I like Clare Balding but I don't like BIKES

This week, on the recommendation of Angela Powers, I began following Clare Balding on Twitter. Her tweets are balanced to suit just my taste with personal and professional insights. @clairebalding1

It became quickly apparent that she had some significant beef at the moment with the Sunday Times columnist A.A. Gill. In fact she used her first ever tweet to call him that word that David Cameron ill advisedly said on the radio once.

I did a bit of digging and found that Gill had reviewed a new series of Clare's, 'Britain By Bike'. The review seems to be more about patronising women in television and being generally offensive about Clare's sexuality.

Clare Balding has always come across to me on television as rather a lovely lady. I have massive respect for her expertise on horses. I also think she does a nice job in strange circumstances of fronting the BBC's Rugby League Challenge Cup coverage. I love that she tries to know as much as possible about it in comparison to some of Sky Sports News's presenters who do the double header with Martin Offiah on a Sunday night. I mean as if he doesn't jet-propel my heart to my mouth enough with his seemingly epic fear of the live TV situation, they have an anchor whose rugby league knowledge goes: "Rugby league. That's the one they play up north isn't it? Didn't Andy Farrell play it once?" It must be super comforting for him.

(Totally off the subject, I was once offered a job as a football commentator for a club's own radio station. I said no as I didn't have an in depth knowledge of football. They said it didn't matter. I has to disagree.)

So anyway. Clare Balding. I like her. Turns out she's a lesbian. I was told that for definite a couple of years ago. I didn't exactly fall off my chair in shock. I was probably interested in the circumstances for about ten minutes. How long had this been common knowledge? Did she have a long term partner? Has she always been a lesbian or had she ever been straight? I don't know the answer to any of these questions and I'm not really that bothered. Guess what? Paint dries, and the Pope is a Catholic. More boring, obvious and irrelivant observations

To call her a "dyke on a bike" and make dull and simple 'butch' digs is a little schoolboyish isn't it? Oaf-like?

Here's my review of the series I haven't seen: I don't like bikes (yes that's BIKES) so I probably won't watch it. I think that's about as insightful as A.A. Gill's go.

Oh, and this Gill fella looks a bit like Kilroy but with imperfect teeth.