Thank you so much to all who rode with my brother on Friday.
Paul and I were always very different people and never really had many shared interests beyond family, so I must confess that while I knew he was involved with a bike group, I really didn't know much about the group itself.
Paul was always an keen biker. I remember (though not a well as I might) his first bike as a teenager, and even occasionally going with him to ride what was then an abandoned local pit heap. More recently I recall last year coming home from Aycliffe on a Sunday morning and being held up while the Easter Egg run passed by and completely failing to pick him out! Or his stories of road trips in the UK and Europe; bumping into a Top Gear film crew, or dropping the bike in Italy - admittedly probably not the greatest moment, but for some reason it sticks in the memory!
Your escort on Friday left me immensely proud, both of my brother, and of the friends he made. I know that my parents were also very moved by your support on what was a difficult day for us all. It is something I will always remember.
Please pass on my heartfelt thanks to all involved.
Ride safe,
Richard Dowson
