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RACE NEWS & STORIES
Musings from 'The Kickfit Trainer'
Kickbiking in London
The weather forecast was good, and the thought of travelling around London by Kickbike blossomed in my mind...
The chap at Midland Mainline assured me, twice, that there was no charge for taking a bike on the train for which
I was booked. What he couldn't assure me though, was that there would be space in the guards van. "Arrive
half an hour early" he said, "and if there is room, it's OK" The thought of having to abandon it
on St Pancras station if there was no room on the return train was too much to bear, but he couldn't do anything
for me, even after a lengthy pause (to consult his supervisor?)
I duly arrived early, and one bemused guard on my platform looked at me as much as to say why on earth did I think
that there would not be room. When I asked about the return train on Sunday evening, he said, patiently, "Madam...
there will be plenty of room." So, the adventure was on. (And he was right, my Kickbike was the only item
in the guards van on the way back.)
St Pancras was unrecognizable even from February, but once I escaped the crowds, I rode my Kickbike in the warm
sunshine to St Pancras Youth Hostel, rucksack on my back and not a care in the world. From there, I kicked down
to Covent Garden to familiarize myself with the route, and get an idea of timing; 11 minutes, via Tavistock Gardens
and Russell Square. I simply love the sensation of gliding, apparently effortlessly, through the streets, just
wanting to share my joy with everyone around. You sense the long looks which the Kickbike gets, and the shift of
weight of bystanders, as they prepare to turn and follow your progress past them.
A particular pleasure was the number of cyclists, (all FIT blokes, girls...) who would draw up alongside me, with
comments such as "I've had to work really hard to catch up with you", "Boy, you get up a good speed
on that thing, what is it?" and also, "That looks like hard work" To which, of course I reply, "Not
at all!"
On Saturday evening, I had the great good pleasure to have been invited to join Personal Training clients, Jenny
and Philip, for dinner at the Royal Opera House, whilst seeing a programme of four Diagelev Ballets. I donned trousers
and trainers to kick down, changing into a short black skirt, black tights and black high heels for dinner and
the ballet. The kickbike remained padlocked to a bollard outside.
Dinner, the ballet, and the company were superlative; a very special occasion, but that's not the focus of this
tale... Afterwards, Philip was intent on seeing me depart on my quirky form of London Transport. It was exceptionally
warm, and I really didn't feel the need to put the trousers back on, although I did swap the high heels for trainers...
and swept off, balletically, as the occasion demanded, away from Covent Garden and on up Drury Lane! 11 minutes
later, I really didn't want to be home and for the evening to be over. (When Philip came to the gym yesterday,
he said they had been anxious that I had reached the youth hostel safely... they, meanwhile had been delayed for
a long time by the conglomeration of ambulances and fire engines around the theatre in the Haymarket where the
chandelier and part of the ceiling had come down!)
By 6.45 on Sunday morning, I had extracted the Kickbike from the underground garage at the youth hostel, and was
speeding down Euston road towards Regents Park. It is so much quicker than walking, so rewarding, and so enjoyable
to be feeling the early morning sunshine, especially once in the park and away from civilization. The place was
almost deserted, and I was conscious of the 'no cycling' and 'no skateboarding' notices. With no one around, it
wasn't a concern, but I was interested to note that the police men in the park (of which there seemed to be a disconcerting
number ...) made the usual comments about my not noticing that my seat had been stolen, but no instruction to stop
kicking! The London parks never fail to delight me; such genuine open space right inside the city. The gardens
were gorgeous, the birds were in full song, and I agreed with them, it was good to be alive.
On the way back to shower and breakfast, I stopped to buy an Independent on Sunday newspaper (16th May in the 'Time
Off' section), in the hope of finding an article in there about the Kickbikes, to which I had contributed. The
newspaper vendor outside Kings Cross, Geoff (I know this because he had his name tattooed on his neck) was a cheerful
chappie, and wished me a nice day, then saw me get on the Kickbike and shouted after me, " I like your thingy!"
It was good to find an extensive piece in the newspaper, as I enjoyed my bacon and eggs, and to find myself quoted
accurately, my name spelt correctly and so on.
My next objective was the Fitness Expo at Earls Court, which was off my map, but I found with a few extra detours.
My route took me through Hyde Park; the smooth tarmac makes for a wonderful ride. The Expo was a mongrel, nothing
there to delay me long, but I went round all the magazines which were there to tout a Kickbike article.
The plan was then to head south to the river and follow the Thames path. Brompton cemetery was an eerie place;
I felt the need to go slowly through it out of some sort of unexplained respect for the dead. It was slightly dark
and gloomy even on a warm sunny morning, not a place to frequent after dark...
The Kickbike lends itself to travel in a city environment very successfully, and much more so than a bike. You
can be a cyclist or a pedestrian instantaneously, with the benefit that you make best use of conditions and volume
of traffic. Where there are bus lanes, these are cycle lanes too, and although that initially sounds hairy, the
tarmac is smooth, and a red double decker bus is both conspicuous and reasonably predictable. I had no scary moments,
and whilst I didn't kick at high speed along pavements, where I did go on them, no-one gave me the killer look
which I suspect I would have got if I'd been on a bike. (And of course you can Kickbike wearing a short skirt,
not something I've remotely thought of doing on a bike!)
The Thames path is wonderful in parts, and a challenging nightmare in others, but I enjoyed making steady progress
eastwards. All erection work on the Chelsea Flower Show tents halted briefly as the team, (more fit young men,)
stripped to the waist, downed tools to gawk at the apparition flying along the Chelsea embankment! (I was wearing
a crop top, and for those who don't know me, I am a six foot blonde, so rather on the conspicuous side, even if
I wasn't on a machine the like of which has rarely been seen on these shores!)
There was also fun to be had when I was divorced from the Kickbike. For example, when I had padlocked it to some
railings near Trafalgar Square, and was sitting with a wonderful Italian ice-cream, prior to going and spending
some quality time with David Beckham in the National Portrait Gallery. Of all the reactions I heard, probably the
highest accolade (please let me know if I'm right) was from a pair of 10 - 12 year old boys. After some consideration,
one breathed... "Dodgy sh*t" In the manner of it's saying, I swear it was high praise!
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