British Airways Article on Fixed Gear Culture

[Patrick Hutchison]

Hey all,

Last May, I had the opportunity to visit Chengdu on behalf of British Airways’ in-flight magazine to do a story on the city’s evolving fixed-gear culture. The story is now out and being read by thousands of trapped passengers across the globe. I wanted to post a note on here to share the story with you all and also to express my thanks for all the help you offered. Here’s the story, I hope you enjoy it:

http://www.bahighlife.com/Destinations/Cycling-in-Chengdu.html?PageNumber=1

Without this forum and its members, this story would not have been possible. I wanted to extend a special thanks to Charlie, Brendan, Ben, Eli, and Pippi for their help. And, of course, I owe an extreme thank you to Jacob and Larry. You deserve all the success and friendship you get.

Thank you again for all your help!

Patrick Hutchison

[Vincent NL]

Wow, really nice article. I especially like the beginning about the past.

[Charlie]

Very nice! It’s so cool to see this materialize from this post six months ago. Congratulations on pulling this together. It’s great that you were able to participate in the Kill the Hill event and visit a Dojo event on the same day!

[Brendan]

I’m really glad you went with the suggestion to run a feature on this Patrick, Fixed Gear culture is one of the pursuits that embodies where Chengdu is heading in the future as it absorbs outside influence. I still recall the string of cyclists I’d seen bombing down Renmin Nan Lu the night before you contacted me, it was a perfect snapshot of things to come. Can’t praise Jacob & Larry enough either, they’ve brought together countless people since arriving, bringing their enthusiasm for something they love to cyclists new and old. We’re lucky to have them here.

Will you be writing an article for next years High Life on Chengdu? I will definitely have something (new) of interest for you if you do.

[Mr. Klink]

Very well-written.  I’m amazed how well you wrapped up that weekends’ events so succinctly.  It seemed to go in a blur but reading this definitely brought it all back.

And again, we can’t thank you enough for the limelight you offer us via this article.  You’ve done well to capture the scene perfectly and hopefully this helps draw more attention to the fact that the China needs to put the bicycle back in bicycle kingdom!

[Tommy]

Excellent! Nice article. I enjoyed reading it. It makes me want to go out and buy one of these fixed-gear doozies. Maybe, just maybe. Still dealing with other set-up costs at the moment.

[Patrick Hutchison]

Glad you guys liked the piece. When my schedule clears up, I’d love to make it back there for more stories and more good times. Cheers to all of you.

[Author]

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