Continental Divide Race. Fixed Speed. South Knoxvillian.

The title alone says to you, ‘huh?!’ in so many ways.

Tuesday, I met South Knoxvillian, Drew McIntosh, who rode the Continental Tour Divide, all 2,750 miles of it on a FIXED SPEED bike.

With no gears. And no suspension.

We met up with him in our own backyard. He was easy to talk to and wished US a great night.

That evening, the Mayor, moved by his accomplishment, declared October 8, 2013, officially “Drew McIntosh Day.”. And we celebrated by riding bikes, eating hotdogs and listening to the UT Jazz band. Drew cut cake and visited with several people from the AMBC (Appalachian Mountain Bike Club), met with us to chat about riding and of course, hung out with his lovely girlfriend.

We asked Drew what his next plans were, optimistically asking if he was ready to ride more. He replied, “I’m kinda done riding for now.”

I get that. I wouldn’t know what he meant, because right now riding 2,700 miles on my mountain bike sounds incredible. I would love to disappear and just ride.

and ride

and ride.

I will be riding tomorrow, at Concord Park in Knoxville, and again next weekend as we tackle Dupont Park in Asheville/Hendersonville, NC, area.

I guess that will work.

For now…