The World of Leonardo Morgado

After cycling around Rutland Water on a rented bike last week I realised that I had been denying myself real joy by not owning a bike (well, not since 1997).  Some research was done, I visited a few shops and decided to buy a Barracuda Indiana from my local bicycle vendor.

I think it’s rather a beautiful thing and although it’s not one of those extremely popular mountain types it will fit the purpose for which I intend it to have and that’s cycling around the streets of Birmingham (and perhaps further).

It had its first proper run today but I decided to be safe and went to Sutton Park for a very leisurely ride as my body is not in any physical condition to pedal miles and miles.  You get a very different perspective of the world riding a bike.  In a car your are enclosed by metal, plastic and glass and have no real connection to the space that you’re travelling through.  Walking gives you that connection but having done a few hefty distances on foot there are limits before that connection breaks (many may disagree).  A bicycle gives you the happy medium of travelling at a reasonable rate and also that connection to the world around you.

It’s strange how I had forgotten how much enjoyment cycling can give.  When I was in my late teens I used to cycle everywhere and yet the long term use of a car had almost eroded that particular memory from my mind.  Now, as they say, I’m back on the saddle.

*I thought I was being extremely clever using this term but alas it has already been used by other people