Celebrity cyclists

Cycling is fast becoming  one of the most fashionable ways of keeping fit amongst the celebrity world .

Madonna has become a keen cyclist and incorporates a few spins into her fitness regime each week . Colin Farrell is regularly spotted out on his bike training around the Toluca lake area of Los Angeles. Another famous Irish actor , James Bond star  Pierce Brosnan rides a Specialized S-Works Epic to keep fit .

Sheryl Crowe , although no longer engaged to Lance Armstrong continues to do  a number of 100k plus spins each week . Donald Trump’s ex wife Marla Maples has also become a keen cyclist and is a regular on the roads of The Pacific Coast Highway .

Speaking of Marla Maples and Donald Trump , I remember hearing a number of years ago about an encounter a Taxi driver had with the couple on the Long Island Expressway .

The taxi driver was returning to Manhattan after dropping off a fare in Long Island when he spotted a stretch limo stopped at the side of the freeway . The driver complete with top hat was gesticulating frantically for someone to stop to help him . The taxi driver pulled over whilst thousands drove on by . As he got out the limo driver asked him for a loan of his Jack as the one in the limo had broken .

The taxi driver got out his jack and helped the limo driver to change the wheel which had punctured . As they were finishing up the rear window of the limo glided down to reveal Donald Trump and Marla Maples inside . ‘ The Donald’ thanked the taxi driver and had his cheque book out with a cheque drawn up for one thousand dollars . He asked the driver what his name was so that he could make the cheque out to him . But the driver said that there was no need for that and that he was just doing a good deed .

Trump then thanked him for his graciousness and asked if there was anything else that he could do for him . The driver mentioned that it would be his Wedding anniversary the following week and that if a bunch of flowers from Donald Trump and Marla Maples were to arrive at his house in Brooklyn that it would really make his wife very happy . Trump took down the address and said ‘consider it done ‘ , and they each went on their way .

A week or so later on the day of the Taxi drivers anniversary a huge bouquet of flowers arrived with a large card attached . Inside the card was a hand written note from Donald and Marla wishing the couple well and telling the wife how lucky she was to have such a fine husband . There was also another sheet of paper in the card . It was a note from their bank manager stating that their mortgage had been cleared , courtesy of Donald Trump and Marla Maples .

Sometimes it pays to be a good Samaritan .

Another help-full couple are husband and wife team , Mark Kiely and Rachel Quirke both level 3 cycling coaches of which there are only five in total in Ireland . Mark , Rachel and their three children were recently on holiday in Scotland when they had an unusual encounter .

They were travelling along an isolated mountain road in their Fiat Multipla , all loaded down with the full compliment of baggage for a family of five on holiday when they happened upon a cyclist standing at the side of the road flagging them down . Mark noticed the steel frame all decked out in old campag with down-tube shifters before he noticed the rider . The big tall hairy woolly legging-ed clad cyclist explained that he had punctured a tubular and as he had no spare asked if they could give him a lift home .

Never ones to see a cyclist in trouble Mark and Rachel hoisted the twenty year old bike up onto the roof and it was only when he sat in to the car that they took a good look at their new companion . It was none other than ‘The big yin’ himself , Billy Connolly .

As they headed off down the road with Mark and Billy having their arms out the windows holding onto the bike up on the roof Rachel’s only concern was that Mark , never one to be short of a quick one liner himself , would begin telling Billy Connolly some of his jokes .

However they were soon outside the doors of Candacraig House with Billy Connolly asking them in for tea . Graciously they declined the offer as they were already late for their Holiday booking . Although they did see him again a number of times during their stay when they received a big wave and a flash of the headlights from the comedian as he recognised the Irish registered Multipla which would have been an unusual sight on the roads of Abeerdeenshire .

So I guess the lesson is to stop whenever you see anybody in trouble at the side of the road as you never know just who you might meet .

 Barry

www.worldwidecycles.com