Look what I encountered on the way back from market yesterday.
You know it's the Silly Season here, when the over-60's three-wheeler Cycle Club are in town, there must have been 30 of them. Lying down on the job, whilst cycling; it almost looked appealing.
This latter-day red Sinclair C5 looks fun; probably room inside, too, for his sandwiches, flask of Lucozade, and industrial tub of Bed-Sore lotion.
These two-wheelers looked the least inviting. Lose concentration, and bang; you're on the Tarmac.
All very 'Look at me, look at me'. They were all wearing pukka expensive cycling kit, and, frankly, most of them looked pretty miserable. Give me my old discreet unremarkable push-bike any day!
39 comments:
We occasionally see them here - I would be frightened of being mowed down by a big truck.
They think they own the whole road too!
PLEASE IGNORE ANY PUERILE CHLOE COMMENTS. SHE SEEMS TO BE GOING THROUGH A BAD PATCH AT THE MOMENT, AND WILL PROBABLY LEAVE SEVERAL INAPPROPRIATE COMMENTS. I WILL OF COURSE DELETE THEM AS THEY ARRIVE, TO AVOID ANY EMBARRASSMENT.
Those two wheeled things look most uncomfortable. If I actually managed to get lower myself into the thing I'd probably be stuck for life. They're obviously fit and sporty, why don't they just ride ordinary bicycles.
Your bike is probably safely left outside a shop too.
We went for a bike ride yesterday and came across one of the three wheelers. Each to his own but the views can't be very good from down there.
Showing-off, I suspect.
I've given it to a friend; bad knee!
That's what I was saying to Lady M; the view from higher up is part of the fun. They are at car exhaust level too!
They always look as though they'd make my neck ache if I used one. Mind you, a conventional bike can do that too.
I loved my bike, but was forced to stop because of a painful knee. Very frustrating!
I see them here as well but they are a bit different, they are handcycle for desabled, they are powered by arms instead of legs.
Greetings Maria x
Those ones are used by the unfortunate; these ones are used for pleasure. They like to think they're being 'original'.
There are a couple of the low level two wheel variety in use here and used for everyday commuting to work, not club cycling. Very dangerous on the narrow, bendy roads even with the high flag at the rear. I feel frightened for them but they obviously feel no danger.
The one at the back was jesticulating, and suggesting I slowed down. I gave them a very wide berth.
They are here too on our narrow roads and endanger the drivers.Sometimes i curse quietly when they almost get run over.
If you have a bad knee then cycling is much better for you than walking on tarmac because it removes the impact element. Before my knee operation (I was advised by a sports injury doctor) to keep my muscles in shape by, amongst other things, cycling. A recumbent (as those bikes are known) is actually a much better use of energy. Having said that they scare the s**t out of me in more ways than one - road safety being the most terrifying.
Luckily, here the roads are very quiet; which is I suppose why they were here. I don't think they'd be very welcome on busier roads.
I did think it would be quite nice to start cycling again, but I no longer have my bike. My wife says I should buy a new one.
I would never be able to get into that red thing, let alone get out.
Looking at it closely, it seems to have a screw top filler cap of some sort behind his head. Can't be petrol; maybe it's for water. Maybe he has a loo in there.
No thanks to 3 wheelers. I ride my daughter's old bike. It's not flashy but gets the job done.
Our Advanced Motorist ' Observer/teacher' used to advise us to drive with the possibility of a Sinclair being around the corner. Near York at that time it was unlikely but one should be in the right gear at the right speed for all possibilities. In France the rights of any cyclist appear to be paramount! But motorists still kill themselves driving into trees and concrete walls.
I agree; a good old fashioned push-bike is best.
There's an expression in french 'Rentrer dans un platane', which means to have a crash. A 'platane' is a Plane tree; they know what they're talking about here!
Looks like great fun & relaxing. I've never seen anything like this...you Brits are quite entertaining. ;-)
You don't have these in Swamplandia? I'm rather surprised.
I live in a national park touted as a rural haven for city dwellers' recreational needs. Our narrow, winding and twisting township roads are packed all summer with joggers, motorcycles, bicycles, recumbents. Clubs even have the effrontery to question why we don't keep the roads swept for them. I imagine a purgatory where they forever thread their car through the congestion, perhaps on a emergency trip to the hospital, or even the soda shop.
It is probably a 'trendy' thing. Man seem to be increasing liable to 'following the flock', I noticed in the restaurant at lunch time today that there was not one single clean shaven man (these are all men in their sixties and seventies on the whole) and quite a lot of them were wearing red trousers!!
One of the pleasures of living out in the countryside, is NOT having to deal with such things. Hence my 'excitement' at encountering the above bunch!
I have been hirsute since the age of about 25; and no red trousers. Trend is a terrible affliction.
They just don't look quite right!
My friend did John o Groats to Lands End on a recumbent tricycle. 1035 miles in 18 days. Here if you want to read about it.
http://www.stallard-engineering.co.uk/stories/Cycling/Le%20Jog%202004.htm
A friend tried to give me one! I'm still laughing!
No-one has mentioned the "m" word here - are you not plagued with Mamils (middle-aged men in lycra) as we are? It gets particularly bad around Tour de France time.
Personally, I think they look just plain SILLY.
At least he was going down hill.
Has his black eye healed-up yet?
We sure are! They wear all the right gear, complete with advertising.
Post a Comment