What is Tom & Ted’s Advocacy Adventure? Read this.
Here’s the rundown.
We’re hanging out resting at a Denny’s in Carmel Church, Virginia. I just ate a hockey puck disguised as a veggie burger. We’re more than halfway to today’s goal: Fredericksburg, Virginia:
The television above me is reporting on the two feet of snow that dumped on my home of Flagstaff. Where I am it is warm and a bit muggy.
But let me start at the beginning.
From Tom Bowden’s six bikes, we chose two ultra high-performance touring machines. My bike has three — count ’em — three speeds. We dressed in the latest aerodynamic cycling attire.
Because of the unseasonably warm weather, my full-fingered gloves were feeling a little warm. Tom led me to WalMart Supercenter so I could buy some fingerless gloves.
I entered the store.
I spotted an employee, a nice lady with a blue vest.
“Excuse me, can you tell me where your bicycles are?”
“Yes. It’s straight down this isle to the end. Turn right. You’ll see it: Toys.”
The pretty much sums up the advocacy challenge we face. Our journey has begun. We just need to make it to DC to begin our work.
Our tire pressure was low. On principle, we refused to pay one dollar to use a gas station air pump. We stopped at the first real bike shop we came across in Ashland (“The Center of the Universe”), pumped up, and chatted up, Dave Murphy, owner of Olde Town Bicycles.
The store was neat and impeccable. Dave says, “I’m kind of anal about that.”
We got directions and spent some money.
And we continued north through Virginia.
I know this is the South. I understand the veneration of Robert E. Lee. I read a book about it once. My middle name is Lee, after the general. Really.
But there’s hero worship, and then there’s obsession.
We pedaled and pedaled until we stopped here, at Denny’s.
Tom is getting bored waiting for me to finish this.
To be continued…
My participation in this years’ National Bike Summit is made possible by these sponsors.
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