B*ll*cks to all the crap going down,I've started thinking about good times... Like me and my mate Pete,in 1971,out on our 175 Bantams on a frosty Sunday morning. He had a D14/DL,I had a D7 . He was wearing his denim jacket,(he never had a leather jacket),and though I was wearing mine it was still bastad freezing.We both wore open-face helmets with Stadium flip-up visors,and his scarf was over his mouth and nose so all you could see was his eyes.I think we were going to Brafield for the banger racing or summat... Anyway, we were bowling along the Sandy to Shefford road at about 50,(indicated!),side by side,crispy sunshine,and as we went into this long,downhill right hander,I suddenly felt that life could not get better than this...Sunshine,bike,friend,and thirty bob in your pocket...what could possibly improve on this?.At that moment I looked round at him and found he was staring at me...We never spoke about it but I'm sure he was thinking exactly the same thing. I'll never forget that moment in my life,it was meaningless but magical.Haven't seen him for years,but I still hanker after one of those Stadium visors in the yellow tint...
Breathe in, breathe out........................ Seriously, thats a nice story, I think we all have little "moments" that we may or may not recognise as pivotal or representative of how we want to live our lives.
Peter Gabriel, Genesis re-union concert at Milton Keynes bowl Oct 2 1982, with a great friend, (sadly no longer with us). Pissed down with rain all day, freezing cold and wet but something I'll never forget for the rest of my days. As life long Gabriel fans I/we couldn't of asked for more. Gone but not forgotten Simon Milward www.millennium-ride.com
Oh that's brought a couple of things into my head: Going to my 1st proper concert at the Friars Club, Aylesbury. Peter Gabriel opened with Biko. An unforgettible evening. Scarborough Road races when I was a teenager, riding up with buddies and camping. Watching the likes of Mick Grant, Tony Rutter and Barry Sheene. Getting VERY drunk. Crazy times!
Seeing my first son being born. He came out in the birthing pool at the hospital still in the bag (her waters didn't break). What an amazing sight.
I know I'm leaving myself wide open for piss take but meeting Bill Clinton when he was the President and visited the UK.
Doing a sun run... You generally do it on summer solstice. Get up and it's dark then il set off to nearly the most easterly point . The name of the game is to get there and on the beach before sunrise. Riding along early hours watching the dawn break on the horizon. Trying to get there to sit with a cuppa on the beach and watch day break its kind of magical. Then disposable barbie out and cook a hot breakfast on the beach . Perfect. Sadly our new boss has said no unpaid leave for us if we need it it's tough. So if you have a funeral non immediate Family . Need to be somewhere. A wedding. Need to attend a non medical thing with your children Even when you say I want it unpaid and your work the time back AS well.
Seeing James Toseland duffing up Troy Bayliss on the entry to Druids and going on to win both races and the championship!What a day!! Also, seeing John Hopkins dive up the inside of Tommy Hill right in front of me at Brands on the last corner of the last race of the last day of the BSB season was pretty good too!!
I remember being vaguely with it afterwards after a rough time looking down wondering why there was a pink blanket across me. I must have asked why or for it to be removed. Then the realisation hit me it wasn't a blanket it was my tummy ( previously flat ) . I was horrified.
I was probably 19 or 20 and was travelling up to Thruxton to watch BSB. It was the round that Phil Mcallen broke his back and was airlifted to hospital I think. Anyway we set off from Devon early. I was on my NC30 with my now wife on the back, work mate Tony on his NC35 with his mate Ben and my brother on his NC23. The ride up the A30/303 was chilly and quite but we where keeping an eye out for the police so keeping speeds sensible until we hit a bit of dual carriageway nearer Thruxton. I was leading doing about 90 ish when Tony and Ben came past, all tucked in looking across at me egging me on. They looked ridiculous- Tony was tiny and Ben was a huge chap on this tiny NC35. I opened the throttle wide and as mine was a little more powerful eventually caught them at about 120-all of us tucked in as tiny as possible trying to eake out the last little bit of speed. As I was alongside Tony who was a bit pissed off I'd caught him and was passing him, he moved his head and made me look to the right of me. My brother, not really tucked in at all but obviously the only bike not two up was alongside me and travelling a good 5 mph quicker than me!!! Celebrations of beating Tony quickly changed to surprise and laughter of my brother going past us all with such little effort! A great biking moment and was so funny
Cutting through the pyrenees with 8 mates in glorious sunshine on well surfaced twisties and hardly seeing any other traffic. Magic.
All alone on a deserted Cornish beach, Carhays, just riding my Tiger Cub through the edge of the sea. 40 years ago now still crystal in my memory and strange but I knew then that I would always remember it. Tear in my eye. Nice thread we should think more about the good rather than the bad. Regards Steve
The summer I spent when I was fifteen, cycling around Sussex and Hampshire on my own. Finding places I had never been to before, Birdham Pool, Itchenor, South Harting, Amberley. Escaping the unendurable crap at home, spending most of the pocket money/job money I'd saved (£300 !!) on doing whatever I wanted. The endless summer days, hot sun. light breeze, feeling so close to nature, blue sky, fields of grass and grain, seeing a fish jump clear out of the water at the Petersfield lake the moment I stopped to look at the water. Wearing t-shirt, shorts, camouflage hat and the coolest set of shades I'd ever seen. Enormous sense of well-being and I bloody knew at the time, too, I said "It doesn't get better than this, Loz". I was never fitter in my life, or happier. Some folks talk about a time in their childhood that was magical and that was the most magical bit for me.
