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Club Member Spotlight Walt’s 5th Annual Happy Birthday Ride Report by Lori Sommer
Two days early, on Thursday, September 11th Walt celebrated his 77th birthday by climbing Nike hill and made it all the way to the top without stopping. He improves with age and a shiny new climbing gear.
Twenty-nine of his biking friends (seven from Valley Spokesmen including Roland, Lydia, Constance, Jamie, Bill, Robert and Tom) showed up to escort him around Coyote Hills and then to Cold Stone where he was met by three more cyclists, Herm, Lambert and Becky, all of whom will be back on the bike soon. It was nice to see Donna B. after about a month’s hiatus and Christina and Jeston after a leave of a year so. Bert and Florence, Molly and Neil, Karen, Vicki R. and Ron R. were content to socialize, and even Burcu remained in the middle of the group rather than push the pace as she sometimes likes to do. As usual on the Thursday rides, Margaret and Marcella (accompanied by Robin, Vanessa and Jennifer) helpfully went back to check on separated riders. There were two flat tires, but Neil and Jeston were able to fix them quickly and get back on the road with the watchful eyes of Ed and Wyatt. We did lose the tail end of the group before the break, including Ken Goldman, but they are an industrious group and were able to reach the ice cream shop without incident. It is funny; we do not lose anyone when we do not have route sheets! Everyone sang Happy Birthday and enjoyed coffee, ice cream or juice and took many photos although Walt’s camera was out of order, much to his disappointment.
The ride back was uneventful, but two cars passed us with drivers and passengers honking and waving while riding on Cherry Street. Does everyone know Walt? If you have ridden with him, you’ll realize that this is not an unusual event. People come up to him all the time during rides or at coffee stops, even people he played tennis with 20 or 30 years ago. He might have attended Jazz concerts with them or worked with them, and even though most everyone knows Walt lives in Orinda, over the years people will recognize him on the streets of Fremont and stop to say hello.
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