Who am I? Good question. Let’s keep things short. I’m in my mid-thirties and am passionate about cycling, writing and photography.
As many children, I started off cycling with a small bike with stabilisers which I rode around furiously when the opportunity presented itself. I vaguely remember the stabilisers coming off and wobbling around on two wheels. Things then stagnated a bit, having a few of the mandatory mountain bikes whose tyres rarely found their way off the tarmac.
In my early twenties, I received a hybrid bike as a gift. On this I discovered an interest for pushing a little further and faster, and I simply enjoyed cruising along country roads.
Things then stagnated again for about 8 years due to my studies and work. In 2019, I dug out my hybrid bike from the basement and started riding again. The bug bit and shortly afterwards I bought myself a road bike. 10 days later, this was sadly wrecked in an unfortunate crash with a van. In its place I begrudgingly bought another road bike, christened it Hamish, and this is where my blog starts.
How do I use this blog?
The idea of writing about cycling and my experiences seemed to offer huge creative potential. In my blog, you will follow my journey from being someone who can ride a bike fairly well, and reaching out into unknown territory. This includes starting into the adrenaline fueled world of amateur bike racing, pushing myself harder and longer on some long-distance tours, and perhaps trying out some new experiences – let’s see where this adventure takes us.
My aim however is to share my experiences, the lessons I learn on the way, and hopefully inspire you to get started in cycling, try racing or audaxes, or even just have a good read by providing high quality writing and storytelling, nice photos, and perhaps the odd video.
So, where do you start?
You can flick though my old posts here, these are in reverse chronological order.
A part of this blog is devoted to racing – I write stories about various races I’ve tried such as sportives and time trials, and anything competitive.
Another part is about adventure riding – I’ve developed an interest in longer distance rides, including audax, ultraendurance and just touring. You might enjoy my biggest adventure so far: Berlin-Munich-Berlin.
As a bike commuter and racer, over the last 3 years I’ve bought various bikes, clothes and gadgets. I’m often asked about these by friends and other cyclists, so I’ve written some reviews on my kit.
I’ve also written some stories about cycling as well as opinion pieces. For everything else, check the categories!
Why MuddyTweed?
We all know how important a name is, especially when it is a brand of sorts. On one hand, I prefer using my nom de plume rather than my real name. It certainly lends an air of mystery and panache.
On another hand, the tweed fabric plays an important role in my heritage, and I have a fair amount of it lying around. In the spirit of things being best when used, I find tweed is best – not when it is new and crisp – but when it is worn in and muddy. Despite the bucolic connotations and warmth, perhaps the name MuddyTweed captures the spirit of rolling up one’s sleeves and getting stuck in the thick of things, an adage which I’m sure many would agree sums me up fairly well.
Dear reader, please enjoy my blog and don’t forget to leave a friendly comment.
– MuddyTweed
MuddyTweed.com 