NAME: Simon Keitch
LOCATION: Devon, UK
OCCUPATION: Photographer

Where do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?
I live in a farming valley right now—the first rural home I’ve had since I was a kid—but it’s about a 15-20 minute ride from Plymouth city centre. The road system in the shopping district is pretty crazy (lots of lanes, lots of traffic lights, and lots of big roundabouts...) which doesn’t make for a pleasant ride but does seem to ensure that cycling is the best way of getting around, and I see more and more people on bikes these days, including a couple of bike messengers who started up business last year. We also have a great cycle route here on an old train track, which takes you out of the city and up to Dartmoor National Park.

What was your favorite city to ride in, and why?
I travel quite a lot for my work but I never have the opportunity to ride in the cities I’m passing through unfortunately; Paris always looks like a fun place to ride a bike, and Gent in Belgium seemed like a great place to live; amazing culture and lots of cool people riding old bikes. Of the few cities I’ve lived and ridden around, Bristol is without a doubt my favorite; the narrow old roads are slow to drive around at best and get gridlocked at rush hour, plus there’s nowhere to park, so a bike is by far the fastest way to get around. The old streets and architecture keep things interesting with plenty of narrow alleys, cobbles, old flights of steps and plenty of short steep hills. Plus, if you get bored of the city you can ride out to the trails within 15 minutes, or get on the cycle path out to Bath for a change of scenery.

Check out www.simonkeitch.com

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