More protesting keeps me busy.

OK so I disappeared for several months. I've been busy. Sing along...'We're busy doing nothing, working the whole day through, trying to find lots of things not to do'. Yup, I'm a Brit builder. Dodgy as a Wall Street banker with White House connections. Actually, I've just not been in the mood to write at all. Too busy building an art studio so that I can get back to oil painting. It's been YEARS since I painted. I bought a load of scaffolding planks really cheap and built a studio. Woodburning stove and antique style sink to clean out the brushes. It all takes time.

On the biking front I have never stopped! Man oh man but I have clocked up some miles on the Aprilia RSV. I still love it.

After my brief protest ride with Bike magazine I learned of another ride to protest against Westminster Council charging bikes to park in London. Greedy, money-grabbing and arrogant often seems to describe the local councils of England. We all hate them with a vengeance. So when I heard that loads of bikers were meeting at the Ace Cafe on the North Circular to ride around the whole of the M25 I just had to see it. Saturday 19th of June 2010. Of course the campaign to stop the charges were doomed never to succeed but being surrounded by almost 2,000 bikes all thundering along all 3-4 lanes of the M25 was great! The Police seemed to love it and were helpful and friendly. A very petite young lady dropped her Kawasaki just as we were queueing to leave and oil was dripping from a damaged crankcase. I follwed her in case she broke down but she managed as far as South Mimms (that silly name again) where a rescue truck took her and her bike home. Everyone was enjoying the ride and one girl said it was her first ever protest ride. We laughed about finding any excuse to protest something just to ride with thousands of bikes. I did 2/3s of the M25 and then peeled off at junction 10 for the A3 home. It took the whole day but the sheer spectacle of being in the midst of all those bikes was fabulous.

Whatever next?

A ride through France anyone?

Lethaly slow...

Sunday June 6th 2010. 4:30am. I wake up. As in 'BOING' eyes like golf balls in egg cups. I was heading off at about 7am to join the Bike Magazine Save Our 60s protest ride. Well, protest may be a tad strong for our 'revolution' ride. It seemed more like we were saying "Excuse me Sir Mr. Politician but would you mind awfully if we trundled about a bit and begged you to keep the 60mph speed limit? At least in one or two places? Pretty, pretty please?"

I left too early and killed too much time over a CostaLotta coffee at South Mimms motorway stop (who ever came up with that name?) I therefore arrived just in time at the Bike offices car park to see a fair few bikers and Simon Hargreaves of Bike magazine on the roof of some portacabin attempting to explain things. We were all so well behaved one could hardly describe it as a protest. Just in front of my pigface RSV was a beautiful 04 Aprilia RSV. Very sexy and modern. What a difference a year makes... The point of the ride from Bike magazine's perspective was probably more about gauging readership and their loyalty/support. The scenery as we rode out from Peterborough was astounding. I had no idea that there were such biscuit-tin beautiful villages. I love the old stone bridges. So quaint they are corny. Love it.

We were headed to Melton Mowbray (of pork pie fame folks) and we all knew to ride staggered and no overtaking. No speeding, no wheelies and drive-by shooting of Rover drivers was mildly discouraged too. Pity.The ride was uneventful until we nearly lost the leaders of this tortuously twisting B-road blockade due to some little fart on a Harley. He was supposed to be protesting that 60mph was a sane speed yet he never went over 29mph!!! Lethaly slow. Finally, the exasperated 04 Aprilia rider blasted past him as the pack disappeared into some tiny country road. We all overtook the little nerd who I noted was the same size in all directions. Naturally. 

In Melton Mowbray I topped up my disappearing clutch fluid (I've since learned it's just the O ring and it will be done at the next service) and queued for ages as hundreds of bikers waited for one little old lady to make one styrofoam cup of tea at a time and take the cash. Short notice of our arrival she cheerfully said. Absolutely no concept of making 20 cups at once and then just handing them over. Nope, each one received its teabag and she stirred it and squeezed out the bag. Good time to chat to other bikers. I managed a quick chat with a few of the staff whose articles I really enjoy and then I split from the protest ride and relished some sweeping country roads home. A good day out, a good cause and please can we protest some more sir?.

P.S. Bike magazine even printed one of my silly comments. Fame at last.