Denise Mina is one of Scotland’s leading crime writers. The Glasgow-born author and playwright penned the acclaimed Garnethill trilogy as well as the hugely successful Paddy Meehan series and a quintet of Alex Morrow novels of which the latest – Blood, Salt, Water – is published this month. She can regularly be spotted pedalling through the streets of her home city.
How old were you when you learned to ride a bike?
About nine. My bike was a Raleigh Stowaway and I had it until I was about 26. I don’t think I ever pumped up the tyres, changed the brake pads or oiled the chain during that time. When I got my advance for Garnethill I bought a new bike and it felt like a jet pack.
What are your earliest memories of cycling?
Pink cherry trees in blossom. My big sister’s voice shouting: “Don’t look down!” Seeing a smear of grey, glittering asphalt below me and crashing. The Raleigh Stowaway had a handle that stuck up in a reproductively-threatening place and it was incredibly painful. I don’t think I’ve ever crashed since.
What was your first bike?
A racing green Raleigh Stowaway. We moved a lot and the Stowaway was a precursor to the Brompton. It had a handle in the middle of the frame that you could unscrew so that the bike folded in half and could fit in the boot of a car.
The bell had “Chichester” on it because we bought one for my sister and got mine when we went to visit our cousins there.
What kind of bike do you own now?
A Retrovelo steel frame bike with Fat Frank wheels. It’s a beautiful bike and a constant source of joy.
How would you describe your cycling style?
Mumsy.
Who is your favourite cyclist?
I don’t really follow cycling. I don’t like competitive sport. For me, it’s all about the subjective experience of being on a bike. It’s a way of being alone and in the moment. And getting shopping.
What is your motto on the bike?
Careful now.
Name your all-time ultimate cycling moment?
Cycling through a snow storm at night down Bath Street to Charing Cross in Glasgow. I had little mounds of snow on my trainer toes and my eyelashes were covered in snow. The city was completely silent.
What is your favourite route?
There’s a route through Hyde Park, but I might just love it because of the break from London traffic. Cycling is very different down there. It’s bad tempered and I’m always glad to get off the road. The East-West Cycle Superhighway along the Thames is fantastic at night. During the day it’s horrible. It’s like being part of an army of sanctimonious Daily Mail readers in unattractive Lycra.
What is top of your cycling bucket list?
I’d like to cycle in Amsterdam but find it terrifying.
How has owning a bike changed your life?
It makes me slow down, be in the moment and has saved me a fortune. I have to go on the bike most the time because I can’t work out how long it would take me to get anywhere on a train/in a car.
What is your top cycling tip?
Drivers will get annoyed with you. Accept it. Deal with that and don’t get annoyed back. It’s good practice and you can take it into other areas of your life.
Take up space in the road: don’t hang into the side. Never, ever sneak up the inside lane.
Blood, Salt, Water by Denise Mina is published in hardback by Orion, priced £14.99. You can follow Denise on Twitter at @DameDeniseMina
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here