#acaNoTier Joplin to Chinook, 74 Miles | Spandex in Montana

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Early on in the day we caught up with fellow thru-biker, Melissa. She stopped at the city park two towns east of us. We saw her bike outside and stopped in to say “hi”.

Lucky us… they served up the best cinnamon rolls and coffee.

We’re hoping to see Melissa again as we leap frog eastbound along the Northern Tier.

We also did a little grocery shopping at the Walmart in Havre. Opposite of how we shop at home, most of our groceries came from the middle aisles whereas when shopping at home it’s all from the perimeter although we still managed a few fruits and veggies. And it was seasoned black beans and brown rice for dinner with carrots and bread. Yum!

Now about that spandex…

Ummm there aren’t a lot of men we have run into that wear spandex in small town taverns in Montana.

Ya gotta love a man who wears bike shorts and feels comfortable enough in his skin to lean his bike against a building on Main Street in Chinook, Montana, and order a beer in the local tavern.

Such was the case tonight when we rolled into town thinking we would dodge a thunderstorm before setting up our tent in the city park.

Gotta admit, it was a little tense when we entered, Tom in spandex, most others in cowboy hats and jeans. Many of our friends, family and followers know the feeling, even if you don’t wear spandex in Montana. Yep we may have even overheard a couple comments.

Can’t blame folks. Sometimes cyclists can be a pain in the arse on the road. And then there’s the bike shorts thing.

We get it.

Two sisters saw us riding into town and either out of kindness (or maybe pity, lol) walked over to give us a couple of free pint tokens.

Then a gentleman named Greg who Tom spoke to outdoors when checking on the weather shared with us that he was a veteran and served in the Vietnam War. Soon after, he and his wife Mary came over to chat.

We shared more about Back on My Feet and its mission and they had so many questions about BoMF and the bike ride. Greg wanted to donate on the spot!

Instead we asked for his prayers for a safe journey, wide shoulders on the side of the road and alert drivers.

Long neck Buds started appearing on our table as folks warmed up to us. It ended with us reciprocating and a buying a round for all before we left to set up camp.

The point is… look for the good and assume the best in people. Put love where there is no love, and then there will be love. What if we would have turned around and walked out?

And it sure doesn’t hurt for two sweet sisters to get the ball rolling.

14 thoughts on “#acaNoTier Joplin to Chinook, 74 Miles | Spandex in Montana”

  2. Love it! Spandex, biking and beers! 🙂 And spreading the good word about BOMF. You both are amazing. Keep up the hard work & stay safe.

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  3. That rumble strip along the road looked like it could have been a pain with traffic. Hopefully you didn’t have to dodge cars and that strip at the same time. Great story. Yes, it takes a real man to wear spandex into a lot of places on the road!

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    1. Oh the dang rumble strips! They keep you in a rigid riding position for hours as you know. At one point they had rumbles next to the rumbles so the only area to the right of the white line was rumbles. I know you know what we mean. But then the wide shoulders begin again and all is right with the world. Thanks for following along, Vic!

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  4. I was wondering when the attire thing would come up. The spandex is just an important tool to ride efficiently and comfortably for the cyclist just like the cowboy hat is needed, but is out of place, at least in Indiana. One in a thousand is going to be a jerk. Just move on.

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  6. Yep, we have experienced the same effect at festival and surrounds.. a smile really does have a big impact! Love you guys and your great storieS!☀️😊

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