I knew a bloke called Skully. He'd hold a knife to your throat, or your genitals if he was feeling that way inclined, and 'ask' you to do things. One day he suggested I might like to try his fixed-gear-wheel bike that he'd found just inside the back door of the newly opened Manchester velodrome.
After that I was hooked - any time anyone threatened me with a bladed implement I couldn't get enough of riding 'fixed'. It was the flow - as Skully put it, it was like when you had the shits and just let it go in Mothercare. A feeling of freedom, of release. I'd be doing circles outside William Hill while Skully was inside with a pick axe and a large hessian sack and it just felt right.
Sometimes we'd stop at a red light while Skully gave the v sign to a war veteran and that's where I learned about track stands. That whole year was an education.
Last I heard Skully had got in to cyclo cross, or CX as it's known on Twitter, and had given up his 'fixie' but I will always be grateful to him. Grateful and terrified.
Now I've only just realised who 'Will Melling' is. Fucking lolz for me.
Now I've only just realised who 'Will Melling' is. Fucking lolz for me.