Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
No response.
'Ben?'
'Yeah, I'm ok. Just getting a bit pissed off with this cycling.'
'Yeah, me too. I'm sure we'll pass somewhere soon.'
'That'sifwearestillaliveandnotthrownintothemoorbysomesoddingaxe-murderer.
This place scares the hell out of me.'
'I know. I thought it was just me.'
Thelightwasfading,therewasnosignofanynearbyhouses,andtheboggymarsheson
either side looked like the perfect dumping ground for a couple of dismembered cyclists.
'It's moments like this I wish you had your Disco Bike to lighten the mood,' I said.
Ben and I had cycled together just once before, but it was an experience that made me
realise that he would be the ideal person to join me on the trip. Earlier in the year we had
taken part in the British Heart Foundation's popular
London to Brighton Bike Ride
. Ben,
for some reason, decided to convert his mountain bike into a 'Disco Bike' for the day. He
cleverly mounted his iPod (other mp3 players are available) onto the handlebars as well as
a large pair of speakers. To power this setup, he then strapped a car battery to the back of
thebike,whichwasthenwired,viaatransducer,totheiPod.Aftertestinghissoundsystem
the day before, he wasn't happy with the sound quality, so acquired a football-sized bass
sub-woofer, which he also mounted to the back of the bike.
The resulting 'Disco Bike' was absolutely astonishing. From the comfort of his bike
seat, Ben was able to blast whatever music he desired, across the surrounding countryside.
Manyoftheother20,000cyclistswereinaweofhisconstruction,andweweresurrounded
for the entire 50 mile trip by swarms of Ben's groupies.
What Ben hadn't taken into account was the immense weight of his sound system. His
bicycle was the same weight as a motorbike. Cornering became very difficult, and on a
couple of occasions, he came very close to having a major accident.
'I would do anything for my Disco Bike right now,' he said.
We survived the moors and then crossed the Greylake Bridge at the King's Sedgemoor
Drain, which, in case you were wondering, is a 14
th
century ditch that is used to drain the
surrounding moorland.
We spoke briefly with two Scottish men who were fishing by the bridge. They had driv-
en all the way from the north of Scotland to fish in a ditch in the middle of nowhere. Fin-
ally, we'd met two people more stupid than us.
'Aye, you could try the wee pub just there. That's where we're stayin'. They might be
able to help if you ken whit ah mean,' said one of the men.
Search WWH ::
Custom Search