23 replies to this topic

[Slapshot 3]

TooFastTim, on 31 December 2010 - 09:49 PM, said:

Did Ralph ever ride? I'm not questioning his knowledge of the sport which was encyclopedic.

I have seen photographic evidence of such acts... Is it 2011 where you are yet mate??

[TooFastTim]

Slapshot 3, on 31 December 2010 - 10:26 PM, said:

I have seen photographic evidence of such acts... Is it 2011 where you are yet mate??

Long gone Donald. They're busy recovering the bodies of the late Barmy Army from the harbour.

[Hillary]

In reply to Big John, you will read my final column tomorrow, but as you will see, it's a lot more than 200 when you add in the TMX contributions.

When I was at TMX, I edited Rafe's work and whilst he did indeed write far more than I have done so far, he also took the easy way out by supplying half a dozen pictures and 100 words to explain why he was using them, quite a bit different from 800 fresh words every week without pictures.

Since folks became aware a few days ago that I am finishing my column, that's all I'm stopping, I'm not leaving the sport! All that's happening is that instead of sitting down here every Sunday night, I can now do what everybody else does - watch the telly, make tea, wash my bike etc. Many Sundays through the year it's get home, unload the van, wash the bike, have a shower, produce a set of results from my club's trial, write a report for TMX, then write the column. Early nights on many Sundays has not been an option!

Andy has already said that should I want to write something every now and then, he will accommodate me, and I guess that's what will happen. All I'm avoiding is the total commitment of HAVING to write every week, come rain or shine, good ride or bad ride, something to write about or nothing to write about.

I do thank everybody for their kind words, but I'm not going away, biking will continue as it has always done

[Big John]

But of course Michael, as usual, I was jesting with you, just like the time I came along to ride the Worthington Trial at Lagnaha and pretended to be a lone Austrian lad who just happened to be in Scotland with a bike.

I couldn't understand the signing on proceedure, I kept my face straight for ages!

Now that was a right good "wind-up" (the eastern European accent was near perfect), I had you taken in didn't I?

What a wheeze!

Big John

[Hillary]

Big John - B******d!

[Big John]

Hillary, on 01 January 2011 - 08:52 PM, said:

Big John - B******d!

Yip! That's me!

Big John

[Dan Williams]

As a rider and sometimes writer (some would argue the reverse) I probably know better than many the stress of deadline and the time consumed with staring at the blank page. I also know the rare joy when the muse is upon you and you have to force yourself to stop writing with the self admonishment, "It's good enough".

One writer to another,

Thanks Mike. Well done.

[proc]

what rappers had to write was the first thing i looked for on a sun night guess i'll have to endure talking the wife more on a sun night now

[Big John]

In fairness to my old friend Michael Rapley, I have to take my hat off to him. It's one thing doing an article every now and then for either a book or a magazine or a programme (I've done all of these...and written a book as well) that is OK, but to write every single week in life, nope that is not for me.

Best wishes Michael...

Big John