REARVIEW:I TOOK THE plunge last week. The last time I owned a racing bike, a man called Stephen Roche was doing quite well in the Tour de France. In much the same way as the children this summer will buy cricket bats and pretend to be Kevin O'Brien socking it to the English, I was king of the mountains… of Co Meath.
I moved on to a mountain bike and then as soon as I could get myself over four wheels, I left it behind and haven’t really been acquainted with one since then.
This time around I’m a father of two (soon to be three), and an unashamed motoring enthusiast who has probably let things slip in the fitness stakes. I tried gym membership (lasted about six weeks), vowed to take the dog for extra long walks (neither of us pursued this with any gusto), and even went swimming a few times. But an extra effort was required and a new bike was the answer.
Thanks to the Green Party and their Cycle To Work scheme, I was able to get myself a very respectable bicycle and safety gear for a pittance and pay for it over the next 12 months. And I see from the new programme for government, funding is to be provided on a once-off basis to fix non-national roads, which is good for unsteady new cyclists like me.
Now, I have previously given out, from the comfort of a family saloon, about the antics of some cyclists and their pompous attitude to anybody who dares suggest they adhere to the rules of the road. I stand by that.
But once my bike arrives, I will get to live life through the eyes of a cyclist. And as poacher turned gamekeeper, I look forward to being a model citizen on two wheels. And as my previous commitment to healthy living shows, I’m a man of my word.