Ordinary Bloke On A Bike

Part Two of this wonderful ride is posted here, and watching it makes me yearn for more of that so determined to get to the bottom (no pun intended) of my current problem keeping me off the bike.
Cycling in good weather around open beautiful countryside is just a wonderful antidote anything negative - just remember to look around you to drink it all in which I didn’t when filming this ride !

HOW DID I NOT SEE THAT ?? CYCLING HEAVEN This bike ride was so beautiful I couldn't face editing footage out...

I’m currently not cycling and feeling a tad depressed as my constant battle with saddle discomfort continues with a bout of folliculitis which makes cycling feel like sitting on a bed of nails and seriously wondering if I’ll ever get back to it all again after just 8 bike rides in 3 months.
I just watched back a film of a ride I did 3 years ago when I had just gone through 8 weeks off the bike with a severe injury and it reminded me of the joy I get from cycling. The ride was so beautiful I couldn’t bear to leave a lot of footage out in order to keep the film a decent watchable length so made two films instead. 
Given that a major reason I started this Ordinary Bloke On A Bike thing was to hopefully help others to have a go at cycling or get back on the saddle after something had made them fall out of love with it - it seemed appropriate to share Part One here . Part 2 to follow after I’ve watched it again myself.
Hope you are all well and getting plenty of Summer rides in ❤️🚴👍

CYCLING THE STUNNING ALPINE ROAD TO NOWHERE This bike ride was so beautiful I couldn't face editing footage out...

I always advocate for Cycling for this reason in general and Local Cycling clubs in particular and this post brilliantly sums up benefits for men in particular but not exclusively of course

Your Sunday group ride is probably doing more for men’s mental health than most corporate wellness programmes & therapy combined.

Nobody calls it therapy.
That is why it works.

A group of men meet in a car park at 8am.
They insult & abuse each other’s equipment.
Argue about tyre pressure.
Pretend not to be cold.

Ride side by side for three hours.
And somewhere between the first climb and the coffee stop, actual life gets discussed.

The business that is struggling.
The parent who is sick.
The relationship that is falling apart.
The anxiety nobody mentioned in the office.
The fear of getting older.

There is no circle of chairs.
Nobody is asked to “share.”
No wellness consultant is taking notes.

They are just moving forward together.

A lot of men communicate better shoulder to shoulder than face to face.

Give them a difficult road, a shared destination and enough time, and the conversation eventually becomes honest.

Modern life has removed many of the places where this used to happen.

The factory floor.
The local club.
The pub where everyone knew your name.
The community organisation.
The football team you stopped playing for at 32.

Work replaced most of it.
Then remote work replaced the people at work.

Now a man can spend five days moving between a laptop, a car and a television without having one meaningful conversation.
We call this efficient.

It is also incredibly lonely!

Cycling accidentally solves part of the problem.

It creates routine.
Shared suffering.
Responsibility.
Belonging.

A reason to show up when you would rather stay in bed.

The group notices when you disappear.
They notice when you are unusually quiet.
They notice when you are riding badly.

They may not ask if you are okay in those exact words.
They might ask why “you’re glued to the road today”?

But the question is still there.

This is why local cycling clubs matter.

Not because the world needs more people chasing Strava segments.
Because adults need somewhere they are expected to appear.

Community is not a WhatsApp group.
It is someone noticing you were not there.

Protect your group ride.
Invite the rider who is drifting away.

Wait at the top of the climb.

The coffee stop might be doing more good than anyone realises.

Just revisited this short video from 2 years ago when I decided to explore canal tow paths ( and talk to a horse) - ideal if you're a little unsure of road traffic.
Thing is I never did follow it up - must do more of that this summer.
Do any of you cycle on Canals ?
Anyway, if you don't, take a wee look at this, you mat get a taste for it 🚲 ❤️

ROAD CYCLIST EXPLORES CANALS - SWAP TYRES, CHANGE MINDSET, SLOW DOWN & ENJOY In the mood for something different I changed the wheels on my wint...

The final day film of my Cycle across Portugal and the last film I'll ever make as I've struggled with the motivation to keep making these.
To those of you who cycle, I'd say, do something like this someday it's an absolute joy to traverse an entire country "up close and personal" and I'll never stop doing it , I'm just hanging up my camera, not my bike 🚲☀️ 👍

COLD BEER NEVER TASTED SO GOOD : CYCLING PORTUGAL NORTH TO SOUTH Day 11 The final day has arrived and we looked forward to celebrating the ...

Day 9 of the cycle across Portugal. It was a scorching day so tough going. I came across a group from Ireland and rode with them for a while as I had become detached from most of our group, and it turned out to be an interesting and heart warming reason why they were out here doing this

RIDING WITH TEAM GRAHAM : CYCLING PORTUGAL NORTH TO SOUTH DAY 9 Day 9 was a long hot one but the highlight for me was coming across...

Our Cycle across Portugal briefly crossed over the border to Spain on Day 8. One or two wrong turns caused a bit of chaos but nothing as epic as my mate Darren missing the turn for Spain and disappearing into the distance

NAVIGATION CHAOS & REMOTE BORDER CROSSINGS : CYCLING PORTUGAL NORTH TO SOUTH DAY 8 Day 8 of our Portugal North to South cycling tour takes us from Mar...

Day 7 of our Cycling adventure across Portugal to an absolutely magnificent end point and an unusual find on the way which just had to be investigated

A GOOD DEED ON THE WAY TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD : CYCLING PORTUGAL NORTH TO SOUTH DAY 7 Day 7 of our bike trip, going from Castelo Branco to Marvao, exploring the beautiful Alentejo region. The journey was a true bike touring adventure, filled w...

Day 6 of our Cycle across Portugal took us through miles and miles of burnt out landscape from the wildfires - sad to see but amazing how they protected buildings and villages right in the firing line

WINTER RAIN, SUMMER SUN & WILDFIRE DEVASTATION : CYCLING PORTUGAL NORTH TO SOUTH DAY 6

Ordinary Bloke On A Bike WINTER RAIN, SUMMER SUN & WILDFIRE DEVASTATION : CYCLING PORTUGAL NORTH TO SOUTH DAY 6

Day 5 of our cycling trek across Portugal and a chance to tackle Portugal’s highest peak which made one of the group quite ill !!

"TURN RIGHT FOR TORRE PEAK" PORTUGAL'S HIGHEST: CYCLING PORTUGAL NORTH TO SOUTH DAY 5

"TURN RIGHT FOR TORRE PEAK" PORTUGAL'S HIGHEST: CYCLING PORTUGAL NORTH TO SOUTH DAY 5 Day 5 of our Pedal Britain & Europe Portugal North to South cycling tour took us from Seia to Serra da Estrela, a truly scenic ride. This part of the bike tr...