Three English Gentlemen

[Veronica]

Sunday Thom and I drove up to Markleeville. For us it was a test camp out, work out the bugs, figure out what else we need to buy... and do a little riding.

As we were driving up Highway 88, about 6,000 feet above sea level, we came upon three English gentlemen. They are doing a charity ride across the country to earn money for breast cancer research. You might think well, what's the big deal, lots of people do things like that. These guys were 64, 65 and 71 years old! I hope I'm still riding when I'm their age and willing to go on a two month cross country trek!

I think this was their fourth day of riding. It was hot and they had already climbed about 4,000 feet and had 2,000 more to go. They were struggling with their fully loaded bikes. Our car was loaded with our bikes and camping equipment, no room for passengers. But we took their panniers to the campground for them. I'm sure they expected we'd just drop them there, but that's not us.

I rode back up highway 88 from their campground to meet them, while Thom went ahead to our campground to set up our camp. When I got to them, they were out of food so I gave them my jelly beans and a Hammer Gel - very well received. Thom became our SAG driver and came back with more gels, Cliff Bloks and water. I rode with them the rest of the way.

Dave was kind of the leader of the group. He somehow talked his friends, Roger and Brian into this crazy thing. He lost his wife to cancer. He told us a story about her during dinner. She had been reading Lance's book, got twenty pages from the end and never finished it. It just about made me cry.

Dave had been given two angels for luck. He named one of them Veronica. They promised to send us cards from every state. I really hope they do. It will be nice to know how they are doing. They are following an Adventure Cycling route and will end in Yorktown. So if you happen to see three older English gentlemen riding fully loaded bikes... it could be them.

I'm so glad we happened along their route and could help them out. They would have had a really long day and might not have made it to their campground. We got in around 7 PM and they would have had noodles for dinner - not pizza and beer!

V.

[IFjane]

What lucky men they were to have chosen the route you were driving!

I will try to keep an eye out for them on this end - I am not far off the route they will take to get to Yorktown & I know lots of people who are directly on the route so I will spread the word.

[snapdragen]

What an excellent tale V! The three gents were lucky to meet up with you and Thom; just as you two were lucky to meet them. Must be some kind of bicycle karma

[maillotpois]

Wow - what a great story!!!

How was Grovers? How were the passes? Where did you find pizza in Markleeville??? Was it any good? (The important questions.... )

[Veronica]

Grovers was beautiful. We only rode to the top of Ebbet's. We ended up in South Lake Tahoe for dinner. It was 8 PM when we left their campground and we figured nothing in Markleeville would be open. So we didn't get to bed until 12:30 or so.

Write up and photos are on the website now.

V.

[jobob]

I'm sure they expected we'd just drop them there, but that's not us.

Well of course it isn't ! 'ees why we luvs yas.

Wow, and you gave them pizza & beer. You are truely the best.

[maillotpois]

Oh excellent! Great photos. Did you go to the hot springs??

This is how warm and non-snowy it has been this year - generally (at least the last 2 years) that lake is covered with ice around this time of year and there's snow at the top of Ebbett's. This year? Nothing!

You should think about Death Ride. It really is a great event. We'll probably be coaching a team again next year.....

[Veronica]

Actually they insisted on paying for the pizza. We decided not to argue with them.

V.

[Trek420]

Is there anyway to follow their progress? TE gals can't promise pizza and beer each night but it'd be nice to know how they're doing.

[Veronica]

They didn't say anything about having a blog anywhere. They are sticking to the Adventure Cycling route and plan to average 52.5 miles a day.

When I get cards I'll be sure to tell you all.

V.

[SadieKate]

I know because I asked Dave if I could contribute through one.

We were driving back from Moab on Saturday the 23rd and found them on Highway 50 just as they were starting the last long grade before Ely, Nevada, climbing on their fully loaded Dawes, including fenders. We gave them all the liquid and ice we had in the Bike Bus. It was about 7,000 ft elevation at that point but the worst was the heat (it was getting late in the day) and the road had just been re-chipsealed and oiled. The surface was black and slick, just nasty.

Dave said they'd done all their fundraising and now wanted to just ride. All three of them are from the Midlands of the UK but I haven't been able to find more by simple googling. They remembered Steady Eddy's in Winters, favorite hangout of many a TE'er.

Just when you're feeling strong and fit, you come across a group like this. Wow. They didn't choose the easiest route across.

[mimitabby]

It's kind of scary to think of them riding and not having any food though.. I'd expect guys that age to have those sorts of things covered. Lucky for them, they ran into you!

[Veronica]

Awesome! We'd been wondering where they were! That's just wild that you ran into them too.

V.

[maillotpois]

All together now: "It's a small world after all! It's a small world after all! It's a small world after all! It's a small, small world..."

[SadieKate]

Careful, I'll start singing that certain song. Tit for tat you know.

V, Bubba says it's proof that one in a million chances do happen.

There were a lot of cyclotourists in the stretch between Delta and just west of Ely, just because of the timing when we were driving through that stretch. When I saw the road surface in that heat, I declared that if anyone was on the last climb going into Ely at that late time of day we were pulling over and giving them all our water and ice. It just happened that it was those three. All the other riders had passed the last summit. If you haven't driven that stretch, between Eureka (where the men started that morning) and Ely, it is a pretty brutal 85 or so miles with 4 passes over 7,000 ft, winds, no shade and no services forever and ever.