At last we've got a whiff of sunshine and cyclists can go back to being smug instead of pitied by the rest of the commuting community. Our luggage will get lighter as we don't need to take our waterproofs with us everywhere we go, and our journeys will be easier as there are fewer puddles to dodge. Cycling through puddles can be really dangerous you never know what potholes might be lurking under the surface.

My daily commute has recently improved not only due to the weather but also to the fact that the cycle path I use has been resurfaced. There is now super smooth asphalt on the whole of the Barracks Lane cycle path, making for a very comfortable ride. If this wasn't enough to get us cyclists full of the joys of spring, there's another treat in store. Not only do we have a newly-surfaced cycle path but a new short cut! Some cyclists probably already took this short cut over the grass at Cowley Marsh, but I'd guess that involved muddy tyres and a bit of a bumpy ride. The new asphalt-covered short cut takes you straight over the grass without a spot of mud in sight. The city council should be congratulated on such a good job. One small gripe I hope the signage will also be revived. It seems a shame that the only people benefiting from such a vast improvement are the people who have always cycled there.

I enjoy cycling along Barracks Lane cycle path even ground, beautiful surroundings, no sharp turns, most days it's just over far too fast. There is, though, the problem of bugs. I must have extraordinarily attractive eye sockets for flies and aphids as they always seem to end up in there. This can be quite perilous as it often results in a stretch of one-eyed cycling as I blink furiously to dislodge them.

Recently this triggered a new type hazard as I passed a group of young men while being bug afflicted. There I was, innocently ousting the cheeky aphid that had decided that just inside my eye socket would be a fine place to stay. There they were, thinking I was winking at them! Me, a happily married woman!

I've heard other stories of people flirting from two wheels. It's now an offence to sell a bike without a bell. So all cyclists have a way of getting attention useful when in the traffic to ensure that fellow road users know you are there but also useful on shared cycle and pedestrian paths to give pedestrians an idea that you're around. Possibly not what the legislation makers had in mind, but also useful for attracting the attention of other cyclists you think look quite nice. Or so I'm told.

Anyway, enough of flirting cyclists I read last week's On Yer Bike column with some dismay, feeling very sad that we live in a county whose leader pours such vitriol on the very idea of public transport. Keith Mitchell claims that he lives near a station that has possibly half a dozen' stopping trains a day. A two minute search on "thetrainline.com" reveals plenty of appropriate trains available. I wonder if car commuting into Oxford is raising Mr Mitchell's stress levels so much that he can't see the benefits of more sustainable transport.