Nov 28, 2019
Gather round the virtual campfire where fellow listeners and bike tourists join together to give all their reasons to say, thanks bicycle touring!
Pedalshift Live
Coming in December... Saturday 12/7 3pm EST! New tour reveal, revisiting cycling WNY and an AMA!
See you in March!
I'll be presenting at the 2020 National Bike Summit! Details to come, but looking to do a meetup if listeners will be in DC.
Thanks Bicycle Touring
Hi Tim, this is Vince Greco from Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. I
hope this isn't too late to get into U. I know it's a day after the
deadline but one of the share what I'm thankful for that bicycle
touring. I am thankful for all the places and the distance that
bicycle touring can take me, but this year in particular. I am
thankful for a beautiful fall Gap ride with motion decent, although
colder than I expected whether it was nice to see the Gap in a
different season, cuz usually I end up writing in the spring or
early summer, but I'm also very thankful for your podcast.
Actually. I ended up adding the entire Montour Trail into my ride.
In fact, I did a loop. I started in Cumberland went out to
Pittsburgh on tour and came back to Cumberland again, but I heard
about riding the Montour from your podcast and how to do that. So
just wanted to say thanks.
Hey Tim, Brian Benton a long time listener and the podcast I
think I haven't missed any episodes. So my my thankful thing I
would say I'm thankful for the opportunity. I had this year off,
you know and Gap trail with my son. He graduated with his PHD in
physical therapy in May and then the Stars aligned we were able to
do an eight-day Bike Tour since I'm a teacher. I had this summer
off and he hadn't started his job yet. He isn't a cyclist but he
was an incredibly excellent shape from playing college level
Ultimate Frisbee on his biggest complaint on the trip was his butt
hurt em, I think we can all relate to that and one of the best
memories I have from the trip was standing at a waterfall on the
gap for 30 minutes and neither of us felt the need to talk. I don't
know if we'll ever get to do this again ever, but that makes this
just an extra special trip. So I say thanks Tim for the motivation
to do the CNO and GAP Trails. I have a memory with my son that I'll
never forget dead. Thursday for the podcast
We don’t celebrate thanksgiving where I’m from (New Zealand),
but practicing thankfulness is always nice so I thought I’d join
in.
I’m thankful for the friendly and helpful people I’ve met
through cycling. My local bike shop has been really great with
helping me understand basic bike maintenance, and what I do and
don’t need. I’m also thankful for the cool bike activist people in
my area that I’ve met recently. They campaign for better cycling
infrastructure, lawmaking, and driver/biker education, and I feel
lucky to have made some awesome new friends. (Rory in New
Zealand)
I have a kind of strange thing I give thanks for. I like to
listen to audiobooks when on long rides; what I've found is that
books, or sections of books, get linked in my mind to the places I
was riding while listening to them. For instance last spring I
rode down from Astoria (re)listening to mostly Robert Heinlein
books. I was on a book called Friday in southern Oregon and I can't
think of the Seven Devils without thinking of that book too.
(Ray)
I think my reflections are like my fellow travelers.
Reflections of kindness, beauty, making friends, overcoming
challenges and exploration fill the bicycle travelers'
"carts." I'm no different.
As a photographer I have always loved sharing (marketing)
images of what I see around me. One of my favorite slogans is
"seeing is believing." So many people in our face-paced
society never or seldom take the time to SEE the world around them.
Seeing is much easier when you travel by bicycle. You
can actually choose to SEE and to capture a moment that is in front
of you. Sharing images are easy in today's world, so now
everyone can enjoy it ~ not just you.
The opportunity to SEE is my favorite thing about bicycle
travel. SEEing never lets you down ~ it makes memories
forever! (Keith)
I guess I'm thankful for buying an e-bike. It's kind of
reinvigorated by love bicycling. I love riding it and it's just
it's just the best thing it's kind of heavy, but it it gets the job
done. It's a tract verb plus and got a good deal on it, and I put
the 700 Mi on it since Memorial Day. (Mark)
I’m thankful for all of the great people I’ve met through
biking. You won’t meet better people than you will in the cycling
community.(Scott)
I'm thankful to have been blessed with a home on the C&O.
I am especially blessed to ask passersbys if I can assist them.
I've met some wonderful people who have stopped to use hose, have a
snack or rest by fire pit. I am so very Thankful to be on the
trail.(Clara)
I'm thankful that at 62 years old I can still cycle 50-60
miles a day. Thankful for all the friends I've made over the years
while biking and the kindness people show you while on the trails.
