Guy Martin riding an Orange 5 with a lady friend on the first climb at Glentress.I was behind them for a wee while and they very politely allowed me to pass. It was before all his TV stuff.
Andy Whyment, the Guy who plays Kirk in Coronation St
My friend and i met Terry Butcher and his wife walking up the Red trail at Abriachan as we were coming down.
Saw a chap ahead of me once on the commute and thought ... i'm slowly gaining on him ... so committed to a pass and committed to putting the same effort to show I wasn't just out to pass him for the sake of it.
half a mile down the road and >>>whoosh>>>... he rockets right up beside me with a smile.
Look down at his bike noting its slim steel build and then noting the signature painted onto it... "[i]Obree[/i]"
Ah...
He jokingly commented about being passed and not letting someone away with it. Then followed one of my favourite commutes chatting away the rest of the way.
Its nice to be able to genuinely say I've caught and passed Obree ... 🙂
Phil Decker and Dan "from Nam".
Chris Froome several times. Rode next to him once on a training ride - not for long though. Was cool having a Sky support car behind me for a short while.
Dan from Nam, Robbie Hunter when he was SA champ and Daryl Impey - all in South Africa.
Brightling Horse Trials is at the end of my road. A couple of years back 2 of us stopped to let a horse rider cross from the car park to the event field - it was Zara Phillips. In Jodphurs.
The Rev Richard Coles out walking his 4 dogs. Lives in the next village really great bloke. Stopped for a chin wag about art and music.
Vanessa Raw cycling in Lanza and one of the Chilean miners running in the NYC marathon 🙂
Pat.
He seemed a really decent Guy.
This is exactly what I have heard about him. Decency can be underrated, and I am not sure that always Wales knew what it had when he was in government.
The Rev Richard Coles
We follow each other on Twitter. 8)
All at Stainburn:
Rob Roskopp of Santa Cruz Bikes/skateboards (got a photo with him).
Ratboy turned up on a dig day.
Brownlee brothers out MTBing.
Seen not met: Nicole Kidman on the red carpet outside Chelsea cinema (almost went into car in front of me as he was doing same thing as me) and along same road almost knocked off by lawrence dallaglio when he opened his car door (I let him off with a shout of ?anker).
Robert Plant filling pot holes in the lanes just outside Kinver.
Perhaps more impressively, Dave Hill of Slade fame
Trevor off of being in Trevor and Simon en route to Morzine
Prince Andrew. Nearly rode into him 8)
Chipps.
Not that famous,
Met him some years ago on the NYM. At least I think it was him.
Well it looked like him anyway.
"pistonbroke - Member
something on about Led Zep, recognised the chap as Jimmy Page, doh! "
Or Robert Plant.
On a ride - Cav, rode with him for about 15 seconds.
The guy who won Masterchef and then went off to do a successful fish restaurant was our guide in Spain (in the gap between filming and broadcasting).
Rob Warner and Nigel Page were at BPW the same time as us - Rob is quite shy and retiring in real life 😆
Jarvis Cocker - pulled up outside the cafe in Edale the other week in some battered 80s Yank-mobile. Had a nice chat about his car - told him he needed bigger rims. Seemed a decent bloke, and I don't even like Pulp.
Whilst pre-ride faffing in a car park near Rivington Pike I (very nearly literally) bumped into Freddie Flintoff, who was exiting the gents as I was going in. He's taller than he looks on the telly, and built like a brick outhouse.
Lee McKenzie when she worked for Border TV filming @ Mabie and Dalbeattie.
Georgeous 😛
Tim farron on Garburn pass, that's it, not even any famous bikeists
Jo Burt after a charity bike ride from Brighton over the South Downs, early 90's, got a lovely smile and wave from a lady driving towards me when I pulled over a bit to give her some room on a narrow bit of road near Lacock, it was Camilla Parker-Bowles, and Anthony Head outside Avon Valley Cyclery in Bath one Sunday afternoon.
Not riding but standing in the queue for food at Townhouse Studios Goldhawk road in the '80s.
Phil Collins tried to barge in front so I told him to wait his turn.
He was recording his first solo album at the time so it served him right.
Wiggo, Doull & Clancy (at the same time).
