If I include my early toddler beginnings (and I will because toddler beginnings are formative) I’ve been riding, racing, renovating, pratting about on, prattling on about and simply enjoying the beauty of bicycles in their many, varied and wonderful forms for about 55 years.
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Postscript: I wrote this thought-train a few weeks back and didn’t quite know where I was going with it. I’ve remembered now. Hanging up the wheels is for those who were never in love with riding a bike. That can happen for all sorts of reasons. Some riders are in love with trying to win, even if it’s just getting to the top of the hill first. When the winning stops the love stops. Some riders are in love with the kit, or the image, and that sort of love fades as fast as fashions change. Some riders are in love with the self-worth that comes from the achievement and experience of riding. That sort of love is a complex and multi-faceted thing that’s influenced by whatever else is going on in your life. Some are just in love with the feeling that riding offers. I think I’m one of them. It’s a love that’s lasted half a century. Like all rides/loves, it’s had its ups and downs, but it’ll remain my faithful companion for as long as I’m around.
What a wonderful article. To me it sums up why I rode. I really miss Steve’s articles, it really hit me he passed away, I had been reading the guys articles for best part of two decades, Never met you Steve but I felt we have been mates for a long time and the common bond is just riding our bikes. Cheers El Tel
That’s just what I needed to read this morning. Some truths about riding, eloquently said.
Your voice is missed in the mtb world Steve…