Riding up a commute hill I've ridden probably hundreds of times. Got me thinking that thankfully even though the mtb is up in bits, I still have this tubeless tyre road bike.

Managed to walk some of the gnarly sections earlier and done about 4 chores today by the days end (God Willing). Really had me thinking and philosophising...

What would your alternative reality be like. Mine is too long to list so I'll get back to it after collecting some poles from the legendary Shewie...

Alternate to bikes? Probably trail running or climbing. Have dabbled with climbing in the past and loved it but love the out-the-door anytime accessibility of cycling more. Have always been lucky enough to live in areas with a good mix of riding. Maybe when I'm older I'll do more walking. And fly fishing, could get back into that too.

I'd have lots of free time, I would still play basketball, I'd be fitter, richer and with a happier wife and tidier flat.

v true. My outhouse would definitely have less stuff laid about and me all confused. Not sure my little one would have a bike, possibly not! I'll get back to this shortly. I did lots of contemplation...

I would definitely a few sizes larger and without lots of legendary friends like many are on here. I wouldn't have to think of cunning plans (like cycling to work 20 or 50 miles away or whatever) just to appease the wife. I really doubt I'd be walking either as it was when Shewie/Rich entered this forum I realised there was a hiking community that I could dabble with.

I'd probably be a little less able to empathise as the road cycling and driving helps me see both sides of the windscreen. Maybe I'd be slightly arrogant too and that's definitely not a good thing. In many ways the cycling has humbled me lots.

A few months ago whilst trying to hold my ground around a blind bend, the Vauxhaull behind peeped. Nothing too major but I had a bout of road/cycle rage as I was only... Well, I was being an idiot and have since learnt to try and have more respect for the drivers that don't understand such tactics. Must've been having a bad day (me, not the driver).

I also wouldn't know this Ford existed. Took me almost 10 years of cycling the main road adjacent to it and another 4 years before that of driver the bus up/down same road. I would most defo not have seen so many lovely parts of the UK.

I wouldn't be me

I'd be overweight, stressed and unhappy. Like lots of people I see every day and thank my stars I'm not like them!

slarge wrote: ↑Wed Jun 26, 2024 10:29 pm I'd be overweight, stressed and unhappy. Like lots of people I see every day and thank my stars I'm not like them!

If you hadn't gotten in to cycling, Stu would still be looking for some idiot (sorry ) to go ride/complete the BigBear route. I still have nightmares of your writeup. WTH! Oh, and we'd not have a 240 mile out Ride to The Sun for this year...

In many ways the cycling has humbled me lots

100% this, and in a similar way it's taught me the benefits of not choosing labour-saving devices automatically. Also the value of items that can be maintained yourself, which are becoming harder to find now, even among bikes.

jameso wrote: ↑Thu Jun 27, 2024 7:47 am

In many ways the cycling has humbled me lots

100% this, and in a similar way it's taught me the benefits of not choosing labour-saving devices automatically. Also the value of items that can be maintained yourself, which are becoming harder to find now, even among bikes.

Missus is in the process of making us all passports James. My last one expired in about 2006 and because the schedule 7 stops were so common, I never bothered making another (I'm not having someone check up my bottom just for the sake of humiliation ).

Anyway, as she thinks about a family holiday abroad I automatically wondered about the TNR (I forget what the t and n stand for). So you never know in one of the years to come I might be applying

So, add here that I'd never be thinking about seeing the south (?) of France. Is halal food common enough around them parts I wonder

I genuinely don’t know what I’d be doing without bikes, being introverted (which may surprise people on here seems I talk a lot of rubbish… ) I used to ride my bike instead of playing out with class mates in my teenage years. Same at uni, some longer rides in my days off followed by lots of eating afterwards (never took food with me on my rides back then!).

During uni I used to indoors boulder for two or three times a week depending, so probably that but I did get fed up of chasing grades all the time. After uni, the nearest centre was 90 minutes away in a combination of train and walking, so that got tiresome. Don’t do it now, so who knows!

I’ve also done a lot of hill walking but that always involves a drive, so it’s not something I could do week in and out either!

Definitely wouldn’t be in a gym though, that’s all I could guarantee.

Anyway, as she thinks about a family holiday abroad I automatically wondered about the TNR (I forget what the t and n stand for). So you never know in one of the years to come I might be applying

So, add here that I'd never be thinking about seeing the south (?) of France. Is halal food common enough around them parts I wonder

Torino-Nice Rally - would be great to see you out there :) Nice and France generally I think seem to have a fair range of choice for Halal food, based on a few tours and stopping in towns for good fast food (ie not big brand burgers). Mostly seem to be Mediterranean, Lebanese or Moroccan. Indian or Pakistani places like Taste of Lahore seem rarer unfortunately. The one in Watford was/is soooo good..

