Never Far Away

We see each other perhaps once a year, and like all true friendships, the conversation picks up effortlessly from the moment we greet, no sign of that uncomfortable silence one feels when seeing an old acquaintance after many years. Inevitably, it takes just minutes to spark up a conversation about cycling, and from that moment on, we make the best of every precious minute we have together, fiercely debating which brand is better , which frame suits what type of riding, carbon vs. titanium, tubulars vs. clinchers.... how to carb up before a big ride...  It's all there. It is truly a wonderful time and we both cherish those moments...

Richard lives in the U.K. now, having first met him while he was on contract in Canada.  We met because I had an old Triumph TR-6, long before I had taken up the sport of cycling.  He was a car lover, and his curiosity for my vintage 1976 British roadster was enough to make that initial connection. How little did we know then the interests we shared....

That old car is long gone now,  replaced in the garage by a bike stand, tools, a variety of tires both narrow and wide, and of course.....bikes. My own personal Cycle-Pathic Shangri-la!

Richard and I have remained friends over the years, but it was his love for cycling that contributed to my curiosity in the sport. The old car connected us as friends, but it is the passion for the two-wheeler that has cemented our long friendship.

We have spent some marvelous times together while cycling - any cyclist can attest to the bounty of experiences one shares while riding alongside a friend on a cool, bright August morning with calm western winds helping to give that extra push...

A favourite place of ours to cycle is in Cape Ann, Massachusetts, a short drive north of Boston.  It is here that we have shared the most on our coastal rides.  Amusing in a sense that while riding, we talk music, culture, cars, work, family....food... but very little about bikes.  It's off the bike that we talk about bikes.  It feels like there is never an end to the banter we so deeply enjoy.  Why would anyone want it to end? That's really it.  Any cyclist understands the endless bounty of ideas to explore...

Rockport, Mass.

We have a song we sing in the absence of riding together.  Named after a street we cross frequently on our rides, Tregony Bow is not just a street, but for us the image of riding together....

Oh oh oh, Take me down to Tregony Bow....

And while the Atlantic separates us for most of the year, it only takes the thought of a short espresso at the Bean and Leaf Cafe to bring back the flow of memories from our rides, in anticipation of our next ride together...

The Bean and Leaf Cafe
Our Espresso Stop

http://www.beanandleafcafe.net/Bean_%26_Leaf_Cafe/Welcome.html