Day 40 - Lucky breakdown

Above is not quite the planned picture for today. It’s supposed to be 50 miles North of here, in Georgia, in a quaint little farming town. Instead this is a motel and convenience strip just North of I-10, in Florida, but I have literally no complaints. Today has been a day full of luck and yet more legendary American generosity.

Really need a barber now

The first 50 miles from DeFuniak Springs was much the same as yesterday. The roads are brilliant, with cycle lanes almost the whole way, and the countryside rolls on through pine forests and sleepy farming villages and towns. And for the first time in the trip I was joined a whole group of cross country cyclists heading my way. Most were in a big organized group. 

I’ve met guys coming the other way, but generally the conversation is a bit rushed as you both want to head on in different directions. This was decent because for a mile or two every half an hour or so you had company as you cycled. Decent, and later, seriously vital.

Rifle with the groceries

One of the guys had done the research on the highway 90 and discovered it was a good solid cycling road right to the Atlantic. I’ve had worries about heading inland in Georgia which most websites didn't seem to indicate was cycle friendly, and google maps searches seemed to be endlessly throwing up shoulderless roads. On the hoof there and then, I decided I’d push for the coast at Jacksonville rather than head North and jeez am I glad I did.

Breaking the number one rule in life, I started to have smug thoughts about how well the bike was holding up. Which obviously led to a blow out 10 miles short of Marianna. And it was a proper blow out, the back inner tube sounded like it exploded, and deflated in the space of 10 metres. No major issue in of itself, as I had tyre changed and back up and running in under 10 minutes. However when put it back on the bike it became clear what the issue was. My back wheel was rattling and shifting concerningly in it’s bracket. 

Surely not right

I was 80 miles from Tallahassee and the nearest bike shop, and this problem way beyond my technical ability. This is where company came into it’s own; cycling on warily I was passed by some of the big group and it became clear that firstly they were stopping Marianna, and secondly they had a team “sweeper” who followed up the whole team and was bike mechanical expert. 

I rode slowly into the rather nondescript town centre of Marianna, and set up in the McDonalds, because they had a good vantage point over the road, air conditioning, wi-fi......and of course the Big Mac, and it was lunch time. I rushed out like a oddball waving down every cyclist till the sweeper, called Arlen, came through, and what a hero. 

Luckily he didn’t think it was a disaster, and just told me to ride into their camp 3 miles on where he had a full set of tools in their support van and he would look at it. By the picturesque lake front he just set to on bike and found out the guys who had changed the gear cassettes had left the bolt in the axel like mechanism seriously loose. It was fiddly and technical work, but in 20 mins he had the bike back to top form, and all without a complaint or any suggestion I give him anything. It was just pure generosity. A thoroughly decent bloke.

Once it was all done it was too late to push on to the next town in the light, so I’ve wound up on the above, and no really complaints. It’s actually a decent spot as these areas go. And there is a Walmart whopper over the road, so I went tohave a look, because I’ve seen these places everywhere. It was exactly as expected. You really could buy everything there, food, furniture, clothes, rifles, bikes, TVs.....etc etc, and given this is a smallish town it's vast, I mean truly vast. An aircraft hanger full of everything you want, and just one or two things you need. 

It also had something I’d wanted to see for ages, the Walmart fatty buggies. Sure, some people looked like they had legitimate reasons to use the motorised buggies to get round the aircraft carrier, but I’m pretty sure the gargantuan gentleman, in his mid-30s, would have benefited from the exercise of walking to and down the crisp isle he was cruising. 

However in the interests of balance, as a general rule the States really is not any fatter then anywhere else, especially not the UK, it’s an outright myth. In the heartlands I’d go as far as to say the UK is fatter, and the odd outlier you do see is probably more to do with the differing social security set ups and need to get out here or not at home, rather than any sort of trend.

Route - DuFuniak Springs - Marianna

Breakfast - 2 Bananas, Cornflakes and a Cliff bar at the motel

Lunch - Angus Burger McMeal - Look I was in there for a reason; the wi-fi is very helpful and frankly it tasted good.

Snacks - Hot Tamales - Delicious

Supper - Ribs, coleslaw and baked sweet potatoes - Sonny’s Bar-B-Q. A lip smacking end to a day when even I'll admit my diet has not been good. Although even by local standards the the country music in the restaurant was melancholic, in a genre where melancholy is stock in trade. Not sure it was improving the lonely truckers’ mood, even if the music is good.