To me bikes are a big deal.
It all started with my first bike at the age of 4 bought for me by my Grandad. A very unflattering blue contraption that was second hand, let’s call it vintage to be kind. Grandad and dad taught me how to ride without stabilizers - my first taste of two wheeled freedom.
I’ve always been someone who sees a bike as a luxury item due to my family’s financial status. When money became tight, bikes became something all my friends had and I didn’t. Adventures along our local prom were missed and sometimes it was hard to hide my envy.
Growing up my bike was used to role play being a stuntman, racing through my local woods doing jumps and skids. Jumps were made and crashes happened. And I suffered plenty of cuts and bruises on my hands and knees.
As I got older bikes came and went. It wasn’t until I started work in a factory I was able to buy myself another second hand bike. When I was 28 I did my first charity bike ride with my best friend Jonathan, with a mountain climb at the end on a road bike I paid £200 for.
My mum once told me how my Grandad turned up at our doorstep unannounced after riding from Chester to our home in north Wales on a 3 speed bike, which must have taken him ages! 80 miles round trip for no other reason than to get away for a bit. That story has always made me think about my relationship with bikes.
I think about that story with mixed emotions. Sadly, my mum and Grandad are no longer with me. One of the last things my mum said to me was that my Grandad would be proud of me and the way I love cycling as much as he did.
After being made redundant, I got a job with Conwy County Borough Council at their leisure centre in Colwyn Bay. I took every opportunity that came my way to keep working with bikes. This included becoming a road safety cycling instructor, starting my own spin class and eventually working on events too.
Some of my event highlights include working with Sweetspot on Tour of Britain. We started out in the middle of their route one year, but eventually hosted both a stage start and finish. I really enjoyed the Team Presentations, as I got to meet some of my hero’s. I learnt a lot from them. And yes – part of my routes take in some of those tours!
During lockdowns I used my bike to escape and found real beauty in the areas of north Wales I call home. This is what gave me the idea to share that beauty with you. Cycling over stone bridges, up and down hills and past dams and reservoirs in and around Snowdonia.
But I still wasn’t quite ready to turn that idea into reality. In September 2023, I cycled 500 miles in 5 days for charity Head for Change, riding from London to Lyon. As part of that I set out to train from February right up to the week before - over 4,000 miles clocked for the year.
Travelling all those miles, alongside Geraint Thomas, made me think a bit more about that little idea and where cycling could take me in the future. A month later, off the back of that ride, I was given the opportunity to take part in a 2024 Visit Wales Cycling Campaign.
I learnt a little bit more. And discovered I was pretty good at motivating people. The weather wasn’t kind to us. It took a lot of group hugs and humour to get us through the day. As a result of that, new friendships were made and I’m still in touch with the other riders and crew.
When I finished filming, I had time to reflect and it made me think about my childhood and what cycling meant to me as a child and what it now means to me now as a grown man.
My bike was and still is my world. When I was small it meant jumps and skids in my local woods and lots of falling off too. What I didn’t know then was how good it was going to be for my mental health.
As I got older, it meant freedom to go on adventures with friends or make new friends, like when I signed up to ride London to Lyon. Over those 500 miles, I had plenty of time to think about how I’ve always had my bike to get away and relax.
All my experiences have led me to where I am now. Ready to welcome you to the place I call home, to make new friends and have new adventures. I can’t wait to meet you.
