GBRO winner
Meet Michael Heaton, our 2018 GBRO winner
It’s an overcast but dry day at Stanhope in the Pennines as RIDE arrives to meet Michael Heaton. He’s been the most prolific contributor to the Great British Ride Out in 2018, submitting a route most months. One of them — his Trough of Bowland ride — is the most popular GBRO route this year and wins him the HJC Rpha 90 helmet, worth £449.99.
He’s a big bloke — over 6ft, well built. He swapped his Triumph Tiger for a Ducati Multistrada in April 2017 and has done nearly 9000 miles on it since then.
“I first got a sat nav when I had the Tiger,” he explains. “And that’s when I started finding routes.” He joined a local advanced-riding group and some ride-outs but says he prefers riding with his friend Graham or with his father.
His job as a lorry driver means Michael often has several days off mid-week — ideal for getting the bike out. “I began looking for excuses to ride, so I’d find things like the top-ten chippies or the top-ten ice-cream parlours and work through the list.
“I like the story behind the road. Take the Trough of Bowland ride. That was the route the Pendle Witches were taken on; it goes to the millionth telephone box in the UK. There’s more than just riding — there’s a story to it as well.”
Michael’s planned a route for us to ride, from Stanhope to Richmond, on minor roads. “I love finding these kinds of scenic roads,” Michael explains.
We park up in Richmond, get fish and chips and compare notes on bikes, roads, music and life in general. And that’s your 2018 GBRO winner, a typical RIDE reader.