Closing Ceremony Cyclists
The Chinese can sure put on a show. The closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics were specatacular. I actually thought the opening ceremony was more impressive, but that's not the point here.
The London 2012 'event' during the ceremony, compared to the efforts of the Chinese hosts, resembled an amateur theatre workshop in their first class. Shockingly lame and embarassing, as was the video they showed, produced by the Animated Media for Beginners workshop in the classroom next door to the theatre workshop.
Anyway, anyway, in that sea of lameness it was refreshing to see three cyclists riding alongside the double decker bus in the stadium. Gold medallist Chris Hoy was dressed in a suit an riding a mini folding bike, fellow Team GB cyclist Jamie Staff dressed casual and rode a European style 'granny' bike complete with basket and Victoria Pendleton played the sub-cultural 'messenger style' cyclist.
Two out of three ain't bad.
I thought it quite cool that cyclists were included - especially the two 'normal people on normal bikes'. It's all I choose to remember. I'm trying to erase the Abbey Road zebra crossing, the bus and the umbrellas from my visual harddisk.
That 50% of my DNA which is English prefers to remember the brilliant efforts of the athletes at Beijing and the brilliant opening/closing ceremonies and not least the positive branding of cycling.
16 comments:
Yes, I'm inclined to agree - it WAS a little embarrassing (for a Brit like me anyway), but interesting to see that city cycling made it onto the agenda. If only they could keep it there in the real world, rather than just trumpeting it in a fantasy version of London resembling some awful latter day reprise of My Fair Lady.
Considering the amount of media talent available in London it was a surprisingly poor showing, but maybe that helped the cycling element be a little more prominent. We can hope....
As another Anglo/Dane perhaps I should just move to Copenhagen and stop worrying about the non-bike culture over here in the UK:-)
I think you're being a bit harsh. I'm as big a cynic as anyone but I thought it was a great (not amazing) little preview. And it was only a preview.
I don't want the London Olympics to be full of fireworks, coerced "volunteers" and mythological history. Our Olympics will hopefully do what Londoners, and British people in general are good at: modern art, music and a high level of self-deprecation amongst other things.
I've not seen to handover show, but on reading apreview description I remember thinking it sounded like a spoof.
Everything seemed like the ideas you would discard because they were too cliche.
The irony of a cyclist hating nation showcasing cycling didn't escape us all.
British hypocrisy at its best. (I wonder why they didn't provide some red traffic lights for them to ride past? ;-) Just to make the British right-wing gutter tabloid editors happy...)
As a Brit with a documented British ancestry going back to the 16th Century I still live in hopes that there is still a trace of Danish DNA lurking within. At the very least it will explain my passion for all things pedal-powered! :-)
I didn't see it, but it sounds like they got the proportions of London cyclists about right (1 part lycra, 1 part folding, 1 part normal). For extra realism, the bus could have sideswiped Victoria and Chris could have come out of Tescos to find his bike nicked, but you can't have everything
Hilarious, lads. They should really make sarcastic humour a discipline at the London Games. There are few nations that could compete. Although Denmark would grab the silver. Danish humour is 'British humour light' - self-ironic, sarcastic.
Sorry, lads, it is out of topic, but I'd like to ask, if someone knows, cheap and good second-hand bicykles shop in Copenhagen. I want to buy bike for one-week trip to Dusseldorf. One-speed, simple... how much should I pay for one?
Ivan
bananasfromru@yahoo.com
I feel your pain - the preview for the Vancouver 2010 winter olympics at the end of the Turin olympics was embarrassing... every possible cliche about Canada was tossed in (ice fishing? really?). Just terrible.
regarding second hand bikes in copenhagen... there are hardly any second hand bike shops - except for Falke Cykler on the street - Gammel Kongevej. Around about number 87. Just after Vaernedamsvej. Ten minute walk from City Hall Square.
Regarding Vancouver, the symbol is just silly - an Inuit 'Inukshuk' figure made of stone. Vancouver is almost closer to Mexico than it is the Inuit lands.
This site makes me pleased that 50 % of my DNA is Danish.
Thanks
The Olympic flame may have been extinguished and the athletes have gone home, but in roughly a week’s time, another world-class competition will come alive in the same venues. Another group of world-class athletes are waiting in the wings, eagerly anticipating for their turn at the world stage of Beijing for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.
2008 Beijing Summer Paralympic schedule
By the way, the mini-folding bike Chris Hoy was riding was none other than a Brompton! A very representative bicycle for London's cyclists!
Hej from Bristol, Britain's first official cycling city!
Congestion is becoming a serious problem here, and while First Group try their level best to fleece the good people of this city and doing a poor job of persuading them buses are the answer, government funding totalling £11.4 million has been awarded to Bristol and South Gloucestershire (also known as Greater Bristol) to transform cycling and to pioneer innovative ways of making cycling a real alternative to the car.
Let's just hope it doesn't become Bristol's equivalent of a white elephant!!
I'm half Danish (takk Mor), but find I don't have the same chances of using my bike, as a stretch of motorway seperate me from home and my place of work! Oh, and the hills around here can be a killer!
thanks helga. good to hear from you. we're all watching the developements in bristol!
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