“My bike is my pencil”: Strava cyclist brings Pudsey Bear to life… after suffering punctures, inconvenient park closures and “carrying bike through a building”; Paddy McGuinness completes epic 300-mile charity ride on Chopper + more on the live blog

Move aside amateur Strava artists, we’ve got a professional in the room with us now…

Nicolas Georgiou, who’s made a name for himself drawing up a few grand things by riding his bike and charting his route on the activity sharing and tracking app Strava, has perhaps outdone himself this time. Accompanied by a dozen riders from Rapha Cycling Club and Chain Gang Cyclists, many wearing Pudsey ears, the fashion designer Hither Green in south-east London cycled 70 miles for 12 hours before his oeuvre d’art was realised, and it truly is a work of art.

“It’s hard riding so slowly but you need to in order to stick to the route,” He told BBC London about his Children in Need’s Pudsey project.

Georgiou spent a month carefully planning and plotting the ride through London, designing even the famous bandanna and the eye patch with polka dots, eventually setting out on the ride on 1 November. But even after all the meticulous preparations, life had to throw a few wrench across their way.

“We weren’t helped by a few punctures as well as park closures,” he said. “At one point the only way to keep to the line we needed to draw Pudsey was to carry our bikes and walk through a building in Belsize Park. When we told the builders who were working there that it was all for Children In Need they very kindly let us through.”

Georgiou’s catalogue so far includes a 77.3km ride for a “fabulous stiletto”, a 204km dragon spanning from Islington to Croydon to mark the Chinese Year of the Dragon, the supremely viral cyclist to celebrate Mark Cavendish’s 35th win at the Tour de France (shared by Strava and Tour de France), a classical Greek Olympic discuss thrower before the Paris Olympic Games, a fist for “Black Unity Bike Ride” and recently, the 142-mile two koi fish for Rapha 20th Anniversary.

He added that he started doing these cycling artworks on Strava during the pandemic lockdown to keep himself. “I needed something for my own mental health and I just take so much joy in creating these routes and seeing them come to life,” he said. “I have good sketching skills but when it comes to Strava my bike is my pencil.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Nicolas Georgiou (@nico_georgiou)

Despite having so many picks to choose from, Georgiou said that Pudsey is his “favourite” so far. “It just felt like Pudsey would be such a cute thing to do and to put him on the map like this feels really special,” he added.

“This challenge is not just about cycling; it’s about creating a satellite tracked piece of art that symbolises hope and support for children in need.”

Georgiou’s not the only one to create Strava Art of Pudsey, he has the company of Leicester-based cyclist Rebecca Laurel, who came up with her own rendition, although not as elaborate. One could say being a fashion designer and a cyclist perhaps might give Georgiou the edge…

You can donate to Georgiou’s fundraiser for BBC Children in Need here.

EDIT: Yes, Children in Need, not Comic Relief... yes, joules1975 in the comments, you are right it is easy to mistake someone with a comedy red nose for a yellow bear with a multi coloured eye patch... maybe? 

For the first time in 30 years, cyclists will be permitted to ride on a town centre shopping street, after councillors approved a controversial 18-month cycling trial which they say will “enhance active travel” by making the street “more accessible” to cyclists and improving the choice of local routes for people on bikes.

Paul Troop, the secretary of Bike Users Oxford, said he believes the trial will bring benefits to the town, such as supporting mental wellbeing and physical fitness, and attracting more potential customers to the town centre, adding: “If we don’t hold a trial, we might miss the significant benefits would bring to Bicester.”

Read more: > “We need an outbreak of common sense”: Controversial cycling trial on pedestrian shopping street approved amid claims “every single resident does not want this scheme” – but disabled cyclists say trial “necessary step” to make town more accessible