My wife and I have come across Michel Eavis a couple of times whilst out riding through some local nature reserves just outside of Glastonbury; he was out on his bike (electric I think) too.
Tracey Moseley last year.
Also used to see Jeremy Paxman quite often in the Chilterns walking his Labs
Paul Scholes walking his dog as I came found the corner, grabbing the panic levers to abide his dog, dog so big petting while chatting about the bike... As a Man utd fan that was a good ride
tracey moseley
big ron atkinson
various blues, villa and wba players as its "posh" up the road and all the footballers tend to move in
roy wood
most of ub40 (see footballers)
can't help tripping over "celebs" round here.
Seen but not met: Ian Stannard while out on my road bike yesterday, looking supremely fit. Saw Laura Trott on her bike last year while out on my road bike. Also saw Josh Bryceland riding down the Middlewood Way when he was recovering from his broken foot.
Seen Nick Craig loads of times at MTB events but I'm always too shy to go and say hello.
I've ridden with Ed Clancy and Andy Tennant, in the velodrome at Manchester. They are both Very Tall.
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The lady doesn't look very happy about your wandering hand, Cougar... You could have at least yawned!
I actually saw and had a brief chat with Brendan Fairclough while out riding - normally see him a couple of times a year out on the trails. He joked with one of my mates that it was good of us to let him ride with us given he was on a 29er - co-incidentally that same 29er was up for sale a few weeks later
Not sure if you count them as famous, but similarly seen and spoken to several of the MBR guys (Muldoon, Danny Milner, Roo Fowler)
A few others I've seen while out riding, but not met them so that doesn't really count
Billy Ocean.
I was on an Evans Ride around Chobham Common, and he had been running around there. Held a gate open for me, so stopped and had a chat with him. Told me he was keeping in shape for his upcoming tour. He even offered me free tickets, which I stupidly, stupidly declined. An absolute gent he is.
Louise Minchin a couple of weeks ago at a triathlon. Seemed like a lovely person (and pretty quick)
Seen Jeremy Paxman in the Chilters too, nickc.
Rick Wakeman too
Seen Stephen Fry a number of times when he is at his Norfolk home as i ride past to the in-laws and used to see Roger Lloyd-Pack quite often too before he died, he had an old GT Aggressor he'd pootle to the shops on occasionally
The most famous (at the time of meeting) was Richard Hammond on a bridleway not long after his massive Jet Car crash. He was out walking one of his dogs, had a little chat about the nice weather - figured he'd be bored of crash talk - and went on out separate ways. Got home to see on the news that he was meant to be a gibbering wreck who couldn't put a sentence together 😆
Others met include:
Ben Deakin
Manon Carpenter
Tahnee Seagrave
Charlotte Church
Lucy Owen (Welsh newsreader)
Katherine Jenkins
Prince William And Kate Middleton (back in their early courting days)
Prince Charles
Took a few well-known theatre types out for a ride in the Beacons ages ago but can't remember any of their names, they weren't household names but known well in their circles.
Can add a lot of bike journo's on that list too. See the Dirt boys regularly and the MBR testers an awful lot. Nearly ran over Rowan Sorrell at BPW when
he was hobbling around on his broken foot! See the GMBN boys regularly at FOD thinking about it too but never gone over to say hello as they're always busy filming when I pass them.
Pretty big list that. but it helps that I ride midweek to avoid the crowds which I'm guessing they are trying to do too! Most of the main list have been just popping to the shops or commuting.
Got to ride a bit of gisburn with Steve peat and Hans rey earlier this year.
Had just sat down ready for a bite to eat before starting a ride when Stephen Roche handed me some keys that had dropped out of my pocket - top bloke
Rene Wildhaber in Moab, Mike Hall in Wales. Glad I got to meet Mike.
Seen Jeremy Paxman in the Chilters too, nickc.
he held a gate open for us once and we stopped and chatted about the spectacular sky - after effects of the Buncefield oil refinery fire.
Also got out of the way on a climb when him and (I assume) his kids have come barrelling down it on BSO MTBs looking slightly nervous 😀
Kate Bush
*drops mic*
🙂
Got to ride a bit of gisburn with Steve peat and Hans rey earlier this year.
No Way!