Richard 2524 Report post Posted November 11, 2009 dal primo numero di "the ride" "My bike is a vehicle. It transports me both mentally and physically. It acts as a social lubricant, a reason to go places and meet people. It is the totem of my tribe, the common denominator in the web of relationships and friendships of which I am a part. My bike allows me to live life in glorious lo-tech 3D: a part of the life around me rather than an observer looking in. When I ride, I feel alive, I become a part of the landscape. I become aware of the weather through touch not sight. Sometimes it’s a brutal set of sensations: freezing hail biting at exposed flesh, headwinds that make progress painful. I do not need the TV to tell me it is cold outside when my face is numb. I observe the passage of time from the saddle; note the subtle progression of seasonal change. My companions change as each year passes but the underlying geography and the contact with nature are my constants. I have come to recognise the precursors of each season and welcome the promised change. Lapwing and curlew herald the end of winter and promise dry trails to come. Swallows and swifts feeding high on the moor announce the end of summer. The browning off of Yorkshire fog is the clue I need to head to the woods to revel in leaf-covered singletrack accompanied by the heavy bouquet of decay. Winter and I have become close friends. I make the most of the quiet trails, riding knowing that the added drag of soft ground will bring benefits to fitness and technique. I soak in the views opened up by clear cold air and leafless trees. I appreciate the fine line between skid and traction. I hope for snowfall, will it to happen even, while around me everyone awaits the ensuing traffic chaos with trepidation. My bike brings me closer to the earth. It gives me the nearest thing to a religious experience that I, a committed atheist, will ever experience. The much-sought moment of nirvana – no wind – is one that any cyclist can appreciate. Mind blank, lost beyond thought, simply pedalling. The moment the boundary between man and machine blurs. Not riding, not training, just being. My bike has provided a reason to explore distant countries; a modern-day grand tour. Sampling and savouring the subtle differences of a familiar activity on foreign soil. My bike has allowed me to interact with the places I pass through. Not the isolation of the tour group or the flickering snapshot views through a car window. It provides the time to appreciate the countryside I ride in with no need for the quick fix of the snatched photo opportunity. I am instantly accessible and approachable, I see the everyday as well as the tourist fare. My bike has provided a common language with which to make new friends during my travels. It has become a conduit to new experiences; a reason to take the path less travelled, to visit the back of beyond. It has fed my love of mountains and taken me to the wild places I dream of when back at work. It has helped me to explore my locality until I have the same familiarity of it as I had of my childhood haunts. I have become a part of something far bigger than my local scene. Being offered ground-level knowledge in foreign languages and repaying that by sharing my advice with visitors, like-minded two-wheeled devotees of a global tribe. I revel in the dispatches from far-flung corners as much as I feverishly explore a new local trail. I have come to see the hints of green among the grey, my eyes attuned to the spaces where nature hangs on in cities. I can think in maps, and mentally link them together to provide an escape route from the drudgery of city life. A daydream to be realised in snatched moments. The juxtaposition of muddy bike and rider amid everyday life. Freedom in the wild that hides among the conformity, the consumerism and everything that fills me with a sense of despair. My bike provides me with a means of transport, recreation, relaxation and of escape. My bike has allowed me to see the future. I do not fear the lack of a car. I am happy to travel under my own steam. I am independent and proud. My bike is a vehicle." Dave Anderson. Oxenhope, UK. Rides bikes. mi era piaciuto molto, volevo condividere. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PELT 5765 Report post Posted November 11, 2009 Essere o,non essere,questo e' il problema... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ruggero 141 Report post Posted November 11, 2009 bella richard. bici 1, altri veicoli 0 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
konablu 11 Report post Posted November 11, 2009 ... L'avevo letto mentre ero in USA per lavoro e dovevo scegliere se prendermi o no una bici (da corsa o fissa che fosse) per girarci in città. E' stata una delle ispirazioni che mi han fatto decidere di prenderla. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Richard 2524 Report post Posted November 11, 2009 pelt togli quell'avatar o ti banno. dalla vita. a schiaffazzi. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PELT 5765 Report post Posted November 11, 2009 Essere o,non essere,questo e' il problema... dai,lasciamelo ancora un po,finche il ciaba nn si ingelosisce... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Richard 2524 Report post Posted November 11, 2009 lo è già, geloso. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites