I was reading the book Across America by Bicycle and one of the things that came up frequently was the subject of Bicycle Touring Road Angels. In the case of the authors of this book the first situation came in Oregon where a local cyclist named Walter guided them through an area of construction and busy roads.
Road Angels have assisted my group in Germany one year when we asked for directions this couple in their 60’s led us on a very scenic 30 km to our destination. They then sat down, had a beer, and then cycled back to where we had met them as that was close to their home.
Some bicycle touring road angels situations I have encountered:
-
Road Angel with our damaged bikes in England
Sheltered in a barn or shed during a heavy rainstorm, sometimes with lightning
- Driving our damaged bicycles to a repair shop in a pickup truck in England
- Guiding us to our destination when asking directions (Switzerland, Germany and elsewhere)
- Apple strudel given while we had lunch in a park from a German speaking woman in Bavaria
- Providing water (sometimes bottled) when we were getting low on a hot day
- And most common is just providing directions
One interesting observation in the book Across America by Bicycle was that near the end of their journey from Oregon to Maine they stopped at a restaurant near Bar Harbor for dinner. They found many of the other diners coming up to them to discuss the trip. A few days later after they finished the trip one of the cyclists returned to the same restaurant in street clothes and nobody noticed them.
They observed that when bicycle touring people just want to talk about the experience with you and are generally more willing to help you if you run into difficulty. I have personally found that to be true both in Europe and North America during my travels.
They found many common questions:
- Where are you going?
- Where did you start?
- How long do you think the trip will take?
- What tools are you carrying?
- How many miles a day are you going?
- Where are you staying?
Across America by Bicycle is a easy read describing how two retired woman spend a few months cycling from Oregon to Maine. It talks about the route, their accommodation (both camping and hotels), meals and the fascinating people they met along the way and provides their packing list. Of course they acknowledge some of the Bicycle Touring Road Angels who helped them along the way.
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