Hairy Biker Si King 'lost for words' after thousands turn out for emotional Dave Myers tribute
TV presenter Si King has expressed his deep gratitude for the "wonderful outpouring of support" following the death of his Hairy Biker co-star Dave Myers. Overwhelmed by emotion, Si was at a loss for words when an astonishing 46,000 motorcyclists gathered for 'Dave Day', a 30-mile ride in honour of his late friend.
Dave passed away at the age of 66 after a battle with cancer. Ahead of the BBC Two special 'The Hairy Bikers: You’ll Never Ride Alone', airing on December 23 at 9pm, Si shared his feelings: "I’m a great believer in never taking anyone for granted, people have been incredibly supportive, and people want me to carry on, as Dave did too."
He continued, "There’s been a wonderful outpouring of support which one should never take for granted, but it’s always been lovely to be in receipt of. "One should never feel entitled that you have that support because it’s a lovely thing to be in receipt of. When you do what you do, you do it in isolation. You do it with your crew and then it goes out on the telly."
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He concluded with a note on the impact of their work: "It’s not like a theatre tour where it’s instant gratification, we’re in people’s front rooms so you never really know how it’s received and how you’re received. It’s always incredibly flattering when people are kind about what you do and if you can make a difference to their day then that’s amazing too.”
The Kibblesworth-born celeb fondly reminisced about his long-standing friendship and professional partnership with his fellow chef, sparked during their time on a Catherine Cookson drama set. Their bond was sealed over a hearty meal of "a curry, four poppadoms and four pints of beer", leading to the creation of more than 30 series together.
He shared, "I’m incredibly proud of the programme because it’s a tribute to my best mate."
Describing the overwhelming emotions of Dave Day, he opened up, "Dave Day wasn’t so much cathartic, it just felt so celebratory of Dave’s life. It’s not often I’m lost for words but that day I seemed to be. I just couldn’t believe the scale of the event and I think for the motorcycle community it was an opportunity to show their affection for Dave and the Bikers and that was on a mass scale."
He also touched on the deep connection felt by those beyond the motorcycling world who supported them: "And those who weren’t in the motorcycle fraternity who lined the route was a remarkable collective, emotional tsunami of kindness and love and affection. For us to all come together as a community, it just felt like there was sense of belonging. It was a beautiful day.
"It was an amazing experience, I didn’t quite know what to expect. That was the whole thing, none of us did. We thought at the most we’d get 10,000 bikes, we didn’t dream it would be 46,000 motorcycles and a 30-mile tail, it was just insane. I just felt enormously privileged."
Reflecting on the down-to-earth aspects of their journey together, he highlighted pies as his favourite food to cook alongside Myers, stating they're "northern lads" at heart, and recounted their incredible trip to India, which left them both "blown away" by the local vegetarian cuisine.
