Interview
My bike & I Dermot Murnaghan The Sky News presenter chats to LC about commuter cycling, triathlon training and his perfect day on two wheels Do you remember your very first time on a bike? Can you tell us about it? Does a three-wheeler count? I remember a photograph of me at about the age of two on a bright red, largewheeled one with a box on the back. What about your first two-wheeler? What memories do you have of that? I learnt to ride on two wheels in the Odeon cinema car park opposite my house in York. I got my first proper bike when I was five or six for Christmas. I only had it for a day – it was nicked out of our garden shed, along with my brothers’ shiny new bikes on Boxing Day. I still want it back. What sort of bike do you enjoy getting around on these days? I’ve got two. A sturdy bomb-proof old British Eagle for general riding about town. I rode it for years with the original knobbly mountain bike tyres on, but recently converted to something narrower, slicker and higher pressure – it’s made a huge difference to my commuting times. My other bike is for my feeble triathlon attempts – it’s an Evans Pinnacle. Tell us more about your day-to-day cycling. I have two types of regular rides. (The first is) commuting into town. Do I enjoy it? Depends on the weather and the mood of the drivers I encounter. For triathlon training, it’s usually laps around Regent’s or Richmond Park. Where else in the capital do you enjoy riding your bike? Any of the sights in central London early in the morning when the traffic’s light and you can have a bit of a stare. What do you think is the best thing about being a cyclist? Flexibility, health and immunity to traffic jams. Do you consider yourself a good cyclist? I suppose so – I try not to endanger myself or pedestrians. Do you have any pet hates when it comes to cycling? Rather predictably, many forms of my fellow four-wheeled road users. As a regular car driver myself, I think riding a bike in traffic should be a compulsory part of the driving test to teach awareness. I’m also not too keen on other cyclists who seem to think they can scatter pedestrians willy nilly. It gives us all a bad name. Can you tell us about your idea of a perfect day on two wheels? One where the internal combustion engine has suffered a mysterious virus. You took part in a charity ride from London to Paris this year – how did you become involved in the ride? Through a friend John Skok who mentioned it to me and the fantastic charity it’s supporting – CHASE hospice care for children.
“Even if you’re not really feeling like a serious training session, a brief spin on the bike does you the power of good” What preparations did you do for the ride? Laps around Regent’s Park or Richmond Park acclimatising my nether regions to hours in the saddle. Was that your longest ride? By far. You’ve also done the London Triathlon for charity. If you had to choose between cycling, running and swimming, which would it be? Watching it on the TV ... Seriously? As a late convert to proper cycling, I’d have to say the bike – it’s so varied. And even if you’re not really feeling like a serious training session, a brief spin on the bike does you a power of good. If you could ride off into the sunset on your bike, where would you ride to? Anywhere with a beach and a bar serving the perfect pint of draught Guinness at the end.
ABOUT DERMOT MURNAGHAN Dermot Murnaghan presents Sky News weekdays from 9am-1pm and Eggheads, a quiz show, for BBC2. Prior to joining Sky, he anchored BBC Breakfast for five years and fronted ITV news bulletins for 11 years. He is married with four children and lives in north London. He is a supporter of the Chase hospice care for children, and this year took part in the charity’s annual cycle fundraiser to Paris. CHASE supports families with children and young people who are not expected to live to reach their 19th birthday. Visit the CHASE website at www.chasecare.org.uk to find out more.
50 August/September 2008 LONDON CYCLIST
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