B-B-B-Bad to the Bone
I had one of those moments a few days ago. You know the kind - when you’ve just seen something so wonderful that you had do to a double-take just to make sure that you were seeing correctly. I was (driving) down Highway 1 in Pacifica, California when I spotted this guy. I pulled over at the next intersection and waited for him to catch up. Turns out that he was cycling from Oakland to Santa Cruz to deliver a the bike that you see :: mounted on a bike rack/tray on the side of the bike :: to a buddy. This guy is a mechanic at an Oakland shop, and apparently knows the Broakland Bicycle guys. The distance from Oakland to Santa Cruz is a healthy 70-75 miles - almost all of it in traffic.
Check out this guy’s bike: coffee cup on seat post, fenders, lights, Xtracycle attachment , front basket. If you look closely, you’ll also see panniers.
:: Cue George Thorogood ::
May 27th, 2008 at 7:08 am
Love the many uses of the Xtracycle. I’m in full gear to get one soon too with gas here in Atlanta pushing $4 fast.
May 27th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Yeah Kurt! Rockin’ it as usual. That is his polo bike too!
May 27th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
70 to 75 miles is driving distances along I680/I880/Hwy 17. If you saw him in Pacifica that’s more like 90 to 100 miles via that route. He probably took BART to get across the Bay into San Francisco, and Hwy 1 south of San Francisco isn’t too bad to cycle on, especially after you get past the Devil’s Slide area.
The distance and preparation required for this are certainly commendable. Public transportation is possible for the entire trip, so I probably would have transported the bike that way without hauling the xtracycle around and saved myself a few hours.
May 27th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Hey - if anyone out in the Bay Area sees Kurt - tell him thanks for letting a freaky guy take his picture after jumping out of a car…!
May 28th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
that shit is hard core! i’m seriously just blown away. so impressed.
keep up the good work Kurt!
June 6th, 2008 at 9:27 am
kurt was delivering that bike to me, he comes to visit my wife and i in santa cruz about once a month. rides his bike here stays a day or two with us then rides home. sometimes he’ll ride here on a friday enter some race in the nearby towns, then ride home the following day. he has also ridden alot of europe (mostly by himself) sleeping wherever he may when tired. this man is a true cyclist in every shape, if you get the chance to meet him. sit down and listen to many great tales of cycling, some even include ghost stories!
thanks again kurt!
andy