Tag: biking

I’ve got a bike, you can ride it if you like
It’s got a basket, a bell that rings
And things to make it look good
I’d give it to you if I could, but I borrowed it

Sydney Barrett Pink Floyd

Not strictly true as it hasn’t got a basket or bell and it’s not borrowed. So completely fabricated.

I feel as I’m moving into a new era. I had problems with my commute to work bike and Lisa Bowen Howe, a friend of mine, offered me her Father’s bike. This really could not have come at a better time. Although I keep active by doing core and stability exercises, yoga and walking but running 6 days a week was really wearing me down and to substitute a run for a longish bike ride would make the perfect medicine to cure my mounting head demons.

I knew from the get go that this was much better than any bike I’ve ridden before. Back in the autumn of 1979 I saved all my available pennies to buy a decent bike. Before I only had my Dad’s hand me downs and this was a chance for cross training and some liberty. That first bike was a Raleigh Medale, a beautiful bike bought from a local bike shop. Unfortunately one day in November my Boss came up to me and said ‘I just saw a bloke riding off on your bike’. What a prick, why didn’t you stop him, you prick? He was an alcoholic and when Dowty’s dropped their sub contraction work there was nothing for us to do and I was made redundant so he was a complete prick. I was doubly devastated. I don’t usually give 10/10 reviews but that tw@t deserves his!

I’ve always loved cycling from the Milk Race through the city races televised on Channel 4 and the coverage of the Grand Tours in Italy, France and Spain. I always found the Tour De France a magical and mystical event. Athletes with super human stamina and strength of body and mind to ride up and down over the Pyrenees and Alps and still have time trial speed. It’s a shame the sport has been blighted by performance enhancing drugs and blood doping. When I was a kid I would stand and wait outside my house on the A38 and wait for the Milk Race to pass through. They passed in a split second but I thought it was so cool and it was my first exposure to top class sport that I can see, smell and not really touch! I wanted to ride but my Dad’s old Sturmey Archer three geared bike with dynamo wasn’t it.

So back to the point of this blog. I’ve left Almost Athletes. I don’t want to be an affiliated athlete to England Athletics. I get no benefits from this so why pay for it it. I am a distant member of the club so can’t participate on club runs, I don’t get any support and I can’t attend club social events so it is a bit pointless. It might only be around 70p a week but I get nothing from it so why pay £35 a year, which can go towards shoes. I have nothing against the club. The people I’ve met are lovely and friendly but these days I’m a bit of a lone wolf and quite happy and content to run by myself and when and where I want too and the £2 race reduction isn’t worth it. I don’t race often enough anyway to make it worthwhile. I saw these both developments a possibility to move on and try something new but never say never.

I’ve been running hard for most of this year, pushing myself harder trying to defy the years. Now I’ve found I have an injury. A twisted knee during an off road run has left it swollen and quite painful. Aspirin and icing has helped but a guy from a Facebook group suggested some light cycling so off I trundled. I set off steadily. Although my commute to work bike has skinny tyres, I haven’t ridden a bike with drop handlebars in donkey’s years and this felt a lot different. I peddled cautiously through town and Highbridge towards East Huntspill. I was glad to get out to the countryside, fewer cars and better scenery. I cycled over Basin Bridge and through neighbouring village Mark and the sky started to turn a little darker. I felt I should turn back to home but to be honest I was really enjoying the ride and could have gone on forever. Some of my more proficient cycling buddies would make light of my adventure but I was proud and hooked and next time I will join the cake and coffee brigade while I contemplate my first duathlon, or even triathlon.