Watch Out For Those Crazies

I think it's funny that by far, the number one most given piece of advice by people we meet along the way on our 50 state charity bike ride has been to "watch out for all those crazies out there!"

What I really want to say in return is, what crazies? Where are they? I guess we haven't covered such a huge portion of the U.S. to be considered experts on this, but Adam and I don't get it. Where are these so-called crazies and why haven't we met them yet?

There was this one guy that came up to Adam and started talking gibberish. And there was this other guy who drove by us then sped up really fast to get a rise out of us. Are these the crazies? I might classify them as intoxicated or full of testosterone, but not necessarily crazy.

Of course we understand that there may be people out there who we might not want to run into. We lock our bikes up at night. If we ever have to leave them to go into a store or restaurant we usually sit by the window next to our bikes so we can be doubly sure they are safe and sound.

Adam's parents gave us a Spot Satellite Messenger that allows us to send an emergency 911 message even if there isn't cell service. My mom bought me a whistle, and we do carry pepper spray. Fortunately for us, I think the scariest thing we've dealt with so far has been bike riding by a high school parking lot right as the kids were being let out for the day.

What we have found have been good-hearted, genuine people ready to lend a hand when needed. We've had people chase us down in order to invite us dinner. We've had people offer us a place to stay in their homes. We've even had people call up every RV park in the area, desperate to help us find a place to stay.

Maybe these are the crazies. They are the ones talking to strangers. They are the ones opening their homes to two spandex-clad cyclists. Yup, these are the crazies for sure and we look out for them wherever and whenever we can.

Many times they are found in places you would never think to look. Many times they are the people sitting next to you in a restaurant or the person pushing a grocery cart next to you. So when people tell us there's a lot of crazies out there, we tell them there's a lot of good people out there, too.

Christy and Adam are currently in Texas. To find out more, check out their blog at http://giveabike.blogspot.com/ or their Facebook Page at https:/ /www.facebook.com/giveabike. Christy will be writing occasional stories for Patch as she and her husband make their way through the U.S.

Madison Patch is proud to be the Connecticut sponsor for Adam and Christy's trip. If you'd like to sponsor their trip, visit this page on their website.