I had a flat tire once and every person that rode by stopped to
offer assistance. A great group of people!(Diane)
Bicycling has really saved me from myself. At 345 and gaining
my PTSD was making me eat myself to death. I was so depressed that
I thought of suicide daily. I figured I could eat till my hearts
content and be dead in a year. When it didn't happen fast enough I
got hostile. Fired, fat and hostile I ran low on money and took to
the trail for cheap transportation. 2 years ago and I'm 210 now,
ride almost every day sometimes as far as 60 miles , sometimes
pulling my dog to the park. I'm so thankful I stumbled upon this
obvious solution to both my mental and physical health.(Paul)
I am so grateful that the Great Allegheny Passage runs through
my home town of Connellsville. The town that boomed in the coal and
coke era is slowly being revitalized thanks to the formerly under
appreciated beauty of the area that is now highlighted by the
trail. I am blessed to be witnessing that rebirth, and to still be
able to enjoy the freedom of riding miles and miles with no traffic
concerns. I am thankful to be part of the wonderful diverse
community of bikers, all sharing a childlike joy found in biking to
new places. (Barb)
Thankful that I am in my cathedral of light with the sunlight
filtering through the green or gold in areas we would never see
unless you are on the seat of a bike!(Mary Ann)
Love riding the GAP, Ive met people from all over, the scenery
is 2nd to none, hope to ride again soon before it gets to
cold.(Phil)
I am thankful for still being able to ride. I know it won't
last a long time, but while it does, every ride is special!
(Johnny)
Thankful I’ve been able to ride the GAP / C&O in it’s
entirety in 2015 and many varying rides on portions of it. Riding
in over a dozen MS 150 rides and recently riding a ride from Los
Angeles to San Diego for The MS Society as well. Always feels good
to help people as I’m riding & enjoying the bike.(Tom)
Thankful for all out great R2T trails for us runners to run
on!!!!!!(Anthony)
I am thankful I got the opportunity to ride from Pittsburgh to
D.C. this summer. One of my major bucket list rides checked
off!(Ed)
I'm thankfull for two great rides on the GAP one in the spring
and one in the fall. Thankful for the great weather I experieced on
both occasions and spectacular color on the fall ride. Thankfull I
have a friend who now has an eBike like me so we can travel
together and thankfull we can cost share.(Roxanne)
The freedom, the openness, opportunity to just go. Im thankful
for that. Grateful and blessed to have had what i feel to be an
epic roundtrip on the GAP and C&O. It changed my life. The
people i met changed me. And this was my first time being on those
trails. Im thankful for it all!(Ryan)
I am truly thankful for the opportunity to explore and have
crazy adventures on two wheels. To have a sister Kathleen who
travels with me on long journeys, constantly inspires me to keep
going & refuses to give up regardless of injuries, bike
malfunctions and inclement weather. In addition.. she has opened my
eyes to this great cycling community who are some of the most
magnificent memorable people I have ever met!
- Cheers to all & have amazing holidays!!!(Stephanie)
I am thankful for family and good friends. Bicycle touring is
great but nothing replaces family & friends. Invite them
along.(PPP)
I am thankful for all the wonderful people that I have met
along my journey on the c&o the gap and also the Montour trail
now. I'm thankful that my life is started over in a better way.
Before I started my journey October 9th 2019 everyday I
contemplated suicide. My depression and all had me so bad I didn't
like people I didn't like my own life. But since I started my
journey on the c&o in Harpers ferry I have met so many people,
so many good people they have changed my outlook of life and now I
can't see my life any other way thank you to everybody that has
been there to help me out mentally physically financially, much
love to everyone. (Michael)
I'm thankful for ALL of these, in terms of bike-touring!
The people/experiences are perhaps at "the top", but
everything else is "right behind" ;-] (Pete)
I am thankful for my health that allows me to feel the sense
of wonderment that I experience when riding somewhere far from home
under my own power. It is a feeling of vulnerability and excitement
all wrapped up in one.(Chris)
I'm able to take something that I use for two wheel therapy,
commuting, hauling from the grocery store, riding with friends &
family, achieving personal stretch goals, and then take it on a
vacation self-supported at low cost and low emissions to some of
the most beautiful places in the world as well as down the road
from home. From an over-nighter to extended travel, how could I not
be thankful for that? :-) (Rod)
The communities and organizers who have created safe,
integrated as well as alternative routes for me as I enter and
explore different regions.(Paul)
I'm thankful to have access to a machine that lets me slow
down and truly enjoy the journey.(Peggy)
I’m grateful that the bear on the trail ahead of us ignored
the pebbles we were firing at it with our slingshots. We thought it
would just leave and we could continue bikepacking on the trail.
Instead we had to push our bikes through a river to get past
it.(Adrian)
I'm thankful for my health and for the kindness of strangers
(also, you have an awesome last name :) (Suzanne Mooney)
Nice surprises, like a beautiful sunrise in the morning when I
didn't expect it. Thankful when I manage to weather difficulties,
and come through them (Caroline)
Pedalshift Society
As always we like to close out the show with a special shoutout to the Pedalshift Society! Because of support from listeners like you, Pedalshift is a weekly bicycle touring podcast with a global community, expanding into live shows and covering new tours like this spring's DC to Cincinnatti bike tour! If you like what you hear, you can support the show for 5 bucks, 2 bucks or even a buck a month. And there's one-shot and annual options if you're not into the small monthly thing. Check it all out at pedalshift.net/society.
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Music
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