In this weekly blog episode: Watching the Olympics, riding the new BMW CE 02 electric motorcycle, and a new knee-length waterproof coat.
It’s been a few weeks, but it’s time for another weekly blog episode. Don’t worry, I’m not going to spend any time making excuses for the gap in service – I’ve just not had the time, energy or desire to write for the last few weeks, so I haven’t. And that’s okay. This is only my hobby, after all.
Let me catch you up on the last month in as few words as possible.
I had a very enjoyable and much needed holiday, which constituted a 10-day or so motorcycle road trip around Spain and Portugal. It should have been a trip to Italy, but we changed plans at the (very) last minute and took the ferry to Spain instead. More on that another time.
My bulged disc and resulting sciatica healed up just in time for that trip (it took a little over a month), and so since we got back, I have started the process of (slowly and carefully) rebuilding some fitness. I’ve been out jogging a couple of times a week, and am trying to make time for those all-important stretches on a daily basis.
Apart from that, my headspace and energy has been taken up with work, home chores and personal admin, and serving up a menu of varied and colourful meals. I spent a weekend away with family (I played badminton for the first time in ages), went on a day hike from my own front door, and have been thoroughly addicted to watching the Olympics. Which brings me to this weekly blog episode…
Riots in the UK
Before I start with the triviality of everyday life, though, I want to very quickly address the horrible – ugly – racist riots that have taken place in the UK over the last week or two. Triggered by the horrific stabbings in Southport and fuelled by misinformation, it has been heartbreaking to watch such violence and aggression on display.
Honestly, what is wrong with people? I am very aware of my privileged position as a white middle-aged woman in all this, but I want it noted how ashamed I am of some of my fellow British citizens. Free speech and peaceful protest are great – but what has been going on over the last ten days or so has been a long way from that.
I hope and pray for calm, for empathy, for education, for community, and for friendship.
Watching the Olympics
As expected, because it happens every time without fail, I have been absolutely glued to the Olympics for the last couple of weeks. I predicted it in my recent One Hour Outside post inspired by the lead up to Paris 2024, and it was an accurate forecast. If I had given some weekly blog episode words over to explaining why I’ve not done any writing recently, the fact I’ve lost almost all my evening-time hours for a fortnight by being glued to the television would certainly have been part of it.
There may have been flaws in the BBC’s coverage thanks to the limited rights they had to show the live feed, but I have thoroughly enjoyed being able to watch such a variety of sport – with commentary and comment to go with it. (And I didn’t see the point of subscribing to Discovery Plus for the month.) There has been a little bit of everything, showcasing the world’s fastest, furthest, and best performing teams and individuals.
Incredibly Inspiring
The Olympics and all it represents is inspiring to me. It is a privilege to watch as athletes who have put their all into learning and perfecting a sport get to perform on such a big stage. I am very happy to be drawn into the emotion of seeing people do the thing they love at the highest level.
Moments that had me cheering at my television included Emma Finucane, Sophie Capewell and Katy Marchant winning the track cycling team sprint, Tom Pidcock’s mountain biking gold, and that incredible routine by Bryony Page winning gold in the trampolining. The hockey and track cycling will always be a firm favourite (here’s me playing at Lee Valley), but right up there for most fun sport to watch has to be the ridiculousness that was kayak cross – if someone can let me know how I can try that myself, just to experience the chaos and thrill of it, I’d really love to!
But it’s not all about the medals. We all know that. Paris 2024 showed some important truths that we all need to remember – athletes come in all shapes and sizes, you don’t have to win to be successful, and there is no substitute for passion and hard work. It was the first Olympic Games to see gender parity, and we saw more open and honest talk of physical and mental wellbeing than ever before. The IOC has its issues, certainly, but it’s hard to deny the impact that the Olympics has and can have.
So Very French
And yes, I even enjoyed the opening and closing ceremonies. There have been a lot of criticism of the shows, and I can understand where some commentators are coming from (such as about the amount of pre-recorded content), but I thought they were interesting to watch. Both were very French indeed, beautifully so, with Avant-guard styling and plenty of noir thrown in, featuring French historical figures and stories. Why should it have been anything else?! I mean, can you imagine what the French thought of Mr Bean and the Spice Girls in the London 2012 opening ceremony?!
We’ve got a couple of weeks off now until it all starts again for the Paralympics on Wednesday 28 August. You know I will be losing my evenings to the coverage again, this time on Channel 4. I will especially be cheering on fellow OS Champion Mel Nicholls, who will represent Team GB in the Paratriathlon.
As someone who really only watches sport at the Olympics these days, I know I should seek out some of the sports I enjoy and follow them more closely between now and the next games. Something to do over a cup of tea later this week, perhaps.
