Cycling UK Forum

A bit of shameless self-publicity here! I write a weekly cycling-related column in my local paper, the Lynn News. I've been doing it for about 18 months now and had generally good feedback. I had the pleasure yesterday of meeting someone who had got back on their bike after 20 years after reading my wafflings, on the other hand, there are a lot of letter of the predictable 'cyclists are a bunch of criminal light-jumpers......etc, etc....'.

The last couple are on the paper's website at: http://www.lynnnews.co.uk/news/columnis ... heels-good

Anyone else done this or can comment on whether it's a positive thing for cycling, or does it just attract ire?

Rob

My local club had a regular column in our monthly local paper until it had to shut down due to lack of an editor after about 15 years service. My bit was short and reasonably serious and another part was written totally off the wall by someone else who tended to emphasise the "blood and guts" side of mainly mountain biking. He also slagged off other members unmercifully. This approach seemed to work well and indeed many non cyclists told us they bought the paper simply to read the cycling section as they got such a good laugh from it. Pity we could not get an editor to continue the thing as we rather enjoyed doing it.

It's a nice series - do you use extracts from a blog?

If I was capable of decent writing then I might do the same. Gives a regular platform from which to advertise the best aspects of a great form of both transport and leisure.

Given that a local fitness woman does a column in our free advertising rag (and either ignores cycling all talks rubbish about it) I've been tempted to have a go. Any hint and tips on persuading a paper to accept you as a cycling columnist?

I started out by sending a prospective couple articles to the editor, who I knew to be sympathetic to cycling. He put one of them in to gauge reaction, which was apparently positive! Originally I only wanted to do one a month, but I said I'd start off weekly. As it happens I've had no shortage of things to write about. I do a mix of local, general. humour and topical stuff. I think it's important to recognise that most of your readers are not 'cycle enthusiasts', and some will be very 'anti' (look at the comments on the Lynn News Website!)

To answer the other question; No, I haven't done a blog - yet, but several people have suggested I do.

Incidentally, some of the earlier articles can be found at: https://sites.google.com/site/klwnbicyc ... ist-s-tale