On today’s ride stopped for a coffee in Grange whilst doing the Borrowdale Bash. Got talking to an old roadie who was on a lovely Easton CX bike. Turns out the bike was over 20yrs old and once belonged to his son who was UK National champ in the 80’s.
It was just nice to pass an hour listening to his stories.
So go on, what recent cool stories do you have to share 🙂

Mrs PP and I wer on a local MTB bimble a few years ago and at one point we use about 100 yards of road, as we pulled off there’s a bit of a lay by and this old boy is there and we get chatting.
He was in his 70s I guess, fit as a fiddle and on a B-E-A-utiful 60s/70s steel audax bike. Well used but in superb mechanical condition. He was in the old 3/4 style tights, jersey, cycling cap and leather cycling shoes for his chrome toe clips.
He told us his wife had sadly died so he spent most of his days riding now, because:
“Since I had a stroke I can’t walk very well, but I can ride all day. Not as far I I used to, mind, only 40 or 50 miles these days”

I’ll never forget that old timer, he’s my hero. A genuine gent from a golden age with a chirpy character and a great attitude
🙂

Love it PP.

Met a nice old chap who’d fallen over and cut his head quite badly and broken his hip. As I was gathering his medication I noticed a couple of really nice track bikes and a bso. He was telling me how he’d been a successful racer in the 1950s and had spent a lot of time in Belgium and France having ridden for the army after the war. He had some right tales of old velodromes and overly aggressive road racing on the continent!

He told me his family only spoke to him to get money and that he planned to go into a home soon and would rather put all his possessions in a skip than let them get anything from them. He was looked after by a young single mum from over the road who had 2 kids and was only 19 or so. She made all his meals, cleaned and generally kept him company, lovely lass. He said he’d let her have first dibs on anything she wanted, I made a point of telling her that what she wanted was the 2 bikes without gears, put them on eBay and take a lot of photos.

I don’t know what she got for them, and I didn’t look out for them in case I felt the urge to buy them, but I’d like to think that this gents bikes went to a good home rather than a skip and the woman that actually cared for him got some just reward for her decency!

Talking to an chap in Todmorden the other week, he was 82 ex miner admiring my bike, we chatted about the price of bikes and kit, Lovely old boy, was convinced of bike’s power to make social change. Really interesting to chat with.

love PP’s story

Did a sportive years ago, started way too late and spent the first 30miles breathing out my arse trying to catch the back markers.

Spent the rest of the ride chatting to an old bloke who cycled in trousers, shirt and necktie. Not particularly slow either as we pretty much just rode through the back half of the sportive with all its Lycra and carbon!

Yeah, he was a great guy. I often think of him and hope he’s well. He’ll live forever then one day wake up dead that chap. He won’t be ill for years, and that’s as good as it can be I think.