Riding the BMW CE 02 Electric Motorcycle
This week I had an opportunity to ride the new BMW CE 02 electric motorbike. It was a loaner bike while my GS was in for a service. Having sat on one in the showroom a month or two ago and thinking it would be an interesting experience to try one out, I was very pleased to hear BMW Motorrad dealers have got demos available at the moment.
I rode the (similar looking, in some ways) Ubco 2X2 Adventure at Adventure Bike Rider Festival a couple of years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed that experience. I still think it would be nice to have one in my garage at some point, you know, as a toy. The main difference between the Ubco and the BMW (apart from the brand and the price…), is that the CE 02 will easily do 60mph to the Ubco’s 28.
The CE 02 has been designed as urban transport. It’s a twist and go, with fat tyres on 14-inch cast alloy wheels, a tiny but very clear 3.5-inch TFT screen, a flat bench seat, and a single sided swingarm. The seat is low and narrow, the handlebars are as you might find on a BMX bike, and it has two sets of pegs so you can choose to have your legs underneath you or in front of you when you ride.
I did maybe 60 miles on the bike in two rides, happily pretending it was my own machine for commuting, and loved every minute. I charged it in my garage while the technicians gave my own bike some TLC, and wanted to share a few first impressions.
A One Day Opinion
The CE 02 was honestly so much fun to ride. It’s nippy and nimble, and put a proper smile on my face. I love the urban styling (don’t you think it looks a bit like an 80s version of a futuristic bike?!), and how comfortable and easy it was to ride.
It sets off silently, and while it does have a whine as you speed up, it felt good to ride something so quiet. It got to 60mph when asked, and got there quickly (the acceleration definitely took drivers and other motorcyclists by surprise), but was also super smooth through town and in traffic.
However…
The less-than 40-mile range (it said 38 miles when fully charged for me) means this is either a commuter or a toy, and not an adventure-mobile. Despite being a really fantastic machine, it just won’t work for days out in the countryside or touring, which is what I use my bike for. Yes, it charges quickly (1 hour 40 minutes), and from a standard three-pin plug, but doing that every 40 miles would make any road trip take an absolute age. Oh, and I had to carry the charger cable/pack in a backpack as there is zero storage on the bike, so that’s far from ideal.
I don’t know. I still like it. A lot. I see the appeal, love the styling, admire the technology, and enjoyed my ride. But I know it isn’t for me. Certainly not as a replacement for my GS, anyway.
I will continue to watch with interest as electric bikes are developed even more.
In the Mail
Rohan Tamar Waterproof Overhead Poncho
Gifted item.
I love to try new gear, and this is something quite unusual… a long-length waterproof smock-style coat by outdoor gear specialist Rohan. I must confess, this arrived a while ago, but I’m playing catch up (sincere apologies to Rohan).
The Rohan Tamar is a waterproof overhead poncho designed for wet weather wandering. Ideal for slow-paced hiking and for hobbies such as bird watching or nature photography, it provides complete waterproofing from your head to your knees.
I said yes to reviewing this unusual bit of kit because I really like the idea of it; it could be the perfect ‘I’ll go anyway’ encouragement to get out for lunchtime walks when the weather is pants. But I was very concerned it would look a little bit, er, odd on me – long-line clothing can make me look even shorter and wider than I am. Thankfully, the more I wear this, the more I like the way it looks. Maybe that’s because it is incredibly practical, and that always trumps fashion. Please don’t tell me otherwise.
Being a smock, you put it on over your head – there are two large zips at the sides and one down the centre which make that easy (and provide venting). It comes complete with a detachable case for your OS map, and (apparently) the whole coat converts into a shoulder bag when not in use (I’m yet to try that – I’ll let you know!). There’s also a huge, zipped pocket on the front, which the map case fits inside.
I’m not about to start wearing this on my long day hikes or to walk up mountains, but the Tamar does seem ideal for my One Hour Outsides, especially as we head towards autumn. I’ll let you know how I’m getting on with it in a review soon.
See You Next Time…
I’ll leave this weekly blog episode there and let you get on with your day… Thank you for reading. If you made it this far, I’d love to hear about your favourite sporting moment from the Paris 2024 Olympics. Or maybe you have thoughts on electric motorcycles or knee-length ponchos?!
And if you missed it, my latest Currently Loving post is worth a read (in my humble opinion!). In my list this time I include a new-to-me solid shampoo, a retro watch, the best caramel sauce I’ve ever tasted, a luxurious summer duvet, a couple of motorcycling accessories that kept me happy on my recent trip, and a few other bits and bobs.
See you next time.
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