The rise of the over 50s.

One thing I've noticed lately. There's more and more old 'uns going past me as I take photos from my little chair in the hedge. No offence to the kids (I love you and the photos you buy) but with the baby vroomers I get:

1. No wheelies. No riding like your tail's on fire when the lights change trying to prove something to a seventeen-year-old in a hot hatch. Just a calm nod going past, like they've got nothing left to prove and know it.

2. They're not racing each other either. They want their mates beside them, the scenery, and an actual coffee stop, not a personal best. They've quietly unlocked the real Easy Rider dream. Not the weird drug-fuelled version with the drama in it; the good one.

3. It's never about being seen. Ask why they ride and it's never "the thrill". It's closer to "the only two hours all week where nobody wants anything from me." Bikes get you in the papers at seventeen and out of your own head at fifty. Funny how that works.

4. The number of over-55s passing their motorcycle test has gone up more than 80% in the last five years, and test passes specifically at age 60 have more than doubled over that period. And I think that's fantastic.

And before anyone says I'm talking about someone else, I'm a paid-up member of the silver riders myself. Smiles and Miles is my mantra. Never "drop a gear and disappear". I ride a Harley. Best I can do is "drop a gear. Shit. I'm still here".

People still think a bike at fifty is a midlife crisis. It's not. It's the bit where you stop needing to impress anyone and go and have a nice time instead. Just passed your test? Let's see what you've got. Bonus points if I took your photo.

Follow along and I'll be out shooting most weekends. Decent odds I catch you mid-grin.