The great escape

Every time I post a photo of a bike riding away from the camera — just a tail light, an open stretch of tarmac, and a bend ahead — my inbox fills up. It's quietly become one of the most requested shots I take, and I finally worked out why.

## It's not a photo of a bike

A bike on its stand in a car park is just a bike parked up. Nothing's happening. But that's not what a bike is built for — it's built to disappear round the next bend. That's a photo of someone leaving all of life's nonsense behind for a couple of hours.

## The therapy nobody prescribes

We spend half our lives in meetings about emails, reading emails about meetings, or side-eyeing whatever bill just landed on the mat. Then the helmet goes on, the bike drops into first, and all of it just... stops. You can't check your phone leaning into a corner. You can't think about the in-tray when you're 100% focused on the road ahead.

It's the best therapy going. Admittedly not a cheap one, once you've paid for the bike, the tax, the insurance and the petrol — but cheaper than the therapist, and with better scenery.

## What people are actually buying

That's what people are actually buying when they ask for that shot. Not a picture of a bike. A picture of the exact moment everything else went quiet.

## Catch me on your route

The weather's actually decent at the moment — well, decent for Britain. Dry roads, no excuse for the bike to still be under a sheet. If you spot me perched in a stupid little chair on your route, give me a wave.

Because if I catch you in that exact moment — heading off into the distance, not a care in the world — that's the shot that ends up framed on the wall. Not a January daydream. Just proof you did the thing while everyone else was stuck in the meeting.

Tag someone who always says "no" when you suggest bunking work for the day and going for a ride — the person who really needs one.

Browse the Bike Gallery on the homepage to see if I've already caught your escape, or follow along on Facebook or Instagram (links above) — that'll give you better odds of getting caught mid-escape. I won't tell if you don't.