Eugene & Roisin

My flatmate Eugene would find bike parts anywhere and everywhere. Wheels in skips, pedals on playing fields, he even had a grappling hook to dredge the canal for old frames. Every couple of months the day would arrive when Eugene had enough bits, so he’d phone...

Learning to ride

My brothers first started to teach me how to ride a bike when I was small. Firstly my brothers started off pushing me on the bike then letting go, but the first problem was that I stopped peddling after a bit and the second problem was that I turned too quickly and...

Cycling meditation

Cycling through the Swiss alps numerous times during my teenage years is an experience I will never forget. Little preparation or planning, a bike, a map, some tools, some food and lots of Yorkshire enthusiasm. Long days in the mountains, sometimes at speed, sometimes...

A Trike and a Bike

I was born in 1947 and in the early 50’s my first bike was a trike which I shared with my sister. I can remember going downstairs on Christmas morning to find a new tricycle in the living room. My sister, older by 11 months, and I would go to the nearest sprout...

It can’t be done!

Cycling around the coast of the UK, it can’t be done. Not enough roads or tracks run parallel with the sea. Farming also gets in the way. Then there are those vast swathes of land, owned by us all but managed exclusively by the Ministry of Defence. I gave it my best...