I knew Justin Simoni had to be close to Butte having left Helena Saturday. But, I was shocked to see that he had overnighted in Butte getting in at ~1:30am this morning. I've been following Justin since his deliberate departure from the first alternate in the Canadian Flathead region. When I hit the position refresh button it showed his last Spot position to be just south of my daughter's home on the route into Thompson Park. It was about 12:25pm, and the family was about to sit down for a wonderful Father's Day meal. I apologized to the kids and told them I really wanted to at least say hello and grab a few quick pictures of Justin before he got too far out of town. So, I grabbed the camera, car keys, ran out of the door, and drove like a wild man to catch up to him. As I rounded a curve on Montana 2 there sat Justin on a short mound of dirt beside the road, head in hand, and with his bike and gear strewn all about him. I pulled onto the shoulder, got out of the car (sans the camera) and asked him if he was all right. He said he was okay but was just a little despondent that he had a slit in his sidewall of his tubeless WTB Nano, had a worn out chain and that the nearest bike shop back in Butte was closed. I identified myself as the shop mechanic, and he looked a little stunned. He stated he was sitting beside the road trying to decided if he could make it to Wyoming with his current mechanical issues or if he should just cut his losses and head back to town and wait for the shop to open tomorrow morning. I gave Outdoorsman owner, Rob Leipheimer, a quick call on his cell and to my surprise learned he was actually in the shop at that moment doing some work. He said he had to be on the road for an appointment by 2PM, so if we hurried we could get Justin set up with a new chain, rear tire, install the Stans, and insert some new disk pads.
I quickly noted Justin's position on the route, so that after the work was done back at the shop I could return him to the exact same spot where he had stopped so he'd be within the rules regarding 'No forward assistance".
We loaded up all his gear and bike into my car and heading back to town at warp speed to meet Rob at the shop. When we got to the shop, Rob already had pulled the new tire and put it in the shop. While Rob took care of mounting the new tire, I pulled a new chain and brake pads and installed them.
We were in and out of the shop by 1:22pm less than 52 min after I found Justin beside the road. I then drove Justin back to the exact same location where I picked him up.
I took a couple of parting photos and wished Justin a safe journey south. He waved goodbye as I turned around and headed back to town. The smile on his face spoke volumes.
Yes, Justin's lucky stars lined up in the right order on this day!
(1) Justin had stopped just outside town to think about his situation.
(2) I just happened to want to greet him before he left town.
(3) My family hadn't yet sat down to our Father's Day lunch.
(4) Rob just happened to be in the shop when I called his cell. And,
(5) We had the time and parts available to get the job done.
On our way back to his original stopping point along the route, Justin said he always knew that it would take a lot of folks to make this amazing journey along the divide work. And, that everyone he has met along the way has played an important role in his journey. A very humble man who faced adversity and dealt with it with grace. Typical of the type of person who rides in the Tour Divide.
From my perspective it was providence for me to meet such a remarkable Tour Divide rider. My Father's Day was all the better for the experience I can assure you. What a great day this has been.
Awesome!
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