I'm already more a runner than a cyclist these days due to time constraints (I have a purely mental issue to overcome that riding for less than two hours just isn't worth the hassle of getting the bike out and getting kitted up) so I'd just carry on running.

jameso wrote: ↑Thu Jun 27, 2024 11:32 am

Anyway, as she thinks about a family holiday abroad I automatically wondered about the TNR (I forget what the t and n stand for). So you never know in one of the years to come I might be applying

So, add here that I'd never be thinking about seeing the south (?) of France. Is halal food common enough around them parts I wonder

Torino-Nice Rally - would be great to see you out there :) Nice and France generally I think seem to have a fair range of choice for Halal food, based on a few tours and stopping in towns for good fast food (ie not big brand burgers). Mostly seem to be Mediterranean, Lebanese or Moroccan. Indian or Pakistani places like Taste of Lahore seem rarer unfortunately. The one in Watford was/is soooo good..

Moroccon/Lebanese food is meant to be great. Kurdish is on another level of OCD to get top quality. Pakistani/Indian would probably screw up the stomach (for me). Spices and long distances don't seem to go well for me. Other day I bought humus from the local kurdish place. Who'd have thought chickpeas paste could be so delicious!

jameso wrote: ↑Wed Jun 26, 2024 9:18 pm Alternate to bikes? Probably trail running or climbing. Have dabbled with climbing in the past and loved it but love the out-the-door anytime accessibility of cycling more.

Same here. I was an avid climber for 20 years, but the writing was on the wall once someone gave me an old mountain bike.

Otherwise: snorkelling, perhaps? I discovered it after I started diving: it's 80% of the fun with 20% of the faff. It's like going for a country walk, just under water .

Well, we'd be "packers"

IGMC

I've always been "outdoorsy", growing up on a farm there's not much option. Began fell walking when I was ten or eleven then in my early twenties I took up climbing and that was my main sport for over thirty years. Interlaced with those have been fell running and cycling. Mostly road cycling to begin with as MTBs didn't really exist back in the 1970s. After a climbing accident and a hip replacement (not related) in my early fifties I migrated towards mountain biking and then bikepacking.

Like James, just being outdoors, and active, is seemingly enough. I'll try and complete the Wainwrights at some point - been on six to go for over a decade now - and will keep on picking away at the Munros (just over a quarter done)

Wainrights Eglish coast2C Bob. That's the one I have my eyes on. Probably not with my 9 tear old as I'm not sure his legs would cope. Though he has done a few 12 milers with me now.

spoke about this with friends and family over the years many times.
riding bikes makes me kind of who i am ( if you know what i mean ). i makes me who i am. it keeps me on a even keel. keeps me sane. keeps me happy.
if i miss a few days of the bike a bit of confusion sets in. and i get angry more easily.
i have ridden a bike all my like. i rode a bike to school, to my first job, to all my jobs. i never ever took a job that i could not cycle to. 39 years cycle commuting.
when i got ill cycling what my target to get well, to aim for. also it was when my wife started cycling more, which was and is amazing. i cycle with my wife far more than with anyone else.
we relax whilst cycling, we spend our holidays cycling. it defines us.

so without bikes, i have no idea what i would be, but i know i wouldnt be me..........

redefined_cycles wrote: ↑Sat Jun 29, 2024 10:52 am Wainrights Eglish coast2C Bob. That's the one I have my eyes on. Probably not with my 9 tear old as I'm not sure his legs would cope. Though he has done a few 12 milers with me now.

I did that with a school friend towards the back end of the hot summer of 1976 (probably the last two weeks of the summer holidays as we'd been on a school scout group trip to Brittany earlier in the hols) so only a couple of years after the book was published and it hadn't got anywhere near its current popularity. I don't remember seeing many others doing the route, maybe one or two here and there in the youth hostels (we did a mixture of YHA and camping). Parents dropped us off at St Bees and we got the bus from Robin Hood's Bay down to Scarborough and back from there.

The only disappointing bit is crossing the Vale of York from Richmond to Osmotherly but it's basically a day of easy walking.

Must have left some impression on me as there's vignettes I can still vividly remember nearly fifty years later

I think Bob meant the Lakeland fells,

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wainwright-Pic ... 122&sr=8-2

RobLyon wrote: ↑Sat Jun 29, 2024 10:15 pm I think Bob meant the Lakeland fells,

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wainwright-Pic ... 122&sr=8-2

Thanks Rob. Yes, I figured it out whilst getting ready for today's walk. Only 20 hours later . The Wainrights. I assume both named after the same Wainwright.

Well two of you on this thread can call yourselves influencers! Bought the Patagonia and Fjern jackets to see which i like best and send the other back. Think I’m going to keep both

if it was me, sorry I'm chuffed to bits with mine.

posted on wrong thread