Originally Posted by
indyfabz
Many years ago I did a club event in Floyd Landis (Remember him?) county. There was a Mennonite dude in thick, black jeans and a plaid shirt on the ride. He was also wearing Sidi shoes. Fast dude. Some of the Amish and Mennonite kids out that way will put a hurting’ on you.
Originally Posted by
phughes
As I was riding from Indiana Dunes National Park, headed back to Pittsburgh, I had just endured a couple of really bad days with the wind in my face. The prior day I only made it 35 miles in six hours. It was brutal. The day after the brutal day, I was riding along around 19 MPH really enjoying my new found speed. IT was a beautiful day in Northern Indiana. Suddenly I glanced in my mirror and saw a bike drafting me. It was being ridden by a young Amish man. He rode up next to me and we rode side by side talking. He asked where I was going, and I told hm I was riding back to Pittsburgh. He said, "Wow, I love riding my bike, maybe I should go along with you." I told him to come on. He laughed. We talked a bit more. He was coming home from work. He obviously started early, since it was around 12:30PM. We hit his turnoff and we said goodbye as he went on his way. Really nice encounter, and he could ride. He was riding an old style single speed bike.
I used to live in Western PA -- Amish country. One day as I was riding up a moderate hill, a horse-drawn buggy rolled up alongside me -- it was piloted by a young man, with a girl sitting next to him. As they got right alongside me, the young man grinned broadly and said, "Wanna race?"
I smiled and said, "I think you've got more horsepower than me." The guy laughed his head off at that one.
They weren't all as friendly, though. Amish adolescents in packs (as when they'd just gotten off a school bus together) would sometimes yell mocking remarks at me as I rode by. I always resisted the urge, but I wanted to yell back, "Oh yeah? When I get home, I'm gonna turn on the
lights! And maybe watch some
TV! Whaddya think of
that?"