It was only 59° at Noon today when lit out for a 50-mile solo training ride. The skies were cloudy, dark and things didn't look none too promising, weather-wise. To make things more Velominati-like, the wind was running a steady 13 to 16 MPH with gusts to 23 MPH.
I pushed off North into the wind.
Things were going good when the skies ahead turned black as I crested a hill...rain ahead. It's too cold to fight this **** for 35 more miles so I altered course to try and ride around the line of rain that was moving through. I turned East and saw a lone rider up ahead about a half mile.
I picked up the tempo to see who was out in the hood.
He wasn't moving much more than 15 MPH or so, but going steady enough. I hauled along side and yelled, "Car back!" over the steady wind noise.
He looked over and said, "Push me!".
We laughed...I told him that he should be pushing me as I was the older. He was 57...a youngster!
I asked him where he was from...New York state. Huh? Yeah, this was day 24 of his cross country bucket list ride! He had left from San Diego, crossed the desert and went through Texas. 8 flats to Texas and none since, he said.
He was on a fairly stripped down Domane with a smart phone for navigation and Map My Ride posts and was averaging 115 miles per day...166 miles the day before we met! 11 hours and 45 minutes in the saddle on day 23! Hellova manly man!
I asked him where his gear was and told me his nephew, Patrick, was up ahead with the SAG vehicle. In a minute or two his ear bud must have had an incoming call because he told Patrick to reserve a table for three at a restaurant I knew was just up the rode a couple miles.
Patrick must have questioned the number of three for lunch because I heard Scott, the bucket list rider, say, "Yeah, I picked up this old geezer out here on the road!".
Guy was totally cool, had some awesome road stories and after lunch I lead him out to his next way point in his journey and we parted ways.
It's always amazed me how a routine training ride can lead to the coolest stuff happening.
Scott and Patrick have a blog of his journey with some pretty neat pictures: www.spoketrek.blogspot.com
I hope that link works!
I pushed off North into the wind.
Things were going good when the skies ahead turned black as I crested a hill...rain ahead. It's too cold to fight this **** for 35 more miles so I altered course to try and ride around the line of rain that was moving through. I turned East and saw a lone rider up ahead about a half mile.
I picked up the tempo to see who was out in the hood.
He wasn't moving much more than 15 MPH or so, but going steady enough. I hauled along side and yelled, "Car back!" over the steady wind noise.
He looked over and said, "Push me!".
We laughed...I told him that he should be pushing me as I was the older. He was 57...a youngster!
I asked him where he was from...New York state. Huh? Yeah, this was day 24 of his cross country bucket list ride! He had left from San Diego, crossed the desert and went through Texas. 8 flats to Texas and none since, he said.
He was on a fairly stripped down Domane with a smart phone for navigation and Map My Ride posts and was averaging 115 miles per day...166 miles the day before we met! 11 hours and 45 minutes in the saddle on day 23! Hellova manly man!
I asked him where his gear was and told me his nephew, Patrick, was up ahead with the SAG vehicle. In a minute or two his ear bud must have had an incoming call because he told Patrick to reserve a table for three at a restaurant I knew was just up the rode a couple miles.
Patrick must have questioned the number of three for lunch because I heard Scott, the bucket list rider, say, "Yeah, I picked up this old geezer out here on the road!".
Guy was totally cool, had some awesome road stories and after lunch I lead him out to his next way point in his journey and we parted ways.
It's always amazed me how a routine training ride can lead to the coolest stuff happening.
Scott and Patrick have a blog of his journey with some pretty neat pictures: www.spoketrek.blogspot.com
I hope that link works!