Cycling on Islay

Sunday, October 22 2006

October Warm

The morning's frost
into October warm evaporated
and the road stretches through red and gold
to a sky as blue as the black of space

The rhythm of heart and lungs
of legs and cranks
the whisper of chain and gears
of tires on pavement
form a mantra that chants

There is no past
no future
there only
is.

This beautiful poem is about cycling and there are quite a few people on Islay that adore cycling. Maybe you recognize one of them on the picture? This picture, and much more, were taken during the ride up Port Askaig Brae by a few Islay Cycling enthusiasts. The photographer is Mark Unsworth of Islay Studios and there is a slideshow with many more pictures available on the Ileach website

Well you probably guessed by now that the person on the right is Brain from the Ileach. Brian has an extensive website about cycling on Islay and on the 28th of October Brian and Jeremy will represent the Ardbeg Velo Club by joining the Braveheart Fundraising Ride in Kilmarnock.

Since Brian's car was beyond repair he is now an Hebridian Commuter travelling to and from work on his Colnago Racing Bike. You can read all about his whereabouts and experiences on his new Hebridian Commute page on the washingmachinepost.net. Needless to say that you need to be dressed for the occasion when you cycle on Islay in the wintertime, considering Islay is one of the most windy places in Scotland and can be extremely wet sometimes. If you like some inside information on what to wear in those conditions you can read Brian's post or visit the Rapha website who sponser Brian's page and cloth him.