Getting into bikes (again…!)

I have wanted to get into cycling properly for years and years and years now. It’s been one of those things that has just been in the background of my numerous idle daydreams (sea swimming and getting back into playing the piano also on the list and I’ve done the swimming…) But the opportunity to get into it has not really come to me until now. 

Here she is! Beautiful Agnes Grey

There’s clearly a bit of a bike thing in my genes as my Dad is a huge cyclist and also used to race motorbikes back in the day. I’ve had bikes as a grown up here and there, most recently a lovely red fold up bike which I kept in the hallway of our small London flat, I took it out possibly 4 times over the year and a half I had it. I didn’t ride it because I didn’t feel confident on the streets and we happened to live on one of London’s larger hills meaning it was always either struggling up or whizzing at speed down. I really wanted to get into it but I just didn’t feel comfortable and then I felt guilty about it for ages and it became a sore subject then I faced up to it and sold it on eBay in January 2020 (maybe I should have held onto it for three more months?!) 

After moving to Margate my need for pedal-speed came back. It’s the perfect place to cycle. We have the beautiful Viking Coastal Trail here and you can cycle on shared pathways along the entire front of Margate main sands and follow this all the way around the coast down to Broadstairs and Ramsgate. We knew this because we’d walked the trail in our visits here and noticed how many people had bikes. My plans for another attempt at becoming a bike-guy were fermenting… Anyway last Tuesday the stars aligned and I headed out to the local bike shop and came home with another folding wonder, this time grey, which I’ve called Agnes.

It’s been the exact same story with swimming (but I’ll save that for another day) in London I had all the opportunity to get into cycling, I had a bike, I tried to go out at quiet times when the roads were quiet, I had a helmet and bike lock, I invested too much cash into it all but I just couldn't get comfy doing it, something wasn’t right.

This time things are very different. I’ve had my bike for a week now and I’ve been out three times already. One of those times was cycling home from the bike shop, but I think that counts. On my first cycle home on the path along the front I had a friendly Good Afternoon! from a fellow cyclist riding in the opposite direction. I can cycle from the train station all the way home without having to cycle on the road. I’m not saying I’m never going to cycle on the road but for now, it’s the perfect way to get used to it and build up my confidence. 

the view from the cliff

This afternoon I had a lovely ride from our flat in Cliftonville, joining the Viking Coastal Trail which passes about 20 metres from our door all the way along the coast to the white cliffs of Botany Bay. This stretch of coast is beautiful and I’ve always loved it for the fact that you literally follow the curve of the coastline of Kent and at one point you go around a 90 degree corner which is the actual eastern tip of Kent, you go from cycling east to cycling south. There’s the ruins of a little fortress there, it’s stunning. Husb and I walked this route on a lovely 5 mile hike from Margate to Broadstairs on one of our holidays here. The walk has passed into legend in our marriage as we were walking along husb couldn’t recall if the walk was 5 Kilometres or 5 Miles as we went on it became clear it was actually Miles… back then we sat down on a bench right there at the tip of Kent and had our sandwiches watching the sea, the ships and the windfarms in the distance. This exact spot and the exact same bench is where I cycled to today to have a breather. It was about 25mins cycle there and back from our flat on the lovely Viking Coastal Trail.

the fort and the famous corner of Kent

En route I encountered a number of other cyclists, a few dog walkers I had to politely ask if I could pass by and a lovely woman who was taking photos, so I stopped so as to not ruin her pictures. She immediately thanked me and told me she was visiting the area with her 80 year old Dad who had grown up here, who had told her that nothing had really changed since his childhood. Oh I forgot to mention the absolutely huge gaggle of German school kids who were talking up the entire path, who, to give them their credit, did move across to give me room before I had to employ my bell. I also spied one of their teachers who had an INCREDIBLE and PROLIFIC moustache. 

During my cycle I enjoyed the peace and quiet (between encounters with Germans) watching the waves as I was cycling along pleasantly in the autumn sun, clear blue skies, it was a dream come true. 

It wasn’t just that I needed the bike and the helmet and all that, but I also needed a lovely place to cycle as well in order to get me on my bike regularly. I think I’ve found it.