HAVE BIKE WILL TRAVEL

A "BACKMARKERS" STORY OF OVER 50 YEAR IN CYCLING

                                  BY DAVID RUTTER

With something in the region of over fifty years in the sport of cycling, I have either  written, competed, supported,  belonged to or volunteered in races, committees and organisations, hence the title of my own book, looking back as well as the present in cycling through my experiences as a "back marker" amongst other things. Normally one would  have a book penned by a well known writer or possibly ghost written on behalf of a winning cyclist,  athough basically for each one a winning rider there are a hundred behind in a supporting role, including me. Without the likes of these riders who participate, the actual winner becomes meanningless.

Through "my role" first as a bystander thinking in terms of "maybe" it doesn't look so hard, to be completely shot off the back in the very first race, and recapping what one needs to do to keep up with the other riders as it is totally down to the individual to sort it out! Basically becoming a slog as well as spending bundles of money in the idea that just by looking the part is half way in getting there! Probably a 400 page paperback book, 90% text 10% images, limited edition.

My story starts in the 1960s, then weaves itself through to the following decades - 1970s - 1980s - 1990s - 2000s - 2010s , with my personal experiences of what happened in the circle of cycling, who I meet, who I remember, where I ended up , why I did this, was it all worth it?

The magic of the frame and two wheels will never go away, and has vastly increased in the recent years, I suspect possibly a majority of this coming down to riders from former decades who having has done "their time" on the race circuit have now gone into other areas of cycling, as do other retired sports people, either media, management, coaching etc.