Snake around 2005, explaining the importance of carrying fig bars in a fanny pack.
My sources reported that Snakeman was riding again. Snakeman? Well lets just call him Snake. Snake is a friend of mine, one of my first riding buddies. We rode many thousands of miles together years ago. He acquired the nickname Snakeman because he was an avid collector of Snakes and at one time had dozens in his house including a couple of 15+ feet Pythons. That and the 2 foot beard kind of making a local folk hero.
Snake on this morning’s ride.
So circa 2003 Snake stops riding. More than likely a series of 200 mile endurance rides left him burnt out or could have been 10 years of being focused on cycling. Whatever it was, it was final. No more riding. THen out of nowhere he made a comeback in 2005, he found 2 years of not cycling had diminished his abilities to a level he wasn’t comfortable with so he bought a scooter, a big scooter. He put around 150,000 miles on that scooter since then, just riding around to ride around, like riding 600 miles to North Carolina because there was a road there he wanted to ride.
That came to an abrupt end 3 weeks ago when his scooter, “bucked like a horse” and threw him off on the interstate going 70 miles per hour. He admits he should be dead. Scabs cover his body like volcanic islands on the ocean, and with his scooter totaled he has found himself with little to do. So he rolled the bike out and began training. Twice a day, 17 miles per ride.
Standard pre-ride pose.
He hasn’t found his bike clothes, though he was never a big fan of lycra, opting instead for button up shirts with his bike shorts. We rode today with sweatpants and a long sleeves. I encouraged him to park his “loaner” low-end mountain bike, and get out the mountain bike configured for the rail trail with slicks. (He has a dozen or so bikes.) We rode 17 miles in about an hour and a half including a long drink stop.
I hope the eccentric presence of a Snake will show up in the blog during the coming months.
Barn Door Cycling 
Next time u see Snake ask him about walikng the bike path from Hburg to Vienna, it was Snake Brian Deneal and a few other people i did not know, I drove Snakes truck as the sag wagon, only 4 made the trip Brian, Snake and 2 others dont remember their names, after i got them back to Harrisburg they could barely get out of the truck and stand up!
That was me and my husband. That was the most miserable day of my life. Never again will I do a snake-a-thon lol