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brought to book - the real story
islay's annual book festival, like many others, tends to lean heavily towards the sort of books that provide bedtime reading, on whichever subject matter floats your boat. what it and others usually exclude, are guidebooks, despite knowing that the authors of such, might well have an intriguing and interesting background, accompanied by tales of derring-do relating to the research involved in said guidebooks. with that in mind, several months ago, i suggested to the chairwoman of the islay book festival, that an author worthy of their attention might be edinburgh-based german cyclist, markus stitz.
aside from participating in the occasional trans-national long distance race event, markus is not only an author, but photographer and film-maker, as well as owner of bikepackingscotland.co.uk and dirt dash events. more recently he has instigated edinburgh's dawn patrol gravel bike rides taking place at stupid o'clock in the morning. as it transpires, his curriculum vitae was deigned impressive enough to warrant an invitation to this year's book festival, with an event originally slated to include a bike ride prior to an interview between markus and yours truly, plus a showing of some of his films and photographs.
the latter was due to take place at islay's machrie hotel at 4pm on saturday afternoon, preceded by a bike ride along at least a portion of the three distlleries path starting at 2pm. however, the forecast for that part of saturday afternoon was distinctly unfavourable, and on such grounds, the decision was made on friday afternoon to cancel the bike ride. when saturday afternoon arrived, it confirmed the good sense of that decision; 80kph gusts and torrential rain.
as a result, we repaired to the former boardroom of the machrie where, along with coffee and cake, i asked markus about his writing, filming, cycling and one or two other things along the way, while the rain bounced off the windows. for a cycling event on islay, the audience was most favourable, but i believe many of those who travelled to islay for the book festival would have enjoyed the event, despite little professed interest in cycling. after all, i attended an interview with wildlife film-maker, tv presenter and author, hamza yassin, on thursday evening, despite only a passing interest in wildlife matters. and yes, i enjoyed it. and despite no interest in drinking whisky, i also attended an event featuring an interview with natalie jayne clark, author of the whisky murders, by bruichladdich's head blender, adam hannett. i enjoyed that too.
however, despite failing to join markus for a bike ride on saturday afternoon, we arranged to meet the man and his girlfriend, louise, on sunday morning for a far more interesting ride to saligo and the perimeter of loch gorm, before stopping at debbie's for the traditional toastie and a coffee. four of those who had attended the machrie, including myself, participated in the ride, undertaken in dry, sunny conditions, if a tad breezy, with 65kph gusts. unfortunately for markus and louise, who had been originally scheduled to leave the island on sunday afternoon, all the ferries were cancelled due to weather, imposing a second evening's stay on the centre of the universe.
markus may well be a long-distance cyclist, a gent who rode around the world on a single-speed bicycle in 2018, and who has possibly acquired more velocipedinal knowledge than all of the velo club combined, but he is superb company, with plenty of amusing cycling anecdotes and a firm believer in the power of the bicycle. believe me, the world needs all the markus stitz's it can get. if he didn't exist, we'd have to invent him.
monday 1 september 2025
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................stamp collecting
founded in 1992, along with the then manager of the local leisure centre, was the original islay tryathlon an event based on team participation rather than that of a group of intrepid individuals. i believe i may have outlined the concept previously, but basically, the first swimmer exiting the pool, drew a numbered ping-pong ball from a bag, the number on which related to a cyclist. at the end of the cycle, the latter did likewise, with the number allocated to a specific runner. the idea had been predicated on the try prefix to athlon, and designed to prevent the best in each discipline forming a super-team, and effectively blitzing the event. unfortunately, that subterfuge lasted for only the first year, but it was worth the attempt.
however, during a subsequent year's race, having been tagged by the swimmer in my team, i scarpered carefully down the fire exit in cleated shoes, to my bicycle awaiting against the leisure-centre's wall. clambering aboard with great alacrity, i then found myself unable to clip my right foot into the pedal, still riding past the distillery gates (the leisure centre is adjacent to bowmore distillery) on one leg. by the time i finally engaged the right foot cleat, i was so annoyed with myself, that i overtook two cars heading up bowmore main street.
