There are times in my life when I have never even owned a bike. Others when I took it all far too seriously. Riding has been a key activity in my life and I own two bikes at the moment. One road bike and one off road bike. Niether getting that much use, but this blog I hope will change that.
There are three types of bike rides:
1)wobbly family ones.
2) fast ones when you can’t quite see properly, can’t breathe hard enough, can’t think as your mind has shut down to 'involuntry processes only' and can't get off the sofa when you get home. If it is particularly bad then help may be required to get undressed and into the shower. If this happens too regularly you are most probably with the wrong group;
3)Then there are the thoughtful ones, where the destination is not important, when you stop to look at anything that seems interesting and experience the journeys and the conversations that being out inspires.
Oh........And then there is the fourth bike ride; thats when you were riding against Francesco Moser, who could'nt chase you down in the last mile and a half. The one you rode over Mount Ventoux with Lucien Van Impe. The one when Freddy Maertens nearly brought you down in the final 50 yards, when he managed to somehow get round you and beat you by only half a wheel.
In fact that's the same bike you were riding when you got promoted to that directorship. Then you bought a new set of wheels for it, after you had just gone self employed and turned over a hundred and sixty three grand in 18 months. You put some paniers on it one year and had that fantastic family holiday in New Zealand.
Yeh; I was looking for that bike a couple of days ago!
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I think all our rides are of the fourth kind. Remember that idea I had for recreating classic finishes from tours gone by? We should do that, we should.
ReplyDeleteYep, saw the forth bike about 14 years ago lent up against a sign for Jet boat rides in Queenstown.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened, just yesterday I was white water canoeing, Skiing and riding bikes all over the World.
Ahhhhh that was 15 years ago at best.
The racing has gone the same way as my hairline, the adrenaline sports the same way as the discs in my back.
But you know what? I am as satisfied as ever watching Rob chasing commercial vehicles, COL spinning along the flats and Young Bazza doing stand offs with Lorries, all telling me I am still a demon on the ups just as we get overtaken by a couple on their Halfords specials.
Heaven