Tales on wheels: people’s stories continue to build the Bendigo cycling community. Photo courtesy Bike Bendigo
By Edward Barkla
The incomparable storyteller, Terry Pratchett, once said: people think that stories are shaped by people; in fact, it’s the other way around. It’s not just people, but communities that are shaped by stories and that’s certainly true of the cycling community in Bendigo. It grows and develops as we share our individual stories of the joy of riding, and each story excites someone to engage or participate.
So what makes a great story? You do. Every story has a you in it and every story is told to make an impression on all the other yous in our community.
Of course there are some whose motto seems to be: never let the truth get in the way of a good story. We’ve certainly all heard the cycling story that, like the best fishing yarns, is an embellishment of the truth. On the other hand, some struggle to share a good story because what’s actually true sounds too implausible to be taken seriously.
Some in our cycling community are born storytellers. They capture our imagination and we hang on each word they utter. They share the colours, depth and breadth of the setting, and transport us so thoroughly into the moment that we live their story with them. There are others whose stories are a short and succinct one-page sketch, but we’d do well not to dismiss them. Hidden in the bare bones can be untold wisdom for those willing to listen.
Learning to listen to a story without reservation is the key to allowing it to shape us and mould our thinking. A story can act as a yardstick allowing us to measure how far we’ve come, or how far we have yet to go. It can mirror our own biases, holding them up to us so we recognise that we might need to broaden our thinking. Likewise, a story can challenge our ingrained prejudices, suggesting new ways to think, holding open gates to new avenues to explore. And in some of those avenues, we form new relationships.
Storytelling is not just folklore, it’s not just tripping down memory lane. Stories are very much about the here and now, linking lives across the community. I love listening to people tell their stories and, more often than not, find we are more closely connected than we realise.
At the end of another year, I want to thank everyone who’s been willing to share their stories in the hope they inspire someone else. Inspire them to try something they’ve always wanted to do. Inspire them to reach out and make a connection. Inspire them to face life with courage.
Looking forward to seeing you on the road soon, God willing.
Life on a bike in Bendigo 