ESCAPING THE DOG
Not just any old day ride – Simon Free took up motorcycling for his mental health.
Every time I sit on my bike I find myself smiling like a Cheshire cat under my lid. As a youngster, I used to spend a lot of time with my Uncle Phil whose motoring influence on me was huge. He was a complete petrolhead, and I love all things motor-related because of him. Even now, 30 years on, and I still remember the sound of his Honda starting up and the thrill of riding pillion. At an early age I wanted a car and motorbike – maybe I could have been the next Steve McQueen or Evel Knievel! But when I finally reached the age of 16 ready to get started on a moped, my mum said no. There was no changing her mind so that was the end of that!
Fast forward to my mid-forties and I finally took my bike test. I’d had an epiphany! Well actually I had some mental health issues, then along the road to recovery I had a dose of realisation that I shouldn’t be living to work. Being the age I am you would think I would know this already, but no, it took chronic stress, anxiety and depression for me to work that one out. Anyway, after my revelation I started to look back to what I wanted to do with my life: not what do I want to achieve, but what do I want to do for fun.
After my strenuous walk with the black dog of depression I needed to find something for me, and this was it. I wanted a motorbike. No, I needed a motorbike. I needed to be reminded that life is about the journey and not the destination. This little idea grew and grew; I started to look at bikes on the net, read the magazines and eventually visited the bike shows and showrooms. Biking looked like the perfect way out, and I knew I had found what I needed all along, a positive hobby.
Once my wife was on board with the idea I went straight into Camrider for some training. It took about 10 weeks to get through everything and I actually failed Mod 3 a couple of times before eventually gaining my licence. Then I bought a 2009 Triumph Bonneville and was ready to go.
FIRST RIDE
For my first big day ride, to visit Lincolnshire’s RAF heritage, my friend Mike came with me – he’s an experienced biker and would lead the way along some nice roads. I live in Bourne, from where the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at RAF Coningsby and the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre at East Kirkby aren’t too far away.