Seeing the World Together
That's when I rediscovered cycling.
Some of my favourite memories are from evenings spent riding through Gunnersbury Park, with Kiki running happily alongside. We'd complete lap after lap before reaching the pond, where she'd launch herself into the water without a second thought. The ducks and swans were rarely impressed, and neither were some of the other visitors. I'd usually find myself apologising while trying to look as surprised as everyone else, despite knowing full well what she was about to do.
Those moments were never really about cycling. They were about getting outside, sharing adventures, and discovering that some of life's best memories happen when nothing goes according to plan.
Learning Something New
Getting a bike was one thing. Learning to ride it was another.
Unlike most people, I never learned to cycle as a child. It wasn't until I was an adult that I finally decided it was time. One of my closest friends patiently taught me in Hyde Park using London's Santander bikes. I still remember wobbling around nervously while he ran alongside, holding the saddle to stop me from falling.
Then came that familiar moment from so many childhood films—the moment he quietly let go. Except this time it wasn't a parent teaching their child. It was two grown men laughing in the middle of Hyde Park as I realised I was cycling on my own.
Freedom on Two Wheels
What started as a practical way to exercise Kiki quickly became a passion in its own right. Before long, I was cycling thirty miles a day, exploring London in a way I'd never experienced before.
During the COVID lockdowns, the city transformed. Roads that were normally filled with buses, taxis and tourists became almost silent. Cycling through central London during those months felt surreal—as though one of the busiest cities in the world had been set aside just for us. It remains one of my favourite memories of the city.
Building It Back Better
That chapter nearly came to an end after a serious cycling accident left me unable to walk properly for several months.
Recovering gave me plenty of time to reflect, but it never made me want to stop cycling. Instead, it reminded me why I enjoyed it so much. Once I was back on my feet, a friend and I took on a new project: converting my bicycle into an electric bike. We sourced the parts ourselves, assembled everything by hand, and gave the bike a second life.
I became so attached to that bike that when I eventually moved back to India, I couldn't bring myself to leave it behind. It made the journey with me, ready for the next adventure.
LOG ENTRY 06
On Two Wheels
Learning to ride a bicycle as an adult unexpectedly led to cycling, hiking and countless adventures with Kiki, discovering a side of Britain I'd never truly seen before.
