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As a relative newcomer to cycle touring, I thought it only fitting that one of the original members of the Amoeba should write a few words to introduce this section of bobspace - very fortunately PrH stepped up to the dais and delivered the following, beautifully encapsulating what it is to be "On Tour".
. . . and it still does PrH, so many thanks from us all! |
"My bike's been nicked!" - and so in the seminal moments of our cycle touring adventures we experienced the challenge of changing plans to better fit the reality in front of us . . . No one is really sure when or why our cycling holidays began, but one possible source is the summer of 1988 when MrM and PrH set off from Leeds (their University city) for a few days touring around Yorkshire - both on hired bikes as Bob's unattended steed had been liberated from outside the shop he'd popped into for a lock. Some great days were had with the characteristics of cycling holidays to come - sampling local ales, talking rubbish, over eating, an over ambitious cycling itinerary and much mis-reading of maps. We coasted blindly past buildings of architectural interest and cultural delights - our vision enveloped instead by the local landscape, human scenery and sweat in our eyes. The pain in our thighs made the Yorkshire hills feel all the steeper. We loved it all. So much so that we tried it again - cycling between Bedford & the Malvern hills - and then roped in MrF to cycle from Carlisle to Isle of Arran - and so 20+ years of cycle tours began. What made MrM and PrH go on that Yorkshire jaunt? Neither can remember - maybe they were re-living memories of childhood cycling - perhaps it was a whim born from nothing - but most likely just because it seemed like a good idea at the time . . . |