Forum Members' 7 Up

[steverob]

7 - Top of the class at a VERY Catholic primary school (a Nun was headmistress) where me and one other gifted kid were regularly given odd tasks to do elsewhere in the school - something I only realised years later was done so the teachers could concentrate on educating the rest of the class. But at the same time really struggled with my emotional development - I do wonder that if I'd grown up 15 years later, would I have been diagnosed as mildly autistic?

14 - At local grammar school, now a bit closer to the middle of the pack in terms of academia, still not great with "reading" people though which did lead to occasional issues. Suffered a little bit of bullying, but I know others who got it a lot worse, so think I escaped lightly. Also very small for my age - didn't reach my full height until past 18.

21 - Working in the IT department at the local council, a job I pretty much lucked into. Had flunked my A levels cause at 17-18 I finally found a group of people who I could relate to and started having fun with them rather than being a goody two shoes. This put paid to the original plan of going to Uni, so got a temp admin job, which got me an opportunity to show computer skills, then someone in IT left unexpectedly and I was put forward for their role, proved I could do it and they made me permanent. Also at this time discovered my love of foreign travel (having not left the country until I was 16 and flown until I was 19).

28 - Have been married for a year to a woman who I had first met in my early twenties, but for ages we were "just friends", only getting together properly around the millennium. Apparently according to mutual friends after the fact, they said it was clear we were meant to be a couple, but no-one actually bothered to tell either of us and we were blind to it until it happened.

35 - Now two years into commuting to London for work. Had left my comfortable council IT job as I felt I was like I was becoming part of the furniture and coasting through life. Had a major case of imposter syndrome for at least the first 12 months and was really out of my comfort zone, but this ended up being good for me. This was about the time when I started taking up cycling again (was a keen cyclist in my early twenties but had drifted away) although it was another few years before I really took it seriously.

42 - Possibly the most settled time in my life, job going well, still happily married, healthy, lots of worldwide travel, more cycling miles under my belt, chickens being counted...

49 - The present day. Have lurched from one health scare to another over the past few years, mental health has also taken a battering (still on meds for anxiety to this day) but thankfully have a supportive wife who has also had her own health problems in the past. While there have been issues with job security (had to massively change IT specialisms as my previous skills aren't really needed any more thanks to "the cloud") I'm still hanging on in there. Tried and failed to complete a LEJOG ride before my 50th birthday (fell ill halfway through) but still have plans to finish at some point.

 

[Dave7]

As a real oldie I will try to cast my memory back.
Aged 7. Growing up (dragged up) near the docks of Merseyside. Arse hanging out of 'hand me down' pants. Still using ration cards after the war.

Age 14. Hopeless at secondry school. I honestly tried but my mind wasnt capable of retention. Left school aged 15 without a single qualification.

Age 21. Married with a baby girl(planned). Lovely girl/woman and we were together 58 good years. Left a decent job at Cadburys to move to my wife's home town of Warrington.
After this the years blur a bit

Age 28. lots of short term jobs. 2nd child, a boy, also planned.

Age 35. Got a decent job which got me into sales. Our 1st 3 bed semi.

Age42. Moved to a company that was part of a big group (eventually owned by Shell. Progressed well and became European sales manager/divisional manager.
My claims to fame
A) 1st person to dvelope rubbish chutes (yes, the red ones hanging off buildings) in the UK.
B) Developed 'free standing edge protection' for working on flat roofs.
C) 1st person to import telescopic ladders into Britain.
All thise while working for the group.

Aged 49. As above

Age 56. Started my own company making and selling A&B above.
Kids grown up. Nice grandchildren. No complaints family wise apart from the expect/normal ones.

Aged 63. Retired. Had joined CC. Got lots of good advice and bought my 1st good bike.

Aged 70. All was rosy. We both had good health. Family were all fine with normal problems.

Aged 77. Every thing had by then gone 'tits up'. I had been wrecked by long covid which has no cure. Cant cycle and was on a zimmer for a long time**.
Sue, light of my life passed away. I had let the family move into the house and I downsized to a nice but compact flat....I am really comfy here.
**lots of light excercise has got me enjoying walking now.
Will be 80 come February. Wish I believed in an after life but I dont.
So........here endeth my generally very happy 70up, hope its not bored you.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

7 primary school in my native Birmingham
14 riding my bike to school
21 time trials and road racing, using my 15 mile each way commute to college as training
28 still riding time trials and road racing, also now audax. Living in Derby.
35 married and living in Edinburgh, time trials, road racing, audax and now touring with my wife.
42 as above without the racing
49 as above without the touring and audax
56 as above and now retired
63 awaiting me next year.

