George the Cyclist

How cool is this dude?

George Christenson is a 57-year-old bicycle messenger from Chicago. But that’s his winter job.

Other times of the year, he bicycles the world. If you participated in last weekend’s unusually grueling Cape Argus race, you may have spotted him. He was the guy without a number on a touring bike with racks. He had just completed a long circuit though SA, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique with a ride across the Kalahari. His blog, George the Cyclist, is worth a read, whether or not you agree whether his every comment. Mostly he camped wild by the edge of the road. He was robbed once. But what stands out is that South Africa looked after him.

An snippet from his blog:

"This has been a most memorable and fulfilling trip with more challenges than most. I have seen and learned a lot. I have many people to thank for making it such an exceptional experience, foremost Ian here in Cape Town as well as his business partner Charlie and of course Mark and Nicky in Matatiele and countless others who lent me their support along the way--the woman at the airport who stored my bike box in her closet, the young man who offered me a ride to Pretoria, the campground owner who worked on my bike and didn't charge me for camping, the various people who stopped to give me cold drinks, the man who rasied lions who gave me 200 rand and on and on. I can understand why so many South Africans take such great pride in their country and their countrymen."