I catch the train in to the city each day. I noticed this particular bike chained to a pole right outside the train station. It had not moved for a few days… weeks. I can’t recall which. It was just part of the scenery by the time I got curious and started to take a photo each day. It is showing signs of wear - rusted chain, damaged seat, unwinding handle bar grip and flat tyres.
The thing that initially drew me to it is the owner. Who is he/she? Why did they abandon it? Are they laying in some hospital bed sick? Are they dead? Did they forget where the bike was chained? Or was it simply abandoned one day leaving the chain locked? Not likely. I can’t help but think the owner has passed away.
1/ 16 Dec 2010 – By the 16th of December I had seen this bike outside the station for at least a week. It was the fist time I had a camera with me, other than my iPhone and since I had just been out shooting, I took this photo almost without thinking about it. I had not planned to take a photo every day at this stage. The next one I took was a full week later.
2/ 23 Dec 2010 – This is the day when I got really curious about why this bike was abandoned. I had decided to take a photo every day and the only camera I had on me was my iPhone.
3/ 24 Dec 2010 – I was a bit surprised to find the bike laying on the ground, possibly dead like its past owner. How morbid. Taken with my Canon S90.
4/ 25 Dec 2010 – Christmas day. It was a gorgeous day as you can see. Many a backyard emitted a BBQ smell as I walked the empty streets.
5/ 26 Dec 2010 – I’m not sure if I saw it or heard it first. As soon as I noticed it though, I dived on the ground and snapped 3 quick ones. This is the third frame.
6/ 27 Dec 2010 – Each day I get there I hold my breath as I round the corner. Will it still be there? I want it to hang around so I can continue to shoot it. At the same time, I want someone to come back and claim this abandoned bike. I used flash here.
7/ 28 Dec 2010 – I’m sick. I’ve come down with the early stages of the flu. My spirits are down but I still went to shoot the abandoned bike. I’m glad I did because today I had a little chat with one of the locals. He could have just as easily walked past me. I was standing over the bike with my camera and I said hello to him. As a way of saying hello back he said, ‘it’s been here a while’, and kept walking. I stopped him and told him what I was doing. He confirmed my suspicion that the bike has been here for weeks now. He also told me that he has seen it across the tracks a number of times in the past few months. Like me, he walks past it each day and notices how it’s degrading. He even pointed out a pink bit of thread that’s wrapped around the spokes on the front wheel. A strange thing to notice and something that I was shooting a couple of days earlier. You can actually see the thread in #5.
8/ 29 Dec 2010 - All quiet on the bike front. I was faced with a dilemma this morning. I knew my train was coming in less than a minute and I was carrying two heavy bags. Do I stop and take the time to shoot the bike? What if it’s not there when I come back in the afternoon? Am I willing to take this HUGE risk? Yes, this is serious business!
An unexpected big day today. Just before I left for work I saw a wanted thread asking for a 400D body only. I had not planned to sell mine but what could it hurt to just see what the guy was offering? It all got out of hand in a hurry. Within a couple of hours of my response, we came to an agreement. No later than an hour after that I ordered a Canon 5D Mkii. *grin* A few hours later, just moments after I took this shot with my trusty Canon S90, I handed over the 400D.
9/ 30 Dec 2010 – It’s a gorgeous day outside. I started it with breakfast in a quaint little coffee shop seated outside overlooking the beach. I then went for a stroll along the tree lined walkway of the beach. To cool off I had a snorkel around the crystal clear waters. I snoozed for a couple of hours under a particularly dense tree and I followed this with a BBQ lunch cooked for me by a five star chef who happened to be walking by… hmph, who am I kidding. I’m at home sick today while this pristine day slowly fades away.
10/ 31 Dec 2010 – Much like this photo, today was a chaotic one. From broken sleep to half day at work, scorching heat to late afternoon winds, frustration with flu to giddy happiness at receiving my 5D Mk2, and even an itchy face believe it or not. The day hasn’t even finished and being New Years Eve, anything is possible. The most memorable part of today, even over any celebrations, will be receiving my new dslr body. This photo was taken with the 5D and 50/1.4 and reflects how I felt today, pulled in many directions.
11/ 1 Jan 2011 – For a while now I have wanted to show you what I see each morning as I round the corner. The first moment filled with anticipation and often accompanied by a quickened step. Will the bike be there as I turn the corner? Usually there are cars parked all along the side of the road. I figured I would need to get up really early to catch an empty road. Or, simply shoot it on New Years Day. Hope you all have a prosperous 2011.
12/ 2 Jan 2011 – I started this project because I was curious about the owner. I asked myself, with a morbid curiosity, if the reason this bike was abandoned was because they were dead. Each day I hoped they would come and reclaim it. At the same time, I wanted this to last. Today, as you can see, the bike is missing. I’d like to think the owner came back for it. I’d like to think it will be stripped, cleaned, some parts replaced and see the road once more.
13/ 10 Mar 2011 - Earlier this year I shot a series on an abandoned bike at my local train station. The bike was inevitably claimed by someone. It was my hope that that someone was the owner. Yesterday I received my confirmation when I saw the poor mistreated Europa laying on its side – bleeding and in the all too familiar sorry state.
14/ 3 Jun 2011 - I found it! After a 3 month absence, I have yet again come across the abandoned Europa – this time on the side of a road. I was walking past in a hurry and the location was very dark unless a car was driving by so I almost missed it. I did a double take and had to get really close to confirm it was the same bike I had grown so fond of all those months ago. Conveniently I had my trusty Canon S90 so I was able to get a decent photo lit by cars driving past. Also conveniently, I had my bag with me which contained a one page note I had written back in March for the owner. I have carried this note with me every day in the hope of seeing this bike again. To be totally honest with you, I was very happy to see the bike one more time. Here’s hoping the owner will get in touch with me. Stay tuned…
15/ 4 Jun 2011 - A member from POTN happened to spot the bike this morning and took this photo showing the note I left on it last night.
16/ 6 Jun 2011 - I went to check on the bike and to see if the note had been removed, hopefully by the owner. The note was scrunched up as if someone had forced it from one end. My curiosity… increases.
17/ 10 Jun 2011 – It has been a great week full of hard work and good food with good friends. I’ve revisited a couple of classic films, spent time with my dork, did not take many photos or ride my bike but a long weekend has officially just started and the few showers the weatherman is threatening us with will not get in the way of a planned picnic, a bbq with old friends and sleeping in. 
The bike, being used to the weather, is also enjoying a rest and has not budged. The note on the other hand has been removed and returned to a different position.