My Cycling Life
Source: Everyday Cycling Reader, Stuart Pearson
Posted: 21 Feb 2008
A while ago we ran an article asking you how cycling has changed your life. (If you missed it, go here) And here's your starter for ten. Everyday Cycling Reader Stuart Pearson tells us about his lifelong on/off relationship with bikes, from iron horse, through lapsed cyclist, to 60s Mod to born-again biker
Above: Stuart and the trust Puch, with a quarter century of riding under its wheels and many more to come by the sounds of it.
Like a good many lads born in the fifties, my first road bike was an old second hand single gear heavy affair with rod brakes and a single freewheel gear, it didn't stop me loving it though. I had hours of fun 'converting' it to a horse so I could emulate my TV cowboy heroes. It was a simple matter to tie some string to the handlebars so I could steer the bike in the same way you would control a horse's direction with reins. It wasn't such a simple matter to explain away the grazes on my knees and elbows to my mum!
My next bike was a BSA with the ultimate in gears - a 3 speed Sturmey Archer set up. This was my choice of transport to school every day, 5 miles each way. I can clearly remember the huge number of bikes in the bike sheds surrounding the school playground - 200 at a conservative estimate. I can remember the feeling of envy when I cast eyes on my friends Moulton and its 4 speed gear system. How times have changed, I counted 2 bikes chained up outside a local 900 pupil secondary school recently.
My 15th birthday coincided with the acquisition of a shiny 10 speed racing bike, sadly I succumbed to peer pressure shortly after and bought a Lambretta scooter and became your typical 60's mod.
Not until the early 80's did I return to cycling when I realised that buying a bike was the ideal way to make a 1.5 mile journey to work, the bike in question was a Puch 10 speed. As far as I know, Puch have long since stopped making bikes, but I still have that bike today (well at least the frame and the front derailleur are original).
I had to resort to the car as a means of commuting after a few years, as shift work and distances made it impractical to cycle to work. So, apart from a brief resurgence of interest about 10 years or so ago, the Puch gathered dust in the garage. During this time, I couldn't even be described as a 'fair weather' cyclist, more like a chronically lapsed one!
March 2006 was a turning point in my on-off affair with cycling. I suffered a mild heart attack, brought on by a variety of factors, one of which I'm sure would have been a lack of exercise other than the odd Sunday walk. Having a stressful job and a stubborn refusal to stop smoking cigars with a beer will not have helped either.
Ironically, two weeks before the attack I had dusted the old bike off and had a pootle on a nearby canal bank. The ride was brought to a premature end due to a puncture, but it was enough to rekindle the flame. 'Right then' I said to myself,' we need to recondition the bike and put some miles in '.
Alas, the rides were put on hold whilst I recovered, but it didn't stop me treating the bike to some new wheels and giving it some much needed TLC.
My wife then suggested we bought a couple of mountain bikes, so we could ride together, which was good news, as we have always enjoyed doing things together rather than separately.
We duly relieved our local bike shop of a couple of mountain bikes and began to explore the local cycle networks. We are blessed with several canal-side cycle routes in the Huddersfield area, along with an extensive 'Greenway' network.
Although my wife was happy to ride with me off- road, I wanted to go farther afield and began a few short trips on local roads.
It was on one of these trips that I met my cycling 'buddy' Ken. He was more of a roadie than a 'Greenway' man, but asked if I could show him some of the local off-road routes. It quickly became apparent that he was far fitter than I was, despite being 20 years older. I soon found out why. Ken had raced to a high level when younger and had now returned to riding his bike regularly now he was retired.
We soon found we enjoyed each other's company and began to put some miles in on local roads. I have a lot to thank Ken for because I know that during the 'breaking-in' period he would slow down for me. In fact he occasionally still has to!
I gradually built up from sweaty, breathless 10-15 mile runs to the 50-60 mile average run we do nowadays. In the process I have lost over 20 lbs in weight and feel fitter than I have done in many years.
I now religiously gobble up any TV coverage of cycling and devour any magazines on the subject. Let me anywhere near a bike shop and I'm worse than a kid at a sweetie stall. As regards bike technology, I was stuck in the 1980's but gradually began to familiarise myself with the wonders of clipless pedals, triple chainsets, dual pivot brakes, etc etc.
Cycling is part of my life again - not just for the health benefits but for the sheer joy of getting out there. There must be thousands of people out there with health problems who could transform their lives by turning a pedal now and then.
I would add finally that www.everydaycycling.com has also been a great encouragement. My first job when I get back from a ride is to log the miles on the Activity Log - 3000 miles in 20 months and counting!
Stuart Pearson
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