Since I told him I had bought a bike, my son Jamie has been sending these messages.

He does not say where he gets them from. I don’t think he makes them up himself but I could be wrong. He adds them to texts or emails, sometimes with a little bicycle emoji.

“Learn how to do controlled climbs by anticipation, setting the right gears in advance and maintaining a good cadence”.

“A person who can ride and maintain a bicycle and operate a personal navigation system is a person who can act and think freely.”

“Mind and body are not distinct. The body informs the brain. Freedom of movement and freedom of thought are the same. Setting an original course and mastering it is the physical partner of original thought. They are complementary.”

“Our brains and bodies carry a history of old instinctive behaviours which can make us angry, provincial, intolerant and stupid. Our cortex regulates and moderates them. To maintain that discipline we need fit bodies and good cortical training.”

“When you exercise or practice to perfection you take charge, you redirect old instincts, you annul the old brain.”

“Physical exercise brings the brain and body together. It stimulates the growth of new brain cells and delays the hardening of arteries. It’s a key part of body maintenance.”

“Many important human activities are social but original thinkers need time to walk alone.”

Jamie is a very unusual man. We were always concerned about Jamie. This gives me something I can share with him. I am glad.

I bought a Garmin bicycle computer and will learn how to use it.