’s a suggestion that could be potentially extremely lucrative for Exeter’s Riding Society: let’s rent out horses to get us up to the Forum. Not only would you feel like bloomin’ royalty but you’d also have the advantage of dropping empty wrappers and used tissues on the idiots below you who are actually walking. It’s how Aragorn would do it.
7. Jetpack.That’s it. We’re out of ideas.
How do you manage to struggle up Stocker Road? Let us know on Facebook, twitter or in the comments below…
British cycling successes have motivated even more people to take to their bikes. Picture: tejvanphotos
Despite its recent resurgence in popularity with Wiggins at the vanguard, cycling in the UK still faces many challenges, something that road cyclist and University Cycling Club member Arthur der Weduwen knows all too well.
Cycling is currently experiencing a renaissance in England. Increased environmental and health awareness, coupled with the strains of the global economic crisis, has turned many to the bike – be it for commutes, exercise, or sport. The efforts of British Cycling have also shone through on a professional level. British cyclists are now among the best in the world, from success on the track to success on the road, which culminated in Bradley Wiggins’ Tour de France victory last year. This rise has motivated even more people to take up cycling as an alternative mode of sport and transport, with cycling stores citing greater sales than ever.
However, this renaissance, like any other, shakes the foundations of the old order and creates new problems. Whereas cyclists in England used to be represented by few, they have become a distinct physical presence. This has caused considerable friction on the narrow roads of England, both in urban and rural areas. Subsequently, cyclists are the ones who have lost the wrestle. According to the Times, the year 2012 saw a record number of cyclist deaths in the UK (122). The Guardian has voiced similar concern, stating that accidents involving cyclists have risen sharply over the last five years. These accidents are mainly with cars and around 90% of the accidents are quoted as not being the fault of the cyclist.
On 8 November, Bradley Wiggins was hit by a van on a training ride. The next morning, Shane Sutton, the head coach of British Cycling, was also
Bradley Wiggins: an inspiration to cycling Brits. Picture: robkingcameraman
hit by a car, similarly landing in the hospital. Whereas a ‘regular’ cyclist would not receive much media attention if he/she was hit, Wiggins’ and Sutton’s accidents raised immediate concern. However, next to the voices raising the question of safety and calling for more protection on the roads, others rose up saying the contrary: the blame lay with cycling as an institution and its crazy, lycra-clad adherents. The Guardian quoted one person who stated that “one thing that really annoys me is when cyclists use the road when my hard earned taxes have gone into providing cycle paths”.
Similarly, if you enter the words “cycling” and “hate” together into Google, you will stumble upon Twitter feeds, blogs, and websites dedicated to complaining about and wishing death to cyclists.
Of course, road rage incidents driven by hate remain relatively rare. Most accidents are caused by the state of England’s infrastructure. English roads are narrow, designed purely for two, if not one, cars moving in opposite directions. Because cycling has suddenly surged in attention and popularity, cyclists have flooded the roads, becoming a permanent presence whilst a lot of drivers aren’t used to them. They are simply not looking out for cyclists and have no idea how to drive around, and with them.
In Amsterdam, bikes dominate the streets. Picture: I_am_Allan
The problem of infrastructure has added a constant stream of abuse and frustration to any cyclist’s ride. Whenever I go on a 40-mile club ride with the University cycling team, we get on average three or four drivers almost slamming into us, and many more shouting, swearing, and honking aggressively. As a Dutchman from Amsterdam, a city where bikes dominate the road, this seems ridiculous. It is common that countries which spawn many successful professional cyclists have a respectful attitude towards cyclists on the road. In Spain, cars will wait minutes behind a cyclist going uphill at ten miles per hour, without honking or swearing. In England, they won’t wait a second, even if the country is currently producing some of the best professionals around.
On the other hand, it should be noted that most drivers would never think of doing something hateful towards cyclists. Nor are cyclists angels on the road: they can ride recklessly as well and are a part of the problem. However, in the end, the cyclist is not usually the instigator of accidents, because he/she has no reason to do so. The cyclist is exposed, fragile, and goes fast enough to land in the hospital.
In the end, what does all this say about the future of cycling in England? Olympic and professional success has created a new culture of cycling, but will this culture last? Is it viable to exist in a country which has no infrastructure designed for cycling and no great history of the sport?
It is a dilemma. Cycling will either weather the storm and integrate, or it will die as soon as the professional achievements disappear.
I hope for the former. If England wants to be healthier, more environmentally-friendly, and most of all, safer, then the protection of cyclists through infrastructural reforms is essential. If everyone is praising Bradley Wiggins and going wild for the Olympics, then they should also have more concern for the average cyclist out there. Wiggins too was one of those once.
What is left for the future of cycling in Britain? Picture:tejvanphotos
exeposedev 