Peak Cycling in Paris - Get on ya Bike!
Cycling in Paris? Well sadly I admit I did not manage to straddle a saddle and go cycling through Paris myself, although I certainly would have liked to. Although I have not had a bike for the last few years - insert sad face - cycling has been my primary form of transport for most of my life; so it was with much interest and both a cyclist and a photographers eye that I paid considerable attention to the style of bikes I saw being ridden and the personal style of many of the people I saw riding those bikes. And as a rider from Australia where cyclists are sadly viewed as a menace, road-kill and potential cash-cow.. it was truly great to see the wide cross-section of people choosing a bike as their means of transport to get from point A to point B. It's also nice to see people free to ride without a helmet - I read recently that many European countries have introduced a law where if there is an accident between a car and bicycle the driver of the car is automatically at fault; which is the opposite of the law here in Australia I believe. Perhaps this is one of the reasons people can ride without fear for their safety; though having competitive cycling as the #2 sport throughout Europe I think means your average Madame and Monsieur are very bike aware anyway. It seems too that age is no barrier to getting on your bike, nor is fashion a problem, wear what you like. The bikes? I must say I was happy to see what I took to be an inordinate number of vintage 1980's frame sets; it seems you can't beat an Iron Horse after all. Of course the 20,000 Vélib bikes certainly made their presence felt too and next time I am in Paris; I will certainly be taking one for a spin. So here you are, 20 views of cyclists commuting along Boulevard du Palais just after 6 pm, 28°C while I enjoyed a lazy beer at L'annexe - I didn't even rise from my café chair to get the shots! If only things could be so civilised back home.
Kent Johnson, Sydney, Australia.
0433 796 863
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