Articlle in issue 208 of 100% Biker

 

 

 

 

There are as they say two things definite in life being death and taxes, well I think this should be amended to three things, death, taxes and interesting weather on a bank holiday weekend. I could make it 4 and add Bosun getting lost but that only affects one person thankfully.

Being Easter and on a diet again I avoided the Easter egg hunt at home and headed off to Berkshire and the Reading MAG Easter bike show, which more to my surprise than anyone else’s I found it in one go (as well as interesting routes I have a pathological fear of Berkshire as   I am sure towns move like Brigadoon and then there’s the Reading one way system). It was to be said there was a lot of liquid sunshine on the day, and some of they was hard as well oh how I love riding in HAIL.

However there was a warm and friendly greeting from the crew who were hanging on for dear life to the control tent, which was trying to make a break for freedom and flyaway to oxford. After money had changed hands I parked up and watched the crew fight the tent back into a van which at least wasn’t likely to be blown away.

Sadly the weather had depleted numbers, but I was not the only hardy soul to attend and there were still some campers on site and some fine bikes in the show, including a turbo street fighter which had a lovely deep rich exhaust tone which would have had the Bosun award for favourite bike if I had such a trophy. Holy Joes, one of the only stalls still to stay standing provided a much needed way to warm up with an ace cuppa and free biscuits result.

While I didn’t stay that long as the next squall brought more hail, I decided discretion was the better part of valour, the organisers were not downhearted and were rearranging schedules to fit, and still had beer and music to blow those winds away.

Heading back the curse of Berkshire struck again and I went around in circles again and was a little err how shall we say geographically challenged, but found a brilliant village place name of Cockpole Green which I had to stop at just to make me smile childishly, see getting lost has its rewards.

Thanks to all the crew for keeping the show on the road