The comrades-in-arms compare notes. "Phew, the wind was right in my face, all the way over the top through Little Cornard," says gladiator Marcus Editus. (Mark, The Editor)

"Yeh, I know what you mean. And the mud! It was inches deep in ruts along the Railway Walk, right from Rodbridge," adds Jonnius Scriberius (Jonathan, A Reporter). They go on to discuss wind-up lamps.

Yep, they've been cycling to work ... and anyone who dares to risk the traffic round here on a bike deserves praise and admiration.
Especially now the tarring and stoning season has begun in the country lanes.

So, as ideas continue to emerge about how to spend Sudbury's £300,000 windfall, coming from Tesco via Section 106 (sounds a bit Orwellian to me), I have a suggestion.

One idea the town council might like to consider is – don't laugh – a sturdy bike shed.

If the Free Press office is anything to go by, a growing number of cyclists are pedalling their way into town every day.

Many have to chain their bikes as best they can to railings, fire escapes and posts.

What about a nice, secure bike shed near the Kingfisher, and one near the train station. I bet they'd get used a lot and attract a few more shoppers in, too.

In the meantime, I hope they've got the 106 money well invested and gathering some interest. I can't see how spending it all on tinkering with the Market Hill will persuade shoppers to call in at Sudbury town centre after visiting the new, enlarged Tesco.

The hill is already one of the best-looking, open town-centre spaces you'll see anywhere ... with its traffic. I'm glad it escaped the late-20th century planners' mania for turning once-bustling high streets into soulless pedestrian walkways, with their strange quietness.
The great attraction of shopping at the big supermarkets and so called retail sheds is the free parking ... outside the door. Shoppers are drivers, too.