3 Weeks in Colombia(read 12hr late edit)

I took this picture of Raab yesterday. This one a few days before Christmas.

Yesterday morning I started to hear a crunchy bearing sound from my rear Dura Ace flop flop fixxy hub. The noise became louder as the day went on and as soon as I knew the Wonderboy was in range I made a break for http://www.singlespeeds.com/ to use their tools, grease, rags and general good company for a mid afternoon work wheel repack. As soon as I walked into the shop I heard my friend Andreas Raab's voice from the work bench area, impossible I thought he was training in Colombia South America since January 1 and he was not due back until March. It was him, he came back a few weeks early to take care of some personal priorities and reflect on the past three weeks of riding in the big dense landscape of Colombia. He said he has lost 15lbs from existing on the saddle with his belongings on his back, eating good market fresh non processed foods and of course the general positive energy from being immersed in a new culture on another continent. While I started tearing apart my wheel Raab told me about a ride that stands out that was 86km from sea level to 4,000meters. Not only does that sound steep to me but it sounds physically stretching it with altitude coming down on you the entire way! The people in the towns he would stay in welcomed him and were reported to be very nice and genuinely concerned about their gringo guest. The only down side came a few days ago when he was jacked at gun point by two banditos on motor bike. Andreas was walking on foot when he was held up so he still has his beautiful bike but the banditos got away with his passport, a large amount of cash and his laptop. Interestingly enough this witty friend of mine did not lament the loss of his senseless material objects and in God we trust units but instead found himself grateful to be where he was surrounded by such a different and real culture. As he sat and contemplated what had happened to him shortly after having a gun to his head he realized that they could have taken his stuff or even killed him, it would not have mattered because he felt happy with where