Today is my 25th birthday! The 24th to the 25th is a big one – it’s like transitioning from plastic pedals to metal ones. One day perhaps I’ll even use clipless. Fortunately, my family is on hand to provide me with artwork for my birthday blog post, with the above brilliant card! It’s funny because they don’t actually have any brakes – when they want to stop the old boy at the end grinds his shoe against the back wheel, much like a modern day BMX or fixie rider. A big thank you to my sisters!
I’ve always thought a birthday is a great time to get a little reflectional. I personally believe that a blog should be about interesting and useful content for the audience, and not about the author behind it. However, I’d like to make a small exception today and share a little about myself.
If you are looking for useful cycling tips, then feel free to click away now!
When I came back from my trip to Cuba and central America, I had one project on my mind. To write the London Cyclist Handbook. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to have hit the right notes with the audience of London Cyclist and we didn’t sell as many digital copies as I predicted. Partly to blame I believe, is that this is the kind of book it would be nice to hold in your hands and read as you cycle. Well, if it works for the Mayor of Toronto:
(The Mayor of Toronto reading a copy of the London Cyclist Handbook in his Escalade)
When something doesn’t go according to plan, you have to take a step back and re-evaluate. In this case I’ve come to two conclusions: 1. I should release the Handbook as a printed book and 2. I should focus on what readers really want to know about – which is how to easily look after your bike yourself. That’s why my next big project will address exactly that. I’ll be asking for your feedback on it shortly.
A project that has gone beautifully to plan, is our update to the Bike Doctor iPhone and Android app. One of my goals was to dramatically up the number of repairs that are available in the app. Since we launched the new app, we’ve had nothing but glowing reviews. We’ve even been featured in the Australian iPhone app store and become the most downloaded Sports app getting around 500 downloads in a day! Good’day mate!
It was a real pleasure been able to offer this app for free to my audience and it was a shame I couldn’t do the same for those of you on Android phones. Google doesn’t allow you to transition a paid app to a free app.
Needless to say, I have big plans for the Bike Doctor app and those of you who have downloaded (Free on the iPhone until the end of August) will be seeing them soon.
Away from the blog, there’s been some lows to come to terms with. My grandma recently passed away due to Alzheimer’s and this was shortly after followed by my uncle losing his battle with cancer. I’m sure many readers have their own stories of such losses and I feel they give you a real kick up the backside, to push yourself to do the things you want. Another one of my big passions is travel and I plan on pursuing that with a long trip at the start of next year.
Anyway, I’m already getting bored of talking about myself and would rather get back to cycling! I’ll end this post with a toast:
“To getting more bums on saddles, to pursuing your passions today, not tomorrow and to many more bicycle themed birthday cards!”
Happy Birthday! I hope your friends/relations/loved ones give you better gifts than I got on my 25th. 25 dead roses, 25 porno videos (cheap, nasty ones, and as a girl, not really enjoyable – but I did make every single person who got me one watch it with me: their discomfort was well worth the cringe-worthy “acting”), and 25 gravestones on my cake (the words “quarter of a century” were brought up quite often.
Enjoy your day!
Hahahaha love it Barton! Fortunately, I didn’t get this level of abuse but I don’t like the sound of “quarter of a century” one bit!
Happy Birthday!
Yes, His Worship Mayor Jabba the Ford strikes again… The only way to win the Jabba Wars is to encourage enough cyclists out on the roads that that nasty porcine politician has no choice but to re-build all of the bike lanes he is so busy tearing out.
For my take on the Jabba Wars: http://spokenscene.blogspot.ca/2012/08/stiff-competition-and-rise-of-olympians.html
Happy Birthday!
Thanks!!
Many happy returns for the day youngster!! Wishing you many many more cycling years.
Thank you very much!
Happy birthday Andreas. Sorry to hear about the passing of your relatives. Really puts things in perspective.
Two things that have struck me about your post is how you come across as a very positive person in general and how you bounce back when things don’t go according to your expectations/plans. Trust me, as a sufferer of Generalised Anxiety Disorder, this is an acquired skill for people like me. Cycling is a big component of how I cope with my condition – there’s nothing like a long cycle to clear the head and get your thoughts and priorities in order.
I don’t live anywhere near London, but your website and newslettter are part of my weekly reading. Looking forward to plans for your Bike Doctor app – I’m on Android.
Thanks for your message MooMan16 – a number of my friends have had stages of their lives where they’ve suffered with anxiety and I know it can be hard to alter your perspective on events. I’m pleased that cycling is such a positive part of your life and on a day like this you can see why it’s such a good mood changer – nothing like a bit of sunshine and some time on the bike!
I was 25 once…back in ’83 it was…
I’m already well on the path to using phrases such as “back in the day”
Happy Birthday for yesterday! We are regular readers of your blog, keep up the good work!
Thank you Kelly!
Oh to be young sooo again!
Happy Birthday
Happy birthday, oh to be so young again. Keep up the good work love you blog.
Andreas, congratulations on all cycle related achievements in your first quarter century. You do realise it all starts to get much harder from now on…? The average age of participants in the gruelling 90 hour 1200km Audax Paris-Brest-Paris event is 50 years! The good news is that you have 25 years to prepare! The bad news for me is that I’m 50 in 2 weeks time…!
Happy Birthday All Year Long Andreas! Belated wishes for a happy 25th and keep up the great work for another 25 years at least.