 

[MontyVeda]

7 - Thoroughly enjoying my childhood/junior school
14 - Thoroughly hating high school
21 - Became a hippie
28 - Still a hippie, 'working' as a carer
35 - Still a hippie but with a haircut. working in IT
42 - Still working in IT but in need of a career change
49 - Working in retail. Much more secure/stable than IT
56 - Need a career change. Decided to follow in my father's footsteps. Got a career change
Now... 57 and a half - As a result of the career change I'm about to buy my first house.

 

[Webbo2]

7. Primary school in Headingley Leeds. Happy time.
14. Secondary school in Leeds I passed my 11 plus but left grammar school after a year as I hated it. Been of hard time as I got grief from some teachers for being a skinhead.
21. Now unemployed and Rock climbing full time. Signing on then catch the bus down to the Peak District for 5 days climbing.
28. Still a climbing dirtbag, 3 trips to the states and several to Europe. Usually working in the winter to save for summers climbing.
35. Now 5 years married to the wonderful Mrs W and 4 years in to my nursing career. No longer climbing, now cycling and having competed in TT, road races and cyclocross. Currently doing triathlons , including an Ironman. Also Yorkshire short course triathlon champion in age group 30 to 35.
42. Still nursing and been a charge nurse for some years. Now mountainbiking having gone back to climbing but stopped again due injury.
49. Now have a daughter Aylish aged 6.Back climbing but cycling as well.
56. Still working, climbing and cycling.
63. Now retired and myself and Mrs W have a grandson Cameron aged 5. Still cycling and climbing.
70. Now being married to Mrs W for forty wonderful years. Still managing to climb and ride but have had to have achilles and both shoulders repaired.

 

[gbb]

oof, some of these will be approximations..
7. Quiet, introverted, hated school, possibly at RAF Wyton, cant remember clearly.
14. At RAF Syerston Notts,, still never really liked school, but LOVED the environment and countrside around the mothballed airbase. The world really was your oyster, endless days just doing your own thing. Model gliders and powered aircraft models, fishing, exploring, fabulous times.
21. Married, starting a young family...young. had already moved to Peterborough, in my first of many years in engineering, loved the environment, workshop life etc, still considered myself a quiet person.
28. Still in the same job, always expanding responsibilities, still loved it.
35. Ditto
42. Now on the tools , learning a whole new career in engineering, loved it, scared at the same time, how on earth do you learn everything ?
Wife and myself had now started travelling / holidaying reasonably extensively.
49. Same company, now travelling various countries around the world, installing equipment, training people to use it etc.
56. Same industry, new company, new premises, new technology which was hard.
63. Same company. Again, my role evolved, i was effectively running and under managing the whole engineering setup almost singlehandedly ( reporting up for more serious stuff)
In a year and a half i will be 70, widowed, retired, but finding (already found to a degree) a love of outdoors and photography.

 

[Donger]

Age 7: Happy childhood in Hagley, Worcs. Massively bigger than any other kid in the school. Came out of a serious car crash in my dad's Standard Ensign without a scratch on me.

Age 14: Not so happy at grammar school in Brum. Not allowed to play football at school, but was forced to play rugby (2nd row) and hated it. Never got bullied as I was bigger than any of the sixth formers, let alone anyone my own age. Had some early success as a shot-putter. My dad was in the process of planning his retirement and bought a house in Gloucestershire. During the week we lived in college grounds two bus rides from school and at weekends lived in Glos, so never got to hang out much with friends in Brum. Taught me self-reliance.

Age 21: Doing geography at Birmingham Uni, putting in the minimum effort and spending much of my time playing snooker and attending football matches. A lifelong love of Birmingham City FC began a couple of years ago.

Age 28: Just married and off to Florida for three weeks. Had recently bought a pokey little terrace house in Gloucester and an absolutely rubbish (who knew?) Austin Maestro together. Had an endowment mortgage (who knew?) and a Betamax video (who knew?). Worked as an office drone in the civil service because it came with plenty of annual leave and it was better than my first job in "Bedybuys" bed shop..

Age 35: Now a slightly more senior office drone in the civil service, driving a Ford Escort. At home I was appointed by my missus to the role of Cat Litter Monitor ... a job which was to last for a couple of decades.

Age 42: Now in a middle management/office drone job in civil service, living in a nicer detached house that we still live in today. Planted a tiny palm tree a couple of years back .... that we brought home in the footwell of our Honda. By 2026 it is about 20 feet tall. Saw the Blues finally make it to the Premier League and hand out a good stuffing to the Villa.

