R5K members bust the stress with their two-wheeled missions
As restrictions ease, #R5K members swing into action
O ‘It’s good to get out there and take a moment’ R5K MEMBER MARK DAVIS
Decent weather and a relaxation the Covid-19 lockdown in England has seen members of MCN’s #ride5000miles group get back in the saddle for a few sociallydistanced miles.
After a discussion with No.10, MCN confirmed you could ride “to any open spaces” with no limit on the distance.
“It’s just a massive stress release, to be honest,” Triumph Street Twin rider, Mark Davis, told us. “It helps clear out the clutter in the mind – and after two months of lockdown, there was lots of clutter!” While he is working from his Shropshire home, the 49-year-old decided to take the bike out for some sedate backroad exploration, stopping at a spot overlooking the River Severn, before taking a walk down to the bank for a closer look. “It was wonderful, and it made me realise that the English countryside is a beautiful thing,” he continued. “I think people can underestimate how important it is to get out there and just take a moment.” Elsewhere, Neil Hodgkinson took his new Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX out from his home in Sheffield for a ride around the Peak District, with wife Lesley on the back.
Still recovering from a knee operation in February and having only taken delivery of the SX at the end of that month, the ease in restrictions provided Neil with his first opportunity to try his new purchase. “I’ve been buying bits for it and I must’ve polished it five times,” the concrete finisher said. “I loved it the first time I sat on one and thought ‘I’ll have one of these for my 60th’.” After around two months of waiting, the first ride proved an instant hit: “It’s an amazing machine and anybody getting to my age that wants something comfortable should get one. “With my knee, I’ve been tossing and turning all night because I’m not getting any exercise, but once I’d been out riding, the stress just went.”