Look, I know I've gone on about this already but the more time I spend on the motorbike, the more similarities I find with skiing and the fewer with what I get up to on Larkspur, my other set of wheels.
Don't get me wrong: I'm a paid-up supporter of bikeling. Pedal power is the right way to get about. Full stop. Whether you're exploring countryside, shopping in town, clearing your head or exercising your muscles, yer actual pushie remains my no. 1 choice.
But there are limits. I don't like the wind or the rain. And maybe it's because I'm a Norfolk boy but hills and cycling don't really bring a smile to my face either. No-one likes going up hill and I can even get quite irritated when I'm hurtling downhill at high speeds since I know that, just around the corner is another punishing uphill slope, usually matching the one I've just come down. Why did god invent hills?
Perhaps he's a skier. Or a motorcyclist. We have spent the day happily exploring the hills and valleys of southern Germany, mixing speed with fresh air, carving corners with whoops of pleasure, drinking in the absurdly beautiful alpine scenery - but for the lack of snow we could easily be skiing!
There's even the same physical motion of transferring one's weight as you change direction and the satisfaction of finding a decent uninhabited stretch of piste/tarmac where you can link up a series of turns and begin to convince yourself that you've finally 'got it'.
One difference. Skiers don't wave at each other; bikers and cyclists do. Bigtime. I'm still getting the hang of the continental motorbike salute, which involves extending the left arm downwards, often with the index finger pointing at the oncoming biker in a kind of 'you're it' gesture. I've given a couple of worryingly limp wristed waves by mistake as I work on the fine detail of what's needed here!
Don't get me wrong: I'm a paid-up supporter of bikeling. Pedal power is the right way to get about. Full stop. Whether you're exploring countryside, shopping in town, clearing your head or exercising your muscles, yer actual pushie remains my no. 1 choice.
But there are limits. I don't like the wind or the rain. And maybe it's because I'm a Norfolk boy but hills and cycling don't really bring a smile to my face either. No-one likes going up hill and I can even get quite irritated when I'm hurtling downhill at high speeds since I know that, just around the corner is another punishing uphill slope, usually matching the one I've just come down. Why did god invent hills?
Perhaps he's a skier. Or a motorcyclist. We have spent the day happily exploring the hills and valleys of southern Germany, mixing speed with fresh air, carving corners with whoops of pleasure, drinking in the absurdly beautiful alpine scenery - but for the lack of snow we could easily be skiing!
There's even the same physical motion of transferring one's weight as you change direction and the satisfaction of finding a decent uninhabited stretch of piste/tarmac where you can link up a series of turns and begin to convince yourself that you've finally 'got it'.
One difference. Skiers don't wave at each other; bikers and cyclists do. Bigtime. I'm still getting the hang of the continental motorbike salute, which involves extending the left arm downwards, often with the index finger pointing at the oncoming biker in a kind of 'you're it' gesture. I've given a couple of worryingly limp wristed waves by mistake as I work on the fine detail of what's needed here!
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