T-3 days

It’s my turn to sit on the sofa and mull over why we’re doing this trip and how we got here. The fact that my Dad had a bicycle shop for 33 years possibly has something to do with my passing interest in bikes. I even considered taking it over at one point and did the official Cytech mechanics course, but I wasn’t what you would call a “natural”, and ultimately decided that it wasn’t for me and my soft hands. Whilst I grew up around bikes (and Bromptons in particular), I don’t think it’s fair to give my Dad all the credit/blame – although Freud would have a field day I’m sure.

I used bikes as tools, cycling to school and for getting around London, but it wasn’t until much later that I started riding for “fun”. When I was living in China, l would occasionally be invited to things on account of me being a 外国人 (foreigner), including being in a car advert which was an excruciating experience for everyone involved (and which I thankfully never saw…). I was also invited to take part in a smoggy bike ride at an event in a town that wanted to promote itself as a cycling destination. They organised a large group ride, headed by a group of foreigners to add to the appeal of it all. The mountain bike they lent me was pretty cheap and nasty, not to mention far too small for me, however I enjoyed the ride so much that it inspired me to get a road bike built up at my Dad’s shop and bring it back to Beijing (on account of there being no bikes in China or something). I joined a cycling club, the Beijing Peloton, and we would load our bikes into minivans every weekend and be driven out to the hills around Beijing. I was often quite hungover and was a fairly pathetic cyclist, but I met some really nice folk and had a good time.

After returning to the UK in 2018, it wasn’t long before my first multi-day camping bike trip (and the first of what has now become an annual jaunt with my pal Hugo). I also did the Lakes and Dales Loop twice that year, once in summer (camping) and then again in winter (but staying in pubs) and have continued to do at least a couple of cycling trips both in the UK and abroad every year – more recently with Holly. I think this trip is a natural progression of these shorter tours, stemming from a desire to feel less rushed and see more.

There’s something about the simplicity of cycle touring and the satisfaction of dealing with problems as and when they arise that sending and receiving emails doesn’t quite match. I’m looking forward to hopefully getting to grips with my camera, switching off from the stressors of everyday life and enjoying the challenge of it all.

Usually on a trip, after about 7-8 days of cycling one of us usually has a dip in motivation (me), but we keep each other going. We have our ups and downs when touring, sometimes more literally than others – I’ve got used to following Holly up hills and waiting for her at the bottom of them. And I can’t wait for a whole year of it.