Crushed

World Masters Pursuit Champion 2006

"I say, are you from Bridgwater?" I asked with a certain amount of confidence. I'd seen the make of hand-made bicycle that was propped up outside Woodlands and now, sitting adjacent to the kindly looking gentleman and his grand-daughter and dressed in similar garb I deduced the velo was his. The bicycle was one made in Bridgwater by someone I briefly worked for and such machines are designed with great attention to detail for the pleasure of cycle touring. Their wheels are just so; the frame superbly proportioned and the touring capacity unsurpassed .

Mr Windy had met Eve and I for a tootle round the castle grounds on our old mountain bikes; bikes that have seen many miles and given us much pleasure. Mr Windy's bike was blue. Both Eve and Mr Windy used to be track racing cyclists - rather like Sir Hoy and Princess Victoria Pendleton - but with rather more panache and less speed. I used to coach such creatures for a living. We were used to cycling although our legs and bots seemed a little more tender than we remembered from last year. Or was it the year before?

"I say, are you from Bridgwater?" I had asked. "No, from Holm" came the crushing reply.