The BMX Bandit

From a distance, people often think there's something seriously wrong with Benjamin's face. It's only when they get up close, and look past the baggy jeans, hooded top, and low-slung BMX, that they realise he's 43. Benjamin works for a design agency in East London and carries a record bag. He rides on the pavement, and if people get in his way he'll shout something like “gnarly!” or “yo!” At the weekends, Benjamin and his friend Jeremy used to like going to London's South Bank, to hang out with teenage skateboarders. They haven't been for a while, though, ever since Jeremy caught a gnarly air and wiped out, big-time. The doctors say he might need a new hip.

Commissioned by The Times to illustrate a selection of biker tribes for The Great Outdoors supplement.