Winter Tour 2009 has been one heck of a ride so far.
Right now I’m in beautiful Monterey California and will be delivering two more bikes tomorrow to Atherton and San Jose (Monday 12/28) before spending 12/29 thru 1/7 in the San Francisco bay area. Stay tuned for more updates about appearances in Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay and Davis.
Here are some updates from the Tour.
Let’s start from the beginning….
12-1-09 Tuesday- Road trip from Chicago to Denver was smooth as can be with nothing but clear blue skies and no wintery weather. I spent the night in Kearney, Nebraska after knocking out almost 650 miles.
My Mom saying goodbye on her way to work rocking the blue Oma fiets
12-2-09 Wednesday- Woke up to wind chills in the low teens and headed back on the road with 5 hours to get to Boulder while a foot of snow was falling there. I figured, that’s no problem, snow always melts the next day in Boulder, right? I had a nice evening catching up with my bro and sis and was happy to put the van in park for a while.
First bike touching down in snowy Boulder
12-3-09 Thursday- Ok, so maybe the snow doesn’t always melt the next day in Boulder. I was lucky enough to experience one of the coldest days on record with temps in the single digits. No frigid temps would slow me down, I headed to UBikes and set up for the first tour event. The folks at UBikes couldn’t have been more welcoming and lent a helping hand to unload my bikes.
First test rider of the tour- my friend Dave’s dad. Dave’s mom was super sweet and made me some of the most amazing cookies and brownies on the planet. Thanks!
12-4-09 Friday- Wonderful meeting in the morning with the brilliant minds at Fresh Ideas Group- a marketing company with a client list loaded with eco-friendly companies ripe for utilizing a Fietsfabriek Bakfiets for delivery and promotions. Day two at UBikes- Funny one, I was on the red trike waiting at a stop light, a guy in a truck all the way across the street in the oncoming lane of traffic sticks his head out the window of his truck and yells “Is that a Christiana?” to which I yelled back “No, it’s a Fietsfabriek!!”. He was blown away by the bikes and even came back the next day with friends.
Signs of Boulder’s bike-friendliness- they converted old parking meters into bike racks.
12-5-09 Saturday- Busy day at UBikes with a whole lotta test rides and visits from friends and family. I am very grateful for the hospitality extended my way by UBikes. They are seriously one of the most successful bike shops in the country and judging by the friendly attitudes of everyone there, it has not gone to their heads.
My brother Erik with his girlfriend Tara, her daughter Autumn and my niece Alicia digging the BF18.
Despite the less than ideal weather, my time in Boulder was well spent and I met a great deal of enthusiastic people who will keep the Fietsfabriek movement rolling in this town.
Time to head south to get away from all this white stuff
12-6-09 Sunday- My brother Erik jumped on the tour bus and we headed for New Mexico to stay with our Uncle David and Aunt Andrea in Tijeras- just outside of Albuquerque. Solid 7 hours of driving and it was really nice to have a co-pilot. Arrived just in time for a great dinner of tamales and rice.
View of Sandia Mountains from Uncle David’s house
12-7-09 Monday- Another city, more below average temperatures. High in the mid-40’s with some light rain. Set up at The Bike Coop in Albuquerque and was greeted by a sign on the door advertising my upcoming arrival. Turnout was more than excellent when you consider it was a Monday with below par weather.
Uncle David with his dog Rasta getting ready to ride
I only wish I had a chance to explore more of Albuquerque, one day was not nearly enough. From what I could gather, there is a solid biking culture going on here with some decent political backing which includes an established bicycle boulevard that crosses town with a speed limit of 18mph for cars. The Bike Coop was more than hospitable and I hope to return for another visit down the road.
A great method to keep the roads safer for biking
12-8-09 Tuesday- Mother Nature finally had her way and kept us from leaving for Arizona today. No worries, my brother and I spent the day hanging out with our Uncle David and his brother in-law Dale who lucky for us has a couple of four wheelers in his garage. Only downer to the snow delay is I had to drop Phoenix/Scottsdale from the tour schedule.
Not a bad way to spend the snow day
12-9-09 Wednesday- Clear skies all around and more importantly clear roads all the way to California. We stopped in Gallup, New Mexico to make the first delivery of the tour- a royal blue 996 to a customer from Durango, CO who will be using the bike as part of a messenger/bike shop business Papa Wheelies. Drove straight through Arizona and arrived late evening in Los Angeles.
Happy new owner and his dog Atlas getting ready for his inaugural ride
Plenty more updates on the way for all of my stops along the California coast so be sure to check back.
