Cycle touring coincidences

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
groberts
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Re: Cycle touring coincidences

Post by groberts »

The bottom two sections of my D-Day beaches ride post in 2010 tells the story (so I won't spoil it) and all through the medium of the CTC Forum!

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=38629
lisap
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Location: On the edge of the Cotswolds

Re: Cycle touring coincidences

Post by lisap »

I rode the Great Divide going North to South in 2003, it is quite remote with lots of lumpy bits and you very rarely see other cyclists.

Quite a way into the ride when the group had diminished from 14 to 7 of us we were all riding within a mile or so of each other as we had decided to stop at the highest point on the ride at something like 12,500 ft for photos (as you do).

Within 10 minutes of us all arriving several more cyclist turned up and within about half an hour there were 17 of us. Some we knew as they were leapfrogging us but the rest of them were in two groups going South to North.

Needless to say we had a bit of a party with our new found friends. We swapped route details, emails and took photos of people we didn't know. It has always stuck in my mind as one of those experiences. How on earth did we all make it to the highest point on the same day at the same time, very surreal.
Ank@eel
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Joined: 8 Mar 2007, 4:50pm

Re: Cycle touring coincidences

Post by Ank@eel »

Whilst living in the village of Sommieres in south west France I was sitting outside a bar when a battered 2CV stopped and four Australians alighted. We got to meet and they had come to France to do the vendange. We had room in our smallholding and billetted them. After a number of days one of the guys looked at me and said he was sure we had met before. To cut a long story short some time later I mentioned I had worked in St Stephens Hospital (now Chelsea and Westminster) London in the early 70s. He then told how he had been admitted there following a motorcycle accident and yes, I had wheeled his stretcher from casualty to the ward. Furthermore we were both besotted by the same nurse. It's a small world indeed.
eileithyia
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Joined: 31 Jan 2007, 6:46pm
Location: Horwich Which is Lancs :-)

Re: Cycle touring coincidences

Post by eileithyia »

On tour and staying in Greenhead YH a few years back, had one of those classic nights; hostel was packed (sleeping in the hostel kitchen.....) great party atmosphere with walkers and cyclists... many of us migrated to the pub over the road, 10 months later riding down a road just out side of Henley on Thames, the club greeted some fellow passing cyclists, when one of them yelled in recognition (not just a friendly greeting) they had been part of the party in Greenhead...
I stand and rejoice everytime I see a woman ride by on a wheel the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood. HG Wells
simonhill
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Joined: 13 Jan 2007, 11:28am
Location: Essex

Re: Cycle touring coincidences

Post by simonhill »

While cycling Katmandu to Goa I met my Uncle and Aunt in Hampi. Wow what a coincidence, or was it?

Hampi is a tourist town and it wasn't surprising that we were both visiting. The only reason it was a 'coincidence' was that we went at the same time and didn't know each other was going.

On another trip I met my sister in Goa. I knew she was going to be there and so we planned to meet. No one called that a coincidence.

As said in other posts, tourists go to tourist spots and also, cyclists are generally budget travellers using similar accom, so meeting someone more than once isn't surprising. It has happened lots of times to me.

One of my better ones was one day when replying to a query on the Thorn Tree forum I found the person I was replying to was sitting next to me in the internet cafe!!!!
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Cycle touring coincidences

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
you have to call it chance or there will be a probability of such a meeting, but probabilities mean you might have to live to several hundred thousand years to meet that person again, at all, the same place again well thats another story.
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope
You'll Still Find Me At The Top Of A Hill
Please forgive the poor Grammar I blame it on my mobile and phat thinkers.
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Tigger
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Joined: 3 Jun 2012, 12:00pm
Location: Isle of Lewis

Re: Cycle touring coincidences

Post by Tigger »

At the start of my very first cycle tour, I was loitering nervously at London Euston, waiting for the Sleeper to start boarding. I spotted another cycle tourist and plucked up the courage to go and talk to him. Turned out he was from Tiptree, about 10 miles from where I live! Ok, not a major coincidence, but most fortuitous, since he was a seasoned traveller, going to Oban too, and very happy to show me the ropes!

Simonhill: loved the internet cafe story!
bohrsatom
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Joined: 20 May 2013, 4:36pm

Re: Cycle touring coincidences

Post by bohrsatom »

On our trip (60 days so far) we have had two interesting coincidences. Our first night of camping was in La Reole, next to the Garonne and after pitching the tent a group of 5 guys turned up and camped next door. Nothing strange there of course, but we then saw them at another 3 camp sites over the next 5 or 6 nights, despite us taking a rest day and detouring somewhat.

Then the last time we met them they said they had run out of time so needed to take a train and we said our goodbyes. Four days later we were riding in the outskirts of Montpellier, a bit lost after the path we intended to take was completely unridable, and who should we bump into but them?

On another occasion we met a guy at a camp site in Montelimar and then 12 days later our paths crossed once again in Mulhouse. He had taken a completely different route to us and we had ridden almost 750km since we last met. A good reason to stop and have a drink together!
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