Monthly Archives: January 2023

Blanca Fernández

Blanca Fernández, Irún, Spain, has been living in London for more than four decades. She started long rides on bicycles back in 2015. First, she pedaled on a Surly Long Haul Trucker and crossed Romania, Serbia, Greece, Turkey, the country Georgia, Armenia and finally the planned Iran. Here, she discover the Pamir mountainous area which is one of the high mountain most impressive of Asia. At the beginning of this journey, she did not have any idea on how or when to reach her target, though she new the travel would lasting. Why? Because she affirms she always wanted more in each and every ride she had done. Moreover, she had the clear idea that the most important is not the start and the end of a ride, but rather what is between them.

Thus, she did not stop in the Pamir mountainous area. She continued to China, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. She experienced heavy rains, snow, windy days, but no climate conditions stopped her. Two years, 22,000 km, 23 countries, 687 days in total until she went back to London as a result of the Brexit. Her daughters asked her to come due to red tape and so did her. However, in march 2018 she kept on cycling in order to cover Africa from The Cairo, Egypt.  Then, she rode on Sudan, Uganda, Malawi, Botswana, South Africa, Angola, Benin and Morocco. Differences in languages were easily overcame by proper gestures. What amazes her is meeting people from distant lands and share views and ideas. At the moment of writing this post, she has pedaled for more than 44,000 km.

Aware supermarkets

Urban mobility has been changing from a model based almost exclusively on cars to a more sustainable one with special attention to bicycles. Regarding sustainability, every person who lives in cities in the most advanced countries realizes small changes at diverse levels such as urban architecture, streets, infrastructures, pieces of news, companies which want a better future for everybody, you name it. It is one interesting aspect the fact that some supermarkets have introduced bike facilities in their site boundaries by adding bicycle racks. This way bikers are attracted to buy in those bike-friendly supermarkets. After all, there is only the need to change one or two car parking by, preferably, inverted U shape bike racks.