Indian Laborer Cycles 1,700 km to Return Home

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck) 04/21/2020 at 10:55 • Filed to: None

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TL;DR: Factory worker is caught in quarantine and faces five months of no work while living away from home. Decides to ride his bike back home, 1,700 km (1,056 miles) away.

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I’ve always wanted to ride across the U.S. This guy rode over 1/2 of that distance on a city bike with a backpack while wearing jeans and flip-flops. Sheesh.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/21/2020 at 11:06

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Cycling: if you’re doing it because you have to, you’re poor. If you’re doing it because you want to, you’re rich.

My area suffers from an epidemic of rich white people with their matching spandex and $15,000 carbon fibre bikes taking up roads in clumps of 20.

It’s a reason I keep my Auto  liability limit at $5M, because if I accidentally hit one of these assholes, they are all doctors and lawyers and it is going to be a bad lawsuit 

facw > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/21/2020 at 11:08

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I feel like some bike company should give him a nice bike as a PR move (though I’m sure he’d prefer some cash, given the situation)

Probably the roads he’s riding aren’t as nice as what people doing a US cross country route deal with as well.

Hopefully he can make the return trip by train or bus.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > facw 04/21/2020 at 11:11

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I dunno, from what I hear the road quality in parts of the US is probably on par with a developing nation

facw > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/21/2020 at 11:13

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There’s developing nation, and then there’s India, which I think is it’s own category...

I suspect that if he had a road bike instead of a utility bike, it would have been a hindrance rather than a help.

ttyymmnn > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/21/2020 at 11:14

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That’s 150 mi/day. Fifteen- hour days at 10 mph. Still, it beats walking. 

ranwhenparked > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/21/2020 at 11:14

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Mainly in cities, not so much open highways (outside the Northeast and upper Midwest).

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > ranwhenparked 04/21/2020 at 11:16

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I dunno, the quality of the I5 in WA can be quite shocking to me at times

wkiernan > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/21/2020 at 11:44

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He’d ride a thousand miles for one of her smiles.

TheRealBicycleBuck > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/21/2020 at 11:48

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I was commuting by bike when I was in high school. No special gear. Sorta special bike. I was riding alone or with one friend. The road was a two-lane rural highway without a shoulder. I can’t count the number of time a-holes in cars didn’t give us any breathing room and nearly brushed us off the road.

Fast forward to now. I ride for exercise and pleasure, but not so much any more. A-holes will still try to brush me off the road if I’m not pulling a trailer, taking the lane, or in a group, even if there’s no oncoming traffic and there are no delays passing me.

So, when I come across the fellow wearing work clothes who regularly rides down these roads on a cruiser without lights , I slow down, wait until it’s safe to pass, and give him more than the 3-feet required by law. He’s never delayed me more than a minute.

It doesn’t matter what they’re wearing. Pretend they’re  a tractor or other heavy equipment making their way from one job site to another. They’re going to slow you down, but if you can’t spare a minute to get around them, perhaps you should think about leaving earlier.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/21/2020 at 11:53

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The Spandex Mafia is real and they will mess you up get quite shouty.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/21/2020 at 11:58

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I always give room, but the “share the road” concept is a two way street. If you’re riding 14 abreast and there is a line of cars behind you, it’s the rider who is the problem not the driver.

I too ride for fun, often on the same road as the pro wannabes and follow a golden rule approach when both riding and driving.

TheRealBicycleBuck > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/21/2020 at 12:18

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You’re right, it is a two-way street. Unfortunately, the majority of the drivers out there aren’t doing their part and are training cyclists to take the lane and not give way. It’s the FU attitude that both parties are taking that’s causing the problem. Guarantee a safe pass and more cyclists will make room.

RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/21/2020 at 12:26

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Man ... b ack in college, I once pedaled 11 miles round trip on nice roads to get groceries and promptly passed out afterwards.

His tires must be bald as hell.

Also, he probably couldn’t have done that if he had covid19. Maybe we should restrict intercity travel to cycling only? (yes, I’m kidding)

RallyWrench > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/21/2020 at 12:53

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Legend. Makes those of us riding because we want to look like fools. 

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire 04/21/2020 at 12:58

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Lol. I like the idea of travel being cardio based

RallyWrench > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/21/2020 at 13:07

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Starred as a baggy short wearing, old aluminum bike riding wookie cyclist who hates the dicky serious rich guy pelotons running everyone off the road too. They’re good for the local bike shops, at least, but they make the rest of us look bad .

TheRealBicycleBuck > RallyWrench 04/21/2020 at 13:11

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It’s a matter of slow and steady. There was a fellow that rode out of New Orleans after Katrina. He picked up a dog and TWO kids trailers (one for the dog, one for stuff) along the way. He stopped somewhere in Colorado.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > RallyWrench 04/21/2020 at 13:13

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Yeah, just because my bike has a cup holder, that doesn’t make me any less of a cyclist.

Oh wait...I think it does.

RallyWrench > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/21/2020 at 13:54

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Those kinds of stories are amazing, and most are never told. There’s a good book on riding bikes, life, and perspective called Metal Cowboy by Joe Kurmaskie that I read awhile back, it’s a fun and enlightening read about life on the bike, sharing stories .

.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 04/21/2020 at 14:40

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Probably varies by country. My parents live in Asia (Sri Lanka) - every time they visit me here in the PNW they’re shocked at how bad the roads are. I must admit, outside of construction zones in the cities (which can sometimes take a very, very long time to finish) the roads back home are buttery smooth. Especially the countryside is a dream to drive in (the cities are 24/7 traffic at this point because tiny island with way too many cars). 

TheRealBicycleBuck > RallyWrench 04/21/2020 at 14:54

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I always enjoy diving into the journals created on Crazy Guy on a Bike . Th e website is awful but the content is amazing. There are tons of stories about self-supported rides across the US and around the world. Since Baton Rouge is on the Southern Tier route, I’ve had the good fortune to meet several tourists over the years. It’s always inspiring when I get the chance to talk to them.