The Double Bagger (2)

Ship of the Dodder

Sometimes one bag isn't enough. Apparently that's the norm for Irish schoolchildren. This funny teenager reminded me of a bactrian camel with his two humps.

I came across this young lad in Rathfarnham near the bridge on the Dodder on 18 September 2012.

The Little Top Tube Sitter

Father & daughter

It is heartwarming to see the whole family on bike (see the Balloonists, the kid taker and the family riders for example). So here's another family of cycling Dubliners one can spot, this time a father and daughter cycling from Rathmines towards Portobello.


The girl seems to out grow the child seat, so she sits on the frame's top tube. Or perhaps they had dropped another child at the crèche already.

I took the picture on 22 May 2012.

The Green Bag Cyclist

RGB

For most road users, red and green are the lights that indicate whether they should stop or go (most Dubliners ignore the former though). For the girl above, however, they are the colours of her shoes and messenger bag. An excellent combination.

I took the photo on 24 October 2012 on the Grand Canal cycle route/Leeson Street (N11) junction.

The Handlebars Sitter

ET go home

So many people talk about Copenhagen, Denmark's capital, as a heaven for cyclists. But Oslo, another Scandinavian capital (of Norway) is certainly a great place for cyclists who want to get to heaven.

Or so was my impression from a short visit there. It wasn't a busy road, yet, having someone sitting on the handlebars blocked this cyclist's view and made it difficult to keep balance, which could have easily led to an accident. On the bright side, it's probably the quickest way to get to hospital.

I took the photo on 8 May 2010 near the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo.

The Towing-Man

Tow tow tow your cart gently down the street

Usually cycling is an activity on two wheels (hence BiCycle), maximum three wheels (a TriCycle. Let's count them: 1, 2 and 3). But some cyclists got four wheels, for example this chap who towed a cart down Aungier Street with his bike.

I took the picture on 14 May 2012.

The Leaner

Stretching

When on bike, stopping frequently may be tiresome for some. Hence numerous cyclists keep their feet off ground by leaning on stuff (see for example our good old friends, the sign-holder and the music-listerner). The gentleman above was leaning against an electricity box in order to keep his feet on the pedals. It's not as impressive as the balancer who maintained a perfect balance unsupported, but still pretty efficient.

The picture, in case you haven't recognised, was taken in Dundrum village, not far from the shopping centre, on 3 January 2013. He was the first cyclist to meet my lens this year.

The Macauist

Reading under the sun

In Dublin, it never gets too warm (and currently it's pretty much freezing). But other corners of the world do. And where and when it happens, people know how to enjoy every moment of it (or heat).

See for example the lovely rickshaw tricycle cyclist I encountered on a day trip to Macau (I spent some time in Hong Kong back then). As he had no customers, he spent the day reading the daily news.

I took the picture on 30 September 2004. The average temperature that day was 27 degrees Celsius (source. I can confirm that it felt very sticky). The location is Largo do Senado, the main square of Macau.

The Handsfree Cyclist

Handsfree

Remember the hands-in-pockets-dude? So keeping hands in pockets isn't the only way for handsfree cycling. For instance, you can play with stuff (it isn't clear what it actually was though).

I took the photo off Rathfarnham Castle in a bright winter morning on 16 December 2012.

The Double Baggers

A bag for every wheel

Usually one bag is more than enough, but kids sometimes need to carry two bags, one for school and another one for football, GAA etc on the top of it (yet another successful year for The Royal Society of Putting Things On Top of Other Things?). The result is quite amusing, as one can notice from the photo.

I saw these two young lads in Rathfarnham on 6 September 2012.

The Grafton Cyclist

U Turn

Even though it is a pedestrianised street, Grafton Street sees far too many cyclists pedalling along while disturbing and obstructing pedestrians who walk down the street. It is a selfish behaviour, which earns all cyclists a bad reputation. This is why I was happy to see the nice guy above getting off his bike.

I took the picture on 6 May 2012. In the background you can spot the Fusiliers' Arch of St Stephen's Green.

The Motorcyclist Wannabe

Size doesn't matter

Many time cyclists find themselves gazing at other cyclists' bicycles, just to check what they've got down there. In this case, however, the cyclist compared his rather standard pair of bike with that enormous monstrous gigantic motorcycle.

But as the cliché goes, size doesn't matter. They're all cyclists after all.

I took the picture on 31 August 2010 on Robert Emmet Bridge, Harold's Cross.

The Donegal Castle Man

Donegal Castle Cyclists

Last time we talked about cyclists in Ardara, Co. Donegal. The county is Ireland's most sheep-friendly county and a wonderful place for hiking, cycling and sightseeing (Slieve League is my personal favourite). The people of Donegal town are bicycle lovers, as can be seen in photograph above, featuring the 15th century Donegal Castle.

I took the photo on 26 July 2009.

Ardara Cyclists

Irish Cyclists in Co. Donegal

Cycling events are a great fun. Cycling competitions are fun too, with a lot more adrenaline. One Irish competition I happened to watch was Rás Dhun na nGall or Donegal Race in English, a three day cycling event in Donegal.

The photos above, and below were taken on the 3rd of June 2012, the last day of Rás Dhun na nGall, in the beautiful town of Ardara.

You can read more on the race here.

Cycling Solo

The Bag-Sitter

Bags are the best cushions

This cyclist sits on pinkish bag instead of a saddle. Need I say more?

The photo was taken on 7 July 2012 on Rathfarnham Road.

The Slovak Snow Cyclist

A lovely day for cycling

Namestovo, a small town in Northern Slovakia, experiences freezing winters. -15 degrees Celsius is a commonplace and it can plummet down to -30 every so often. So it was nice to see a lady walking her bicycle out in a cold and white December day.

I took the picture above on the 29th of December 2008. The temperature ranged between -14 and -6 degrees that day (Thanks to my friend Wolfram who reminded me that fact). I guess it's never too cold for using your bike if you really want too. Even in Dublin.

The Swiss Guard

Swiss Guard on bicycle

The uniforms used by the Pontifical Swiss Guard in the Vatican city look awesome. However, they are neither comfortable nor helpful for security tasks. Even more so for cycling.

Nevertheless, it didn't stop a group of Googlers, who created a similar costume, to wear them and join the Lunchtime Bike Ride during Dublin's Bike Week on 20 June 2012. Or perhaps they just wanted to look like clowns. It really was amusing.

Previously, we already introduced The Androids, a different kind of Googlers who also took part in the event.

Clownish guard

What's there?

And they can also cycle...

The Trainees

Bring my seat with me

Usually one encounters cyclists outdoors, be it in street, off road etc. But thanks to Iarnród Éireann it is possible to take bicycles on most Irish trains, including all InterCity trains and on the DART off-peak service (on weekdays from 10:00 to 15:30 and after 19:00 and throughout weekend). Thus, when I came back from hiking between Bray and Greystones, it was nice to see these young lads getting on train as the rain started to lash down.

I took the photo on 18 November 2012, north of Bray railway station. A friend of these guys travelled only with his frame for some reason.

Bike frame on the shoulder