Age 49: Half way through a stressful 6 year period of elder care, looking after my declining parents and my inlaws, while my job underwent a massive phase of change and I was doing much more complex casework at work. I took up cycling to keep me sane and lose weight to avoid having a heart attack or a stroke. Bought my first rode bike (a Saracen Skyline) from a colleague and my journey twice around the world (distance-wise) began.

Age 56: By now I had discovered Audaxing and was riding my first Ridgeback Panorama touring bike. Took it with me on every holiday and formed a love of cycling abroad and taking on big climbs in the mountains (despite being a 20 stoner). Had gone part time a few years back as soon as the mortgage was paid off. No parents or in-laws any more. Much more free time for cycling. Still a Blues fan, but no longer bother to drive up to Brum for home games very often. At least I got to see them win the League Cup and play in Europe.

Age 63: I left work a few years back. Just walked away and lived off savings for a year and a half until my civil service pension kicked in. Best decision I ever made. The missus followed suit a few months later. Now riding my current (second) Ridgeback Panorama that has got me up a few big Alps thanks to the granny gear. Took a while to regain fitness after covid, but the cycling must have helped my recovery. Have given up Audaxing and Metric Century Challenge rides, concentrating on shorter but more enjoyable rides exploring places I've never ridden before. Now much slower on the hills and taking tactical photo breaks on the way, but I just treat every new climb I manage as a new veterans' super-heavyweight record. I have still never met a larger cyclist.

 

[wakemalcolm]

7 - I had life sorted in suburban Newcastle. A pathway of grammar school, university and a career in architecture loomed. I'd just cracked learning to ride a bike embarrassingly late too on my RSW14.

14 - Moved to smoggier climes. Realised that girls were very confusing (but so was I), I couldn't draw for toffee and my East German 5 speed racer was rubbish

21 - Got kicked out of university for the trivial offence of not passing exams: imagine? Got my work ethic together to keep up with my Uni friends. Being English in Scotland made me an acquired taste with the ladies which they mostly didn't acquire. Still, I owned a 531 tourer and my bike peers were great company

28 - stumbled into a marketing/tech job by accident. Had been in and out of a long term relationship which at the time left me bitter but with hindsight was a huge teachable moment. My MTB acquaintances had turned the sport into a complete arms race and I'd become disinterested in their endless spend on full sus disk braked downhill exotica. Besides, I'd discovered convertible cars and owned a TVR. Climbing and surfing seemed more fun

35 - somehow Mrs Wakemalcolm had come into my life. A great woman who shared my outlook on life and enjoyed climbing and cycling; the alpes beckoned and 2 Thorn tourers were secured.

42 - 2 daughters and a burley trailer appeared; the last of my inappropriate cars was traded for a motorhome. Somehow managed to convince BigFinance to pay me loads of money in exchange for not working for them anymore. Immediately went off to work for BigFinance2 as a contractor.

49 - having agreed that I wouldn't go back to education until I knew what I wanted to do with my life, I realised that what I really wanted to do was retire, so I did. Left much more time for cycling and general outdoors stuff with Mrs Wakemalcolm whilst the kids were at school. I occasionally went back to contract at BigFinance3 especially during lockdowns.

56 - rediscovered my love for bicycle camping after 40 years and found it had been rebranded as bikepacking. It's currently a solo exploit as Mrs Wakemalcolm and I are adjusting the fact that whilst the kids don't want to holiday with us, they can't be left alone unless the scout association intervene, which they have on a few occasions.

63 & 70? To be seen but they don't seem that far away. Those young adults I first encountered as a kid on 21 up somehow seem to be at a similar stage of life to me.

 

[Beebo]

This documentary has been a lovely constant in my life. I first discovered it in the early 1990s when the participants were 35 and I was probably around 15. At the time it in was a great comfort to me seeing how they had all transitioned from awkward teenagers into successful adulthood. I have followed them ever since, always 20 years behind.


7 - lived in a village in Surrey with parents and younger brother. I attended local primary school and played rugby for local minis team.

14 - still at same house with parents and brother, but moved to private school. Played school rugby. No girlfriend yet.

21 - Managed to navigate exams and was in my last year at uni. If I’m honest with myself I didn’t take uni very seriously but had the best time. Played uni rugby. No serious girlfriend.

28 - by then I had left home and had moved in with girlfriend in to a small flat in Kent. worked in London, got married that year, played club rugby.

35 - still married, moved to our “forever home” when I was 29 and had a daughter when I was 30 and son at 35. still worked in London. Rugby slowly stopping due to age and injuries. Began cycle commuting around this time.

42 - still married and in same house with daughter and son. First extension completed on house. Still worked in London but different company. Probably at my most stressed juggling money and young children.

49 - still married in same house. But house is now much bigger after 2nd extension, life is less stressful. Daughter in uni, son doing GCSEs. My work is from home so no longer cycle commuting. Now coaching rugby at local club. Sadly both in-laws died in the intervening period. But both my parents are still alive.

Looking back I have had a very stable life. I have been married for 22 years and lived in the same house for 21 years. My friendship group is mainly 6 lads who I have known for over 30 years. My parents still live in the same house for over 45 years.

 

[Toshiba Boy]

7 - Born and brought up on the edge of Coventry to Brummie parents (all Grandparents, Aunties, Uncles and Cousins were in Brum). Lovely housing estate on edge of countryside. Dad had been a Cat 1 Amateur cyclist, I was taught to ride a bike, almost as soon as I could walk. Was at a local Cof E Primary school (can't think why I've been an atheist since the age of 11). At this age, had the classic single speed kids bike (none of those Raleigh Chopper bikes, my Dad didn't consider them "proper bikes").

14 - At local all boys Comprehensive, 3 miles from home. Along with majority of other 1,500 lads at school, rode in every day, come rain, shine or snow. Got my first "racer" 10 speed behemoth bought 2nd hand, loved it. Planned to join the RAF (having been in local Air Training Corps (ATC) squadron from the age of 13).

21 - At the ATC Squadron, best mate's Dad was a NatWest Manager, and he asked me what was my favourite A Level I was taking. Immediately replied Economics. He got me an interview, and by the age of 21 I was doing well, after 3 years in the early part of my banking career. Riding an unknown, but much improved road bike (12 speed, whoop!). Was 2 years into a relationship that turned into my first marriage. Rode Coventry to Lands End and back with a work mate, over 6 days, raising money for cancer research.


28 - Been married 5 years and had a 4 year old son. Junior bank manager, living in South Warwickshire. Commuting c30 miles a day (road bike), and at weekends Sunday morning rides and various Sportives, mostly 100's, with best mate and my Dad (who was then aged mid 50's).

35 - similar to 28, other than now in a more senior management role, and spending a lot of time taking my now 11 year old son to swimming training and galas. Now had a commuting road bike, a "training" road bike and a "best" road bike.

42 - Moved to West Somerset, as now had a regional manager banking role, responsible for the SW of England. Son, decided not to go to University, and joined ..... the banking industry. Still 3 roadbikes, and, in light of where I now lived, my first ever MTB. ...1 year away from joining Cyclechat....

49 - Huge changes, myself and my first wife went our separate ways (no one else involved) some years earlier. I had met a fantastic lady, and after being together 4 years, we married when I was 49. Between us, we had 3 sons, mine and my older stepson had left home, younger stepson about to go off to University. Had moved to a Scandanvian bank, covering Somerset. Stable now; 4 road bikes, 2 MTBs and a fixie (for commuting). Also did some short course triathlons.

56 - Still working for same Bank, nearing end of my career (I retired at age 60). All 3 lads now long left home, and doing very well in their respective careers (banking, professional sportsman and a baker). Stable now 11 bikes, with addition of a further pair of beautiful steel frame late 1980's road bikes, a gravel bike and my youngest stepson's old MTB that he'd used at Uni (he now commutes on a lovely fixie in London) which remains my "go to the shops" bike (8 mile round trip along coast path).

63 - Next year .....

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

7 - Managed to ruin a tent with projectile vomiting from drinking too much hot chocolate whilst on holiday in France.

You win the thread

Ok then, what other slightly ignominious ones can I think of?

14 - There were so many, but... I slipped on a toilet floor and landed on the toilet, breaking the toilet seat with my bum. Yes, really!

21 - I was quite accident prone and I fell off a small cliff in Germany, but not just anywhere in Germany, at Hitler's 'Eagles Nest' near the Austrian border!

I landed badly but was conscious the entire time.
I got up to walk away and wondered when it had started to rain. It was the blood dripping past my eyes.

There was only a narrow road up to the place with dedicated buses so as to control access, etc. They had to stop them all just let the ambulance up and down specially for me, I was not very popular!!

I like to say that the ghost of Hitler pushed me.

28 - I had my large intestine removed (as mentioned previously) in an emergency operation

It was the last day I ever farted. 💨

35 - I genuinely cannot think, which is possibly the worst answer of all!

42 - I was waiting to learn what the answer to life, the universe and everything was, but I must have been in the bog or something when they said.