Dave Matthews
Dave's not here
Nice writeup GT!One of my earliest memories is learning to ride a 2-wheeler in a park in Birmingham during the summer of love when I was 4. My Dad took me to the park and once I set off, there was no stopping me. The one thing I remember about that day is that as I was riding, I saw a couple on the grass. I can't recall if they were snogging, but they were lying side by side and were doing something ! But I didn't care. I was riding my bike !!
I've had 6 major phases of cycling in my life. There was that initial '67-'71 spurt. Then there was '73-'76 where I really started discovering my environs. I used to cycle for miles, either with friends or alone. My parents wouldn't have been too pleased if they knew where I was or that I was on the road. Once, I got home so late {I was 12} and I had to explain to my Dad where I'd been and I'm lucky I didn't get hit. We used to do this thing called the cycling proficiency, which was like a course for child cyclists. It was like a mini driving course with a test at the end and you'd get a certificate which meant you could officially ride on the road. I missed mine when I was meant to do it at 11, and I ended up doing it at 13. To be honest, it was pretty meaningless {I'd been riding on the road for years at that point}, but I was proud as Punch when I passed mine !
Then there was the '84-'85 period, a 2-year period where I used to say that I cycled "for economic reasons," which was partially true, but I did really enjoy it. It was the first bike I'd owned that had gears. I went all over London and it was the first time I had total freedom of mobility. In those days, night buses had just started, but they were hourly, limited in where they went and they were disgusting, with people eating, drinking, throwing up, smoking, sometimes pissing, and they were always packed. So I'd meet my friends wherever we went and my bike was my travelling salvation. Whenever I listen to Rush's "Cygnus X1" I'm still reminded of a bike journey I did in the summer of '84 down to London's West End to meet some mates {we were going to watch what was then the trilogy of Star Trek Movies}. It was in that time that I got into listening to albums on the Walkman while cycling. It made journeys at 3 a.m. from Hendon or Brixton or Kilburn or the Isle of Dogs to Bounds Green along the North Circular Road or wherever, so much more enjoyable. I used to do this saving ring {it was called "Partner"} with these women where we'd put in a certain amount each week but that week, one of the contributors would get the whole pot. The first time it came around to my turn for the pot, I bought the bike. It saved me a transport fortune.
I had a car circa '86-late '87 but it had died by the end of that year so in Jan '88, I bought a bike {the one I had was stolen from the house I lived in} and that got stolen from a new place I moved to but a few months later I got another one with some redundancy money I'd received. This was my first mountain bike. I cycled until mid '95 and like a decade earlier, literally went everywhere. Then not long after, I got married and didn't cycle again until 2006. I'd had enough of running and tried to get back into cycling, but I found it really hard and sold the bike in 2009. I realized that the bike was too small and my legs were coming round too quickly, even in the toughest gear. But by 2011, I thought I'd better get back on the old bike again so I bought one and I've been riding it ever since. It was a large frame, in fact, the largest frame they made at the time. I was always told that one's feet should be comfortably able to rest on the ground when stationary. But I need the seat really high because I don't want my legs coming round quickly, so stuff that. I have long legs. If I'm still, my feet don't reach the ground ! It's been that way for me since the 80s.
But although I used to ride quite a bit, my riding went into overdrive in January of 2020, just after I started doing a paper round. Since then, except for when the bike has been getting repaired or the odd storm {I was not going out during storm Ciarra ! But I did get a decent song out of it}, I've ridden about 7 miles each day. That might not seem like much, but it adds up, keeps my heart in fair condition, gives me the opportunity to listen to my music {that's something I've loved about biking ever since I became an adult} and is a nice body stretcher. My route has a good combination of ridiculously steep hills, parkland {or at least it did until the lady at no.6 Stubbs decided she would take her daily exercise and collect her paper} and flat-ish ground. There's not much traffic while I'm out {6.10 -about 7.20 am} and I've made some interesting friends out on their walks or on their way to work. I've come up with a number of songs, lyrics, instrument parts and loads of ideas while I've been on the bike. It's a great time to think and talk with God, and I have come to like and appreciate the changing of the seasons. I particularly notice this in the way my clothing changes.
I used to like cycling with my kids as they were getting bike-savvy.
Always interesting to hear about others experience.
