"Terry - I thought you might consider posting the following, regards, Steve Richardson"

(of our pals, The Reivers)

This isn't a ride report, this wasn't a club ride; this was to bear testimony, to share in Dave Kilburn's final ride to find a resting place for him in the Cheviot Hills. Derek and Steve set off from Dave's Burradon home and met Dave Howcroft (Fatboy from here), Tom and Mick at Alwinton. This was Dave's back garden, his playground, he lived here, walked, fished  and rode. It was a beautiful summer's day. Right now Siobhan doesn't want to know where we laid Dave's ashes - so little detail of the ride will be given here. We rode an anticlockwise loop out of Alwinton, returning through Barrowburn. Tom instinctively appreciated the spirit of the day, stopping to look and enjoy the hills and to collect flowers to mark Dave's resting place. The spot we found just naturally commanded our attention, spoke of its rightness, being natural, beautiful and somewhere Dave both knew and loved. We said goodbye and laid Siobhan's flowers and also Tom's. Thanks Tom for choosing the route and for the flowers. Fatboy isn't yet back to full health but toiled with good humour on long hot climbs. Mick is exclusively a roadie - one of some pedigree- but he knows and loves these hills as much as Dave did, he coped, I'm so glad he came. Thanks for the chocolate cake Derek (no he didn't bake it) Dave and Siobhan were/are tremendously fond of you. Dave was one of the genuinely good guys, authentic, decent, intelligent, generous in many ways to many people. He was easy to like, he was easy to love. Dave was an adventurer, a traveller, I like to think that he's travelling still. I will always miss him.
 
Steve