Welcome Aboard, George!
Hello, I’m George. Lover of bikes, coffee and Cornwall. I’m the Shop and Rental Manager here at Ride On, and since I’m the one most of you will be dealing with when you hire a bike from us, I thought I’d let you know a little bit about me!
I was born in Cornwall and grew up living in Penwith. I have always loved the outdoors and spent a lot of my childhood hiking and surfing. But in particular, I loved cycling! Growing up, cycling around West Cornwall has given me an extensive knowledge of routes in the area, but just as important, I’ve learnt where all the best cake stops are, since most of my bike rides involved stopping and refueling with coffee and cake!
I discovered my love for multi-day riding when I cycled the John O’Groats to Land’s End route at the age of 13. I have been on several other cycling adventures since then – from bike packing unsupported across The Netherlands to multi day cycle tours around Mallorca. While these adventures featured some stunning scenery, I have always found myself drawn back to Cornwall; Penwith in particular.
Over the years I have cycled the majority of the roads and tracks around the area, so I can advise on routes if you want to see or do anything in particular. My absolute favourite part of Penwith is the coastal road that connects between St Ives and St Just. Not only is it made of lovely smooth tarmac, but it also allows you to cruise between Cornwall’s old mining heritage sites such as Zennor, Pendeen and Botallack, sites made famous by the BBC drama, Poldark! This mining landscape has exceptional views over the north cliff and rolling moorland sections where wild ponies and cattle roam. There are also many opportunities to stop off for coffee, cake or lunch (Gurnards Head, Tinners Arms) and you can grab an ice cream from the famous Moomaid ice cream parlour in Zennor if you still have room.
Personally, I have acquired several bikes over the years (I won’t list them all for my own safety – my partner might be reading this!); the formula I use for the number of bikes you should own is n+1 (n being the number of bikes you currently own). Owning several bikes can mean a lot of time is spent caring for them, at times I could probably be accused of spending more time cleaning and maintaining them than I do riding some of them. That said, I gain great satisfaction from fixing and servicing my bikes since I started riding them, not only did this save money but it gave me the skills required to fix any issues on the bike should the dreaded happen when out on a track or road in the middle of nowhere. I take pride in maintaining and servicing the bikes here at Ride On so they are always ready and running beautifully for the next booking.
When given the chance to come on board with the Ride On team, I leapt at the opportunity. The Super 73 E-bikes that we rent and sell are truly unique, and offer a bespoke experience in touring around Penwith. The Super 73’s allow you to cruise the local area with ease and even take in the scenery without building up too much of a sweat if you don’t want to. They can even go off-road along the many stunning beaches of Penwith – though the bike mechanic in me cries a little every time they come back covered in sand, it’s really good to know that the bikes have been enjoyed to their full potential.
Being the resident “Bike Geek” here at Ride On, I enjoy talking about the bikes as much as riding them, so if you want to chat about the bikes, routes and Cornwall, drop in for a coffee, give us a call on 01872 888777 or email us on [email protected]