On Yer bike!

Today was quite a milestone. In an effort to get fit I took my old bike down from the garage wall, blew up the tyres, oiled the chain and went for a ride. What is so strange about that? Well I have not been on a bike since our holiday in Cornwall over four years ago, and certainly I have not gone off riding on my own for something like fifteen years.

Cycling was always something I enjoyed back in the eighties, sometimes I would ride alone, sometime with a friend. Trips between sixty and a hundred miles were not unusual and I covered vast tracts of Lancashire, Cheshire and Wales. I always found cycling a ‘spiritual’ experience, and there was a time when it would leave me more spiritually refreshed than going to church. Sadly, when my back became troublesome, my bike was hung up only to be taken down occasionally.

I must confess I was a little nervous getting back into the saddle but, as my feet slipped into the pedal clips, it was like I had never been away. O.K. today’s trip was not far, just along to Croxteth Hall and back, some eight to ten miles, but the bike performed well. Perhaps what is more to the point, so did the rider, although I admit that I was in a lower gear than I used in the past, and the saddle seemed harder than I remember. What is important is I have made the first step to do something I should have done a long time ago.

Since I last rode there are more cars, but there are also more dedicated cycle tracks. Maybe trips of a hundred miles are now out but there are still plenty of places to be visited.

Dave