Les Cafards

I first imagined this blogspot whilst suffering on a singlespeed in Queenstown, New Zealand. Severely overgeared, I was pushing my bike up the umpteenth hill for the day when it struck me.. my 'bike' focus had shifted. Funtionality had replaced form. Rides had become journeys rather than races. Competition lost to companionship. 'Radventure' was now king. This shift in paradigm could probably be attributed to becoming a Father. Growing a small boy with a big passion for bikes has had a huge impact on my life. The quantity of rides has decreased whilst the quality increases. Put a kid on your handlebars and the world really changes. Old trails become new. Animals bring exclamations! He laughs in excitement as we descend a dune that would normally not quicken the pulse. Outside the Supermarket he rushes to the bike rack to examine each of the tethered bikes, discerning not between bling and bland, concerned only with the possibilty of each. It's inspiring stuff. In this blog I hope to bring you a little of that cycling 'mojo' my son has helped me to rediscover - Ben.