Bikers?

[balzaccom]

I try to get in a bike ride most days after work. It’s a great way to breathe some air, clear my mind, and write all those emails I should never send. And since I live in the Napa Valley, it’s a pretty nice place to ride.
But yesterday was a little different. As I rode along one of my main routes, I noticed two cyclists stopped by the side of the road. These were not your run-of-the-mill day bikers. They were heavily laden with panniers and backpacks. And from the rear fender they sported small Polish flags.
I stopped to see if they needed any help.
No, they were fine. Just checking their location.
So asked them where they were going.
The young man looked up at me with a smile, and answered: “Alaska.”
I suggested that they might not make it by nightfall. He laughed and replied that maybe tomorrow…
They explained that they had met a Polish expat on their ride earlier in the day, and were on their way to his house for dinner and a shower.
That sounded like they were in good hands, so I left them to continue their ride…to Alaska.
So what are you doing this summer?

 

[DudefromOhio]

Not biking to Alaska...

 

[Kullaberg63]

We once gave shelter (and shower) to a bike riding school teacher from Spain named Salva. At that point he was 6 years into his journey. Now it's 9 or more and we still get well written email stories from him. Never will forget Salva!

Untitled by kullaberg631, on Flickr


Here's what I wrote on my FB page back then:

This is Bjorn and Salva Rodriguez from Spain. Salva has been cycling all over the world for the last six years, and finally made it to Moab. He said he's been dreaming about the red rock landscapes of Utah for the past 30000 miles, so he had lots of questions of places to see and where to camp. Salva's traveling budget is very small and covers pretty much nothing beyond food, thus wondering how to see the National Parks on a shoestring. In other words, a fellow dirt bagger..

We met at the bike shop where I fixed his rear hub, which had run dry of grease a long time ago. The bike as a whole was barely holding together, and just a notch above the ride of our favorite local homeless guy, Crazy Larry.

Salva has crossed the Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau via really high and remote mountain passes, traversed Siberia in winter where the bike literally had to be thawed out indoors every 2 days to keep functioning, done Africa north to south and dodged intense traffic hurdles on the Indian subcontinent, yet never been as close to defeat as when battling clouds of mosquitoes in Alaska this past June.


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[Ben]

riding a bike to alaska. but mine has a nice motor on it. i smile ever time i pass cyclists.