The Ride (£7) is a collection of personal stories by people who love riding their bikes. The editors set out to produce a quarterly read that doesn't pigeon hole but appeal to all. The Ride is an all encompassing read. Something that crosses both cycling and international borders.
9th November 2009 - Issue 3 landed in store today, an initial thumb left me memorised by the imagery. Delving further inside the multicoloured pages and you'll find an autobiography from Dino Signori, founder of Sidi, a personal perspective of the Dunwich Dynamo rider and the tale of one mans 1980's dream to be that Brit who turned pro on foreign soil. I couldn't wait to read more.
22nd December 2009 - I've read it cover to cover, studied every page, picture and person. Ok so it took me more than a month to read a collection of short stories, why. I was out on my bike of course but today for the first time (thanks to the snow) I took the train.
The train stopped at Forest Gate and we waited in unexplained silence for fifteen minutes. I'm squished next to a man who probably doesn't know what a bike, here I read a few more pages, before the train moved onto a piece of 'no mans track' just outside of London Bridge station. Too far from New Cross Gate but not far enough to get to a platform. We waited for the points to unfreeze for twenty minutes and it was by then I finally managed to close Ride Issue 3 shut.
I chose not to read it cover to cover but dip and jump around - I like it for that. Pausing on pages when photography catches the eye. In the first month of owning my copy I'd find a page read the story but find it again some days later drawn something new within the image. I love that, it makes my eyebrows rise in amusement.
Trouble is Ride just makes me want to get out and ride so it takes longer to get through, I can't sit still. Even when its snowing Ride musters my spirit to set my bike up on the turbo and turn my legs into jelly. Ride Issue 3 is the best yet.
Personal faves: The Swarm on pg. 33, Pedal to Enlightenment on pg. 129. In the Blood on pg. 142 features the Athertons a formidable force who have been taking downhill titles left right and centre. I am no downhill, 4X or freerider, I once fell off in true comic style riding up, on a straight piece of track with no roots. But that fact I loved this piece means The Ride has done what it set out to do - not pigeon hole and there is something in here for everyone even if you think there isn't.
Favourite images: the shoes pg. 86-87, the montage on pg. 40 and the mud cake riders on pg. 24-25
Website: http://www.theridejournal.com
