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Pick-up Truck Man-gel
By admin | September 7, 2010
Labor Day was picture perfect for riding a bike-so of course-it had to be done in a big way with my biking partner. Plus, we were preparing for a 150 mile charity ride. That gave us and extra dose of “mileage commitment ”. Starting off early in the morning, we had gotten about 35 miles in before a stiff head wind kicked up. What started as a cake walk of a ride turned into an all out effort just to make minuscule progress. To make matters worse, my rear tire was not absorbing rough spots in the pavement. Sure enough, I looked down and it was almost completely flat. Not certain I had enough CO2 cartridges to fully inflate a new tube, I just stopped as needed to add some gas hoping we would easily get back to our cars. The tire had other ideas, and began to deflate more quickly with each pit stop. Not even close to our final destination, we pulled over to a rural gas station and I began asking for a ride to the nearest bike shop.
Pick-ups or SUVs were the only vehicles that could house a bike, so I began to ask drivers of those type trucks for rides. Within minutes, pick-up owner George said he would certainly take us where we needed to go. My riding buddy wanted to get more distance in, so she planned to meet us at the bike store. Ten minutes later, pulling up to the back door, George let me out to see if they were open for business. Though the shop lights were on, a large handwritten sign informed me that the owners were ”sorry for the inconvenience, but we will be closed on Labor Day”. What next?
George didn’t make me feel at all uncomfortable for leading him on a wild goose chase. He asked how far away the car was, and wondered out loud whether we should wait for my partner or if we should go look for her. Unable to reach her on a cell phone, I asked if he would mind looking for her. Another four minutes into his Man-gel grade service, we spotted her. Rolling down the window, George let her know we were headed for the car. “Do you want us to pick you up here or…”
Before he could add a second option, she yelled back, “I’m so ready to be finished riding. Pick me up now.” Without flinching, he drove into an empty parking lot, pulled a dog crate out of the truck bed to make room for two bikes, and loaded a second two wheeler into his vehicle. “Maybe I should put a bike rack on this thing too”, George joked.
Driving to our car gave us time to establish his brother was actually someone who could benefit from medical research the upcoming charity ride was supporting. We vowed to make this sibling our team focus. George had sponsored a golf tournament for the same purpose just two days prior. Giving up at least an hour of his time, Man-gel George saved the day. He also gave us a living, breathing, confirmation of why we had signed to participate in the charity ride. What are the odds of that happening when you have randomly selected a truck from a gas station forty miles from home?
Driving to our destination was yet another adventure because we took bike trails to get around when possible, not streets, and definitely not interstates. Still maintaining an easy attitude, George plugged on despite confusion about how to get a truck were we needed to go. Only a few wrong turns later, our journey was completed.
Turning down offers to buy him lunch, or pay for gas, George unloaded our possessions taking only a handshake for thanks. It felt like George was literally an angel placed in our path to make a mechanical failure that could have taken half the day to solve a joyful experience. His tie-in to our charity ride was an amazing confirmation that he had not been placed in our path by accident.
When you live believing in Man-gels they are on duty for you every hour of every day, George being a case in point. I would not be surprised if someone told me he had clocked in on a “service to humanity” time clock, and was handed an assignment to come help us out! That’s how committed to serving us he was.
Here’s a big thank you to George for saving us, and for reminding me to look out for Man-gels everywhere.
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