I'll bet there's more than 1 person here who often rides alone.
So often, we want to ride, call up some friend(s) who can't make it at the time you want to ride, and so, you end up heading out alone.
Plenty of rides begin that way for me.
However, on many occasions, as you're out there, you run into a rider(s) you know (or someone you don't) and VOILA: Instant ride bud(s).
It was like that today for me.
Headed out, with no specific plan or destination...Just headed out to the local trails.
As i was riding and getting into a groove, a small stick entered my drivetrain.
Heck, it seemed like a small object so i kept cranking (figured it would get chewed up and digested by the chain and gears). But that little stick wound up lodged in my rear deraileur, dropped the chain, and badly wedged it between the largest cog and the hub...deeply/firmly wedged.
This happened on a climb just as another rider was decending towards me.
Lo and behold, IT WAS MY OLD PAL/RIDEBUD "Artie" !!
He saw my situation and immediately insisted on helping. I told him: "Artie, please, don't get yourself dirty with my stupid stuck chain.". He replied: "Hey, your chain is so clean (thanks to regular maintainence with PurpleXtreme™) I don't mind doing it!" I must have told him 5 times to "please don't mind this, i'll get it out..." etc etc. Again and again he insisted as he worked it out link by link. It wasn't easy by comparison to all the other chain issues i've had over the years...this one was a doozy.
So he says to me: "I've got about another 40 minutes or so to ride.."...an offer too hard to refuse. "You lead" he said.
So we chatted and rode, getting a great trail-fix. Just what a couple of dirt junkies needed.
Thanks very much to today's ridebud [Artie] who reminded me, once again,
that the
unexpected ride bud/ride is as good as it gets.
