The Best Day
author It was probably my best day of road booty when I found this North Face Gore-Tex jacket. In the midst of a 70-mile ride from Silicon Valley over to the Pacific Coast and back, I first found a cycling vest with the Markleeville Death Ride livery. On the run in to Half Moon Bay I found the jacket. Almost immediately, there was a Craftsmen socket wrench. When I hit Highway 1 and the coast, I found 20 pairs of new, white, tube socks. Last but not least, there were three $25 Safeway gift cards, which I was ultimately able to return to a food bank for the needy.
RELATED: Where to Donate a Bike
Extra Weight
author The
2013 Vuelta a Espana Champion, Chris Horner, and I were on my 60th birthday ride when I found this wrench. Chris told me that he sees lots of tools when he rides, but he doesn't pick them up because he doesn't want to carry the weight; I on the other hand just had to snag it. Later, on the final climb at mile 70, I asked Chris if he could dial it back just a bit so I wouldn't get dropped. He looked over at me and laughed, "it's that wrench!" (Get the
Bicycling custom-engraved Silca Wrench kit to do your home bike maintenance in style.)
Custom Silca HX-One Essential Kit, $140.00, Bicycling Store
At a Glance
- S2 steel hex keys 2mm-10mm
- Custom S2 steel bit adaptor to standard 1/4" bit
- Engraved beechwood box
- Made in Taiwan
SHOP
A Lifesaver
the author I used to do a 125-mile loop from Frisco, Colorado, over Hoosier Pass, down to Buena Vista then back via Leadville over Fremont Pass each Memorial Day so I could view the snow-capped, 14,000-foot peaks of the Collegiate range in all their glory. When I found these gloves outside Buena Vista, little did I know a thunderstorm would hit on top of Fremont Pass and the temperature would drop to about 40F. I wouldn't have been able to descend back to Frisco without those gloves; they ended up being a total lifesaver.
RELATED: How to Ride Out A Storm on Your Bike
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Cross Training
the author Besides cycling, rock climbing is my other passion. It's a cool, goal-oriented sport with great views, much like cycling. I was coming home from a ride and was behind Stanford University when I saw a shoe on the side of the road. These days, I don't pick up anything that needs a mate unless the mate's also nearby. About 300 feet up the road, I could just make out something that could have been the other shoe, and darn if it wasn't. And best of all, they fit!
Cold, Hard Cash
the author Money is always a great find. One day, I was doing a ride with one of my workmates when I spotted some green. We were about to start a long downhill, so I just scooped it up and stuffed it in my jersey. I remember seeing a "1" and a "0" so when we stopped at my favorite candy store, I offered to use my found $10 bill to treat everybody. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be $100. I still treated everybody, but I donated the $100 to a local program that fixes up bikes for needy kids and adults.
A Fender
the author Since 1977, I have been doing a 105-mile Christmas ride from my home in Mountain View, California, over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and back. I have had many guests on the ride, including
Robin Williams (who was no slouch on a bike). On my 35th annual ride, I was returning near Pacifica when I spotted this fender on the side of the road. It didn't have the rubber ties that hold it to the chainstays, but I scrounged a few rubber bands and got it properly attached to my bike for the trip home. This year will be the 40th annual ride; hopefully I find something just as useful this time around.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
A Computer
the author I found this computer on a descent. Someone had dumped a pile of garbage over the side of the road and this was sitting on top of it. I took it home, and it booted up! I reported the pile of garbage, and eventually the California Department of Transportation stepped in and removed all the junk.
A Human Child
the author I wish I had a picture of this find, as you will quickly understand why. One of my all-time favorite rides is a 115-mile loop from my house in Mountain View over to the Pacific Coast, down to Santa Cruz and back. On one of my trips, I was riding down the street in Santa Cruz when I happened upon a one-year-old baby running and screaming down the sidewalk with his diaper drooping down to his knees. I leaned my bike up against a building and after about 30 minutes of searching, I found his mother in her kitchen cooking lunch, oblivious that anything was amiss.
RELATED: 13 Awesome Bikes for Kids Who Want to Shred
Storage (For More Booty)
the author Sometimes the fun of finding something is figuring out how to get it home. Milk crates come in handy for a number of uses, including storing bike parts. I found this crate in Los Gatos about 20 miles from home. In the midst of a long ride, I was a bit
low on energy, but by balancing one side of the crate on my handlebars I was able to get both the crate and myself home in one piece.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Where it All Started
the author This is the road find that started it all: When I was in graduate school at University of Wisconsin-Madison, parking was a problem during the winter months because of the need for snow removal. So, I used to store my car in my aunt's barn 65 miles southeast in Elkhorn. I was riding my bike back to campus after dropping my car off in the fall of 1978 when I found this tape measure. It been a long, strange road ever since!
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below