Richmond Park again. And again and again. It’s my back yard and I’m not complaining. I live in London and yet I have 2,500 acres of parkland on my doorstep to ride, run, walk, explore and lose myself in. Charles I is to thank for enclosing the park in the 17th Century for his own hunting pleasure, it wasn’t popular with the locals then but has served to preserve a very special rural retreat in the South West corner of Metropolis London.
As I crest Sawyers Hill with Richmond behind me, on a clear day I can see the dome of St Paul’s, surrounded by the skyscrapers of the City. This line of sight is the axis upon which I live and work.
Despite my unbridled love for Richmond Park I’ve started to spice my training rides up with small detours out of the park into the local roads, explore a little, try a different hill, but always coming back into the familiar surrounds of the park to try and snatch a www.strava.com PB.
Except today I didn’t obsess about lap times, the wind direction, the traffic, or seek detours, I ignored the grazing red deer, barely noticed the arriving Spring colours and the immigrant green parrots at the roadside because I was basking in the joy of wearing my new cycle jersey.
I know how that sounds, except this jersey is different. It’s the new club jersey for a new ‘virtual cycle club’ – http://thebicyclemoaningcollective.com – (maybe the 1st of its kind…?). It felt great to be wearing a jersey designed by myself and my co-club founders and produced exclusively for us by huez.co.uk It’s not just a jersey, it represents a hopeful future for our club and our newly incorporated cycle-touring venture. Wearing the jersey makes it all seem real and ambitions achievable. It’s given me a first glimpse at the pride, satisfaction and excitement that can comes from challenging yourself to the things you thought you couldn’t i.e. start-up a cycling company.
You’ve got to start somewhere.
