Out of Office

When you’re not in the laboratory overseeing the next phase of LightOx’s growth, you can often be found behind the handlebars of your motorcycles. What kickstarted your respective passions for two wheels?

Sam: It began when I was small. My dad had a Yamaha FZR1000 EXUP, which was the fastest bike on the road at the time. I decided to learn to ride when my son was born. He was premature and in hospital for a number of months, and as we couldn’t afford to get another car, I learned to ride. Motorcycling is also where I met Andy Whiting, one of the founders of LightOx, as we used to go out riding and down to France for a week or so together.

Carrie: My love for biking started when I was eight. My great-grandmother lived in a very small town in Kansas, and my uncle Elvin – who lived next door – had a moped. I was allowed to ride it up and down the streets when I visited. My mom also had a moped, a little 150CC motorcycle, in the 1960s as a teenager. I always wanted to ride a bike of my own, but didn’t take lessons until I was 40 when my kids were older.

What was your first bike, and do you remember how much you paid for it?

Sam: My first ever bike was a V-Strom, although I never actually rode it. I placed a deposit but when I returned to ride it away, it turned out the garage had double booked and sold the bike to someone else. I was ‘gifted’ £1000 for my troubles, which led to a Kawasaki Versys 600, a Honda VFR 800, on which I toured a lot, and a Honda Crosstourer. Then there is an old BMW GS, which I technically bought from my dad, and a BMW 1200 RT, which is great for touring.

Carrie: It was a KTM 125 Duke; I loved that little bike. When it arrived off the back of the truck, I was in awe of its size, weight and power. It was such a beautiful, orange machine. I upgraded to its big brother – a KTM 790 Duke – when I finished my licence. I traded that one last year and now have two bikes – a little BMW 310 R for commuting, and my Triumph Tiger 900 GT, which keeps me entertained on long trips.

You combine your love of motorcycling with work, often travelling to conferences on your bikes. How do people react when you arrive in the saddle?

Sam: You tend to get two types of reaction: ‘Oh wow, that’s so cool’, and ‘I wish I could do that’. I don’t think I’ve ever had a negative comment on the bikes being brought to conferences, and a lot of the time it starts conversations that lead to any number of other things.

Carrie: Being a woman on a motorbike gets you noticed! There have been a number of times I’ve been waiting for a ferry or been in a roadside café, and people were expecting me to be the pillion passenger, rather than the biker.

Arriving at a conference on a bike is interesting. It’s unexpected – when you walk in with kneehigh boots and a helmet, it certainly catches attention.

Has motorcycling influenced other aspects of your life or your approach to work?

Sam: The bikes provide a great break from the day-to-day of work, giving you more time to discuss, reflect and plan. As both Carrie and I connect through an intercom on our bikes, we chat about all sorts while riding. For example, we spent two hours riding through the Peaks talking about our approach to the next investment round, which was all done without interference or phones and computers getting in the way.

Carrie: Motorcycling reminds you it’s important to enjoy the journey as much as the end point. Riding a bike teaches you the value of patience, and it requires constant awareness and risk assessment too. You have to manage yourself, the road conditions, the weather and your environment, but you also have to predict what others are going to do. Being able to evaluate the risks and rewards is key in both motorcycling and business.

If you could ride with any motorcyclist – past or present – who would it be, and why?

Sam: My dad, as it didn’t feel like we ever did that enough. And now he can’t. I would also like to ride with Ewan McGregor, partly because he’d know a lot of good Scottish routes and partly because he’s a nice bloke who does a lot in helping causes around the world and has ridden much of it on two wheels. Plus, he strikes me as being in it for the journey, rather than being a racing type, which is more my style. For the racers, probably Joey Dunlop. I have Northern Irish parents and he’s from Ballymoney, and is probably the fastest guy to come out of the region. I’d only be able to keep up with him to the first corner – if that far!

Carrie: There are loads of people I’d love to meet, but just because they ride a motorcycle doesn’t necessarily mean they meet that criterion.

What are the favourite routes you’ve travelled so far, and are there any dream road trips you’re keen to take?

Sam: Northern Ireland’s North East coast, Scotland’s West coast, the Peak District, Northern France. There are so many, and each one is remembered for different reasons, like meeting different people along the way and the stories that come with that. My dream trip is to take a 250CC from Singapore up through Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand, or send the bike to Turkey and ride home again. The real answer, of course, is the next one. It’s fun to find a new route every time you go out.

Carrie: My favourite trip is the one around Northern Ireland with Sam in 2023. Not only was the weather unbelievable, but we had the opportunity to meet new people, make new friends and even meet a potential investor or two along the way. Another highlight was when I went to Wales for an 800-mile solo ride through Eryri (Snowdonia) last September. The weather was incredible, a full week of 20°C followed by a very wet ride home after a board meeting in Manchester. That was my first long solo trip, and I learned a lot about myself and my capabilities.

Photograph: Owen Thomas

www.lightox.co.uk
LinkedIn: LightOx Ltd