Cycling
The roundabout is a symbol of British liberty
In my last article, I introduced you to the ‘paceometer’, which shows how the relationship between an extra unit of…
Heaven is an oeuf en gelée
The cherry blossom was at its finest as I made my last early morning trip through Regent’s Park to Broadcasting…
The origin of The Spectator’s Parliamentarian of the Year Awards
Forty years ago, a whisky company, Highland Park, which advertised its Famous Grouse in The Spectator, approached us with a…
Who works as a bouncer or security guard?
Farewell, Chagos The government announced that it would hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. There are 13 other…
Why Keely Hodgkinson is the one to watch at the Olympics
The Olympics have been creeping up on us through the forest of top-class sport this summer. But now they’re here,…
What Jeremy Vine gets wrong about cyclists
I can’t believe we need to say this, but here goes: Motorists should not pull over to allow cyclists to…
Assault and battery
The curse of e-bikes
Let’s rise up in our road rage
Whether you’re more afraid of the forces of order or the forces of chaos is generally a matter of disposition.…
My fall from grace
I had a bicycle accident last week. Not terrible, but not great either. Of the five I’ve had since I…
Real life
The cyclist was on the wrong side of the road coming towards me head-on. It was a winding country lane…
Mountains to climb
That great Frenchman the Marquis de Sade would have been justly proud of the Tour de France had he lived…
From the Gauls to the Gilets Jaunes
Philip Hensher is enthralled by Graham Robb’s evocative new history of France
Letters
Jesus wept Sir: Sam Dunning’s brilliant exposure of the corrupting links between Jesus College, Cambridge and the Chinese Communist party…
Get out of my way, Lycra warriors
I know that all must have prizes in the Victimisation Olympics these days, but when I heard a bicycle-rider on…
Riding high
Think of a punishing distance for a bike race. Double it, multiply by ten, throw in two of the world’s…
Breaking the cycle
For those with neither the time nor inclination to plough through a PhD in the intricacies of the scandals surrounding…
Reinventing the wheel
For most London-based politicians, there’s a threat that’s worse than Covid. You’ll begin to notice it as we ease out…
Letters
Veritas vincit Sir: Professor Dawkins eloquently and engagingly defines true truth for us (‘Matters of fact’, 19 December). It seems…
Real life
Bring back the men having sex in the undergrowth. This was the thought that occurred to me and my friend…
Diary
‘Stopping the diary/’ wrote Philip Larkin, ‘Was a stun to memory,/ Was a blank starting.’ I never really understood those…
Real life
The cyclist pulled into our gateway, got off his bike and grabbed hold of the electric fencing. Installing game cameras,…
Real life
‘I need an ambulance!’ yelled the builder boyfriend into his mobile phone as the cyclist lay bleeding from a head…
Real life
‘Have you met the man who keeps his horses in this field?’ said one silver-haired lady to the other, as…
This is not a natural disaster
Should our future permit an occupation so frivolous, historians years from now will make a big mistake if they blame…
Real life
The man was unloading cycles from the boot of his car just as I was about to take the turning…
