"In Rodley the narrowboats huddle, moored tight against the towpath alongside small wooden huts and deck chairs and sleeping pets." A gentle, almost-comedy about two couples whose perspectives on life are thrown into relief by a ridiculous incident on the towpath of the Leeds-Liverpool canal. Influenced as much by James Thurber as by Alan Bennett, 'The Cyclist in the Canal' is a short story infused with a gently twisted sense of whimsy.