Wanted to post that Paul and Jane Fialcowitz and me met up yesterday in Rockmart GA and rode together to the Alabama state line.

Paul F had reached out following my New England tour (https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/newenglandcoast/ ) post asking about routes and GPX tracks. We then communicated back and forth and he mentioned he was going to try and make it to the Silver Comet trail in December of this year, which is in my backyard. We coordinated a ride and had pleasant weather for the trip.

Just thought it was fun meeting up with others who share the same interests. 

Cheers!

Very thoughtful of you to meet up with fellow Cycle Blazers!  I had a similar experience this year on the Northern Tier when Greg Garceau rode out to meet us near the WI-MN border (Encounter With Greg).  Greg had been following my journal and knew the route we would be on, and he met us in WI and "pre-welcomed" us to MN.  It really was the high-lite of the day for us.  Knowing that others are following along and are "with you" on the journey is quite encouraging.  Cycle touring involves some hardship, and maintaining focus and mental desire in the face of that hardship is the challenge we all face - meeting up with someone on tour and offering encouragement can be just the boost they need to continue.   

Hi George.  I enjoyed our short meeting too.  I've met a couple other Northern Tier riders in the same way.  I've also been lucky enough to have met four Cycleblazers--two of them while I was on my own tours.

I think this is a great idea, and I hope this thread has a long life.  I’ve got some catching up to do, so I’ll batch them up.  Working backwards chronologically:

The most recent gathering of the HAC group (ourselves, the Grumbys, Andrea Brown and Bruce Lellman), In Portland, November 2021

Scott and Pat Fenwick, in Salzburg, September 2021

Susan Carpenter, in Salzburg, September 2021

Suzanne Gibson and János Kertész, In Gauting, September 2021

Bob Distelberg, In Millersburg, August 2021

Gregory Garceau, in Hastings, June, 2021 (for the second time)

Kelly Iniguez, in Tucson, on New Years Day 2021

The Grampies, the Classens, The Mathers and the Gaudets, In Victoria, July 2019

Eva and Al Walters, in Nelson, August 2018

And firstly, the original meeting of the HAC Group back in late 2017 or 2018 (I can’t find the post or a photo for it,  it its out there somewhere) included special guest Jeff Arnim among others. 

So that’s meetups with 23 different CycleBlazers, unless I’ve miscounted or forgotten someone.  Is that the current record?

Janet Anspach Rickey and her husband Stephen stayed with us (between Baltimore MD and Washington DC) for a few nights in May 2019 as they worked their way up the east coast and I rode a few miles with them on their way out. 

We aren't Warmshowers hosts but if anyone is riding through the area, drop me a note. We aren't directly on any of the popular long haul bike routes through the area, but I can do pickup and bring back - carried Janet and Stephen's e-bikes no problem!

We are too new to this site, have many examples from that "other site". 

However, do have one: The Metal Hip Club attempt the Northern Tier. - CycleBlaze we met at the beginning of our Northern Tier tour, and just last weekend, they were driving to AZ for the winter and we met up for dinner.

I forgot to name names in my last post.  There was George Hall of course.  There was Scott & Rocky Anderson who I connected with this summer, and also a few years ago, pre-Cycleblaze. 

Not too long after Cycleblaze was founded, I met the founder himself while touring in Iowa.  I thought it was really cool to meet Jeff Arnim. 

Two years ago, it was Kelly Iniquez on my tour of the inland northwest.  (Just now, I remembered Kelly's touring partner on that trip, Jen, is also a Cycleblazer.  That makes five Cycleblazers.)

I've been in contact with many more of you folks thanks to Cycleblaze and the magic of the interweb.  Perhaps I'll meet all of you in person someday.

Hi,

It might be possible to do a “six degrees of separation” with Cycleblazers. I’ve met Steve and Dodie  (Grampies ) Miller, Michel Fleurance, and Leo Woodland, for example, and they’ve met others who’ve met others and so on. 

The phenomenon of community formation on the internet is fascinating in its own right, don’t you think?

Cheers,

Keith

It just happened that Paul and Jane were thinking about touring in a warmer climate and chose Atlanta. I was able to give them a whole bunch of options around Atlanta. And temperatures last week climbed into the warm low-70's. So very nice weather. If any of you plan to do a tour in the south during the winter (and want to ride mostly trails, here's a point-to-point 143-mile jaunt I mapped out using the Big Creek greenways and the Silver Comet and Chief Ladiga trails. Only about 11 miles of this is on roads, and the majority have painted bike lanes.

If you're headed to the area, reach out and I'll provide any information on the local area I can. And if I have days off (still about 10 months away from retirement) I'll ride (as they say in the south) a spell with y'all.

Hmmm. Six degrees of Cycleblazers. I have to think how to map all that out.