i'd imagine there are many who sympathise with my plight; i doubt i am the only cyclist who occasionally and unpredictably finds himself unable to clip in one foot or the other. i live in in less than secret envy of the top level cyclocross riders who seem never to experience similar difficulty when remounting in the heat of battle. when attempting to hone my world-famous wout van aert impersonation, there have been many occasions when i have fallen sideways into the undergrowth, having effectively come to a standstill, feet flailing unconnectedly and nowhere near either pedal. there obviously is an art to clipping in, but one that has continued to escape me at every twist and turn.
due to the terrain over which the sunday ride is conducted, several of us have eschewed the three-bolt road cleats that make you walk like a duck. particularly in the winter months, having to dismount to the grass verge around loch gorm in the rain, can be fraught with difficulty on smooth-soled road shoes. far better, we have discovered, to employ offroad footwear, replete with the ubiquitous two-bolt, spd type cleat. given that the latter is invariably recessed into a grippy sole, not only are agricultural obstacles rendered inert, going to the upstairs loo at ardbeg distillery has become a tad safer too.
but, thirty years after its introduction, shimano's sm-sh51 spd cleat has been given a technical makeover, despite, to all intent and purpose, looking identical to its long-lived predecessor. where the original required that the rider employ a toe-in approach, the new version (the snappily-named cl-mt001) allows multiple options, the most brutal of which is to stamp directly downwards; an action that might dramatically improve my cyclocross prowess. cleverly the new cleat is backwards compatible; in other words, you can fit them to your existing shoes and they'll even work with pedals originally purchased in 1995.
personally, i have no shimano branded pedals, offroad or otherwise, but the red ritchey pedals affixed to the ritchey logic are reputedly compatible with shimano cleats, so i may venture to test their recommendation.
happy stamping.
friday 29 august 2025
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................aesthetics (part 37)
i'd imagine we're all more than acquainted with the notion that appreciation of art, design and music are entirely subjective; what floats your boat might be objectionable to others. the most recent example of just how true that is, came earlier this week on realising that led zeppelin's physical graffiti is 50 years old this year, a revelation that was as surprising as it was frightening. that album was released while i was at art college, and i find it very hard to reconcile that quite so much time has passed in between. however, enthused by the upcoming release (12 september, i believe) of a live ep, featuring songs from the album, i attempted to share my enthusiasm by playing a friend the wanton song, alongside a detailed description of why i have been unable to play john bonham's drum part at anything close to the tempo of the original.
i believe the phrase, "you call that music?" was uttered at least once, but not by yours truly.
similarly, not so very long ago i viewed the latest artworks from an artist friend, and disappointingly finding them to be less cohesive or appealing than i had hoped. however, as a one-time practictioner of the visual arts and a present-day musician, i have become inured to the truth that you can't please all of the people all of the time. therefore, that which follows is the very definition of the word subjective. feel free to agree or disagree as the mood takes you.
the subject was brought to mind on receipt of the latest issue of pete muir's excellent cyclist magazine, the october(?) issue of which landed at my newsagent yesterday morning. while i'd be reticent to recommend you follow my lead, on acquiring the latest issue of any print publication, i am in the habit of flicking through its pages for a speedy précis of the contents, then placing it on the arm of the chair to read at a more leisurely pace later. there is no telling of just what each issue will comprise; sometimes i am pleasantly suprised, sometimes not.
however, as with many other publications, there is a certain order in which matters are proscribed. in the case of cyclist, there's usually several pages at the front of the magazine given over to a recent major bike release, then, occupying the latter pages, are a series of bicycle and componentry reviews based on first-hand experience with each. sad to say, bicycle manufacturers appear to behave remarkably similarly to that of sheep, blindly following what everyone else does, from tube shapes to fork profiles, to seatstay junctures. but worst of all, the majority seem intent on removing any aesthetic qualities from their products.
it has long remained a mystery to me why the time-trial bicycles employed by the world tour teams have become uglier and uglier, the closer they get to the speed of light (see example at the top of the page). when you consider the styling espoused by bugatti, ferrari, lamborghini, and red bull formula one, to name but a few, in their so-called hypercars, why are the fastest of bicycles so disappointingly ugly to look at? and why are so many manufacturers happy to include design aspects of those abominations in their road bikes? can cycling not be fast and beautiful at the same time?
it would be iniquitous of me to name names, but the recent and current practice of changing the steering function into a slab-sided hinge appears now to have infiltrated even the standard road bike. it is surely the equivalent of using a jcb to crack a walnut? and the choice to outfit certain square-tubed gravel bikes with little cupboards really ought to be immediately banned by the uci. i can, to an extent, understand that the pursuit of ultimate speed pays lip service only to the numbers providing that speed, but it really ought to consider the pleasantries too.
have a word with the designers at mclaren.
thursday 28 august 2025
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................genesis to revelations
viewed from a purely dispassionate point of view, a rider clad in cycling apparel must look a tad bizarre to the unconverted. unlike football (soccer) clobber, the wearing of which for shopping, leisure, social occasions seems to be pefectly acceptable, cycling apparel seems only amenable if closely related to bicycle ownership. during islay's summer months, it's not at all unusual to spy helmet and bibshort clad individuals standing by the bank's cash machine, or wandering confusedly around the local averagemarket. i often wonder if their continuing to wear helmets even when carrying a shopping basket filled with bread, milk and microwaveable meals, bears more significance than we might think.
however, working on the basis that you'd hardly go swimming in a woolly jumper and a pair of levis, it seems entirely natural to climb onto the saddle dressed in padded bibs and a jersey featuring three rear pockets (though i confess there seems to be fewer doing so in team replica jerseys these days). whether simply enjoying the pleasures of the sunday ride, or embarking upon a perambulation of several hundred kilometres, the comfort provided by padded lycra is hard to over-estimate, coupled with the practicality offered by a bona-fide, sweat-wicking cycle jersey. but aside from the apparent sense of individuality afforded by such clothing, it's comforting to note that the purveyors of such apparel seem to have found more pleasing alternatives to the fluorescence demanded by every other hi-viz situation.
and it is my contention that those of us who ride bicycles dressed as above, harbour a certain insouciant isolation from the remainder of society. this, i believe, is clearly demonstrated in a close-knit, yet isolated community such as that in whose midst i am domiciled. as i have previously admitted, it is very easy to be a big fish in a small pond; in other words, perfectly and easily possible to stand out whether you want to or not. granted, the community of which i am a part has taken friendliness to its ultimate extent (ask anyone who has visited), but it does not contain much in the way of what might be described as street smarts.
therefore, while mainland communities may have become inured to entire pelotons of cyclists dressed as if refugees from the world tour, such a scenario is considerably less common this far west. add to this the fact that the present day velo club numbers are far short of those needed for the lowest definition of the word crowd, and there's little doubt that we have a tendency to stand out, if for no other reason than we are cyclists. to place that in some sort of relevant context, scottish island societies are not always the ones in which you would wish to highlight any proclivities towards extrovert tendencies.
i would, however, wish to underline that i don't necessarily equate being a cyclist with an extrovert personality, but i believe you'd need to be almost immune to the slings and arrows of traditional values. in other words, care less about what others think, but in a good way. most of the cyclists with whom i have come in contact seem to bear such qualities, but it seems they might not be inherent. personally, i originally struggled to adopt the uniform of the pelotonese, a situation of which i was reminded by a recent, young recruit to the ranks of the velo club. he has acquitted himself well from the outset, easily able to keep up or outpace, as required.
however, on advising him that he might find each sunday ride easier to bear and more comfortable to ride were he to acquire a pair of padded bibshorts, cleated shoes and clipless pedals, it was easy to detect his reticence to acquiesce. peer pressure on a 16 year-old is a tad different than that being rebuffed by the old farts section of the velo club. however, now that he has availed himself of the velocipedinal attire described above, he fully understands exactly where we were coming from. and oddly enough, his sense of independence and individualty appear also to be on the increase.
to paraphrase a locally available fridge magnet, cycling is not an activity, it's very much a state of mind.
wednesday 27 august 2025
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................questionable
on saturday of this week, i will meet with renowned bikepacker, author and film-maker, markus stitz, at the start of the three distilleries path, half an hour ahead of conducting a group ride along at least a portion of the path by way of a physical introduction to his appearance at this year's islay book festival. and, as a brief aside, there's still time to join the party by checking islaybookfestival.co.uk. following the ride, for which the very nice folks at islay e-wheels have offered free use of an e-bike for those unable to arrive with their own two-wheeled transport, we will retire to the (relatively) nearby machrie hotel for refreshments, a chat between markus and yours truly before we move to the hotel's cinema to view a couple of films made by the man himself.
an e-mail i received from markus on monday helped answer one of the questions i had meant to ask of the book festival committee; when the programme states the inclusion of a question and answer session, am i asking the questions, or is the audience? as it transpires, it's me. to an extent, that's a relief; my experience of the audience quizzing scenario hasn't always been entirely satisfactory, with individuals either disassociated from the true purpose of the event, or, with reference to whisky tours, intent on proving themselves to be better informed than the interviewee. the true purpose, i believe, is not to embarrass the guest by way of one-upmanship, or springing unforeseen questions for the purposes of point scoring.
in order to facilitate the latter, salve my own conscience, and curate my own thoughts, i responded to mr stitz' e-mail with a list of six brief questions, varying in their level of seriousness on the basis of maintaining an appropriate level of entertainment.
i have met markus on one previous occasion, reviewed all of his published works so far, and viewed several of his excellent films. however, given my scarcely hidden disregard for the gravel meme, it seems likely that our opinions will differ somewhat. but that is hardly a point i intend to labour; everyone who needs to know my prejudices need only read these daily articles; the point of inviting such an esteemed guest to the queen of the hebrides is hardly to subject him to a one-person ego trip. in short, he's the star of the show, and i intend to keep it that way.
however, in the case of forming specific interview questions, i frequently learn more about myself than my patent inability to give the impression that i am astute, informed and aware of the efficacy of brevity. in the case under discussion, one of the questions that appeared upon my notepad was "which medium do you prefer: the written word, or photography/film? or for your purposes, are they mutually supportive?" having typed that final question mark, i realised that the same question could conceivably be aimed at thewashingmachinepost, though with considerably less relevance than it is likely to demonstrate this saturday afternoon.
though only those of a particular age might recall, the post was once in possession of a flip video camera, around the same size and form factor as the original apple ipod. eager to embrace the new media on the horizon, having already discarded the now ubiquitous podcast as being far too time consuming, the eventual result of which was more tedious than the observation of drying paint, i had decided to include video reviews. the concern i have at present is my alacrity in dispensing with the spoken word in such short order. perhaps if i had looked longer and harder, i'd be less reliant on a backlit keyboard for the day's monologue; and perhaps if i'd had the wizard idea of involving a second party in those vocalised experiments, i would be world renowned as an influencer of note.
the emergence into film only served to underline how much harder and more involved was that medium than simply recording vocal monologues.
but it can scarcely have escaped your attention that video and podcast have effectively met in the middle, where many examples now consist of two or more talking heads visually conversing on youtube. quite why this has proved either necessary or entertaining, i'm less than sure, but it seems it has become an endeavour worthy of our approbation. however, i have scarcely made it a secret over the past 29 years, that i value the written (typed) word over alternative means of communication. that, i believe, simply places me more forcefully amongst the luddites of the world, unwilling or unable to change and meet the demands of a more enlightened and expectant public.
should the desires of the latter be pursued to their logical conclusion, it would not be entirely without merit, to consider the future of book festivals to be ultimately in serious doubt. but while acknowledging this possibility, i am provided with succour by certain converse examples. for instance, vinyl record sales in 2024, were greater than those of the compact disc. while kindle sales are notably on the decrease, physical book sales are heading upwards. one of my cycling colleagues has been intrepidly investigating the possibilities of purchasing one of the original apple ipods, the one with the front-mounted selection wheel, mono display and archaic ability only to play music through a set of connected headphones. and a book that i currently have under review removes any doubt that the world of the steel-framed bicycle is in the process of disappearing.
until saturday, i have no idea of how markus might respond to this hopefully poignant question, one that he is well-qualified to answer. however, i think it highly encouraging that such a question can still be asked, without being sure of the response in advance.
tuesday 26 august 2025
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