Understanding the Calais Critical Mass

Bikes Beyond Borders

80+ bikes on Calais Critical Mass

Over the August Bank Holiday weekend, eighty cyclists rode seventy miles through Greater London and the Kent Downs to Calais. We cycled in a mass to the desolate camp ground and left our bicycles and tents for the migrants who live there.

Sounds simple when you put it like that, but for a much more thorough exploration of the trials, tribulations and triumphs of the trip, I wrote this piece which has been known to make grown humans cry: Understanding the Calais Critical Mass.

The ride was an incredible force - not only the ride, but the support we've had from everyone with the crowdfunder (over £1000 raised), bike donations and social media shares. Everybody who took part, in whatever way, made themselves indispensible. So thank you.

Special thanks go to the lovely people at Jasmine House Chinese Cuisine in Charing, who looked after our stomachs and our bicycles on Saturday night. Leave them a great review!

And, of course, extra special thanks go to the many Syrians, Sudanese, Ethiopians, Afghanis, Kuwaitis and Eritreans who welcomed us into the camp and shared cups of tea, their tents and their stories. And their kitten.

(Non-Calais-related) EXCITING NEWS!

I feel that I should apologise for the migration-heavy updates recently. It's not everybody's cup of tea, but the crisis does seem to have captured the nation's imagination and I feel it is important to talk about. So I guess I'm retracting that apology.

But I have some non-Calais-related news too!

Unfortunately, I haven't really got anything concrete to tell you, but needless to say it involves a publisher, crowdfunding and the non-wearing of pants. Those of you familiar with positive constraints might have an inkling...

Less inscrutable update next time, I hope!

Fancy a bit of light relief? Here's a video that I edited for the very excellent Tommy & The Trouble. I'm not sure, but I think they want you to vote Corbyn...

Thanks for being here and being yourself. See you next time, when the autumn will have firmly drawn its curtains.

As usual, hit reply if you've got anything at all to say, suggest or supplement. I do love a bit of chat.

All the best,
David