NED Boulting is a journalist, best-selling author and ITV’s Tour de France correspondent. He will be touring with his show BIKEOLOGY later this year and comes to the Playhouse at Whitley Bay on November 7.
In his 13 summers of donning the yellow jersey for ITV's Tour de France coverage Ned has witnessed the popularity and profile of cycling ascend dramatically into the nation’s consciousness. Following a decade of Olympic track and Grand Tour road cycling triumphs for British riders, BIKEOLOGY harnesses the national interest in these now-household names, and celebrates the huge rise in the British public’s participation at all levels of cycling, "with an almost unhealthy - but downright amusing - obsession with frames, saddles and all things bike".
Tickets for BIKEOLOGY are available at venue box offices and through Amazon Tickets or Ticketmaster.
Follow Ned on Twitter @nedboulting
Why do you cycle?
For every conceivable reason. Pollution, noise, emotional well-being, peace, health, economy, pleasure, efficiency, delight, happiness. We are on the cusp of a genuine cycling revolution – imagine the benefits if more people were to cycle!
What do you ride?
I have three bikes. A posh carbon one, a beautiful track bike and my everyday bike, with a bell, mudguards, loads of chipped paint and filthy handlebar tape. It’s made up from all sorts of second hand bits and bobs. A proper mongrel. I love it.
Tell me about your favourite route?
It changes constantly. Right now I’m a bit obsessed with the segregated “superhighway” built along the Thames in Central London. It runs all the way from Tower Bridge to Westminster, and it is an oasis of calm delight. In terms of the perception of cycling in the capital, it has the potential to be a game changer.
Tell me about your best cycling memory?
As a reporter at the Tour de France, I will always remember Bradley Wiggins producing the ride of his life (to that point) in Andorra in 2009, only to find that, when he got to the finish line up the mountain, his team car was locked, and he had nowhere to even sit down. Then it started raining. That always struck me as a very Tour de France image. It’s a frighteningly amateur sport sometimes.
What do you consider your most important piece of cycling equipment?
A bell. Without a bell, you’re a noiseless assassin.
If you could cycle anywhere where would that be?
I’d love to ride the length of the Rhine and the Danube. From Rotterdam to the Black Sea. Now THAT would be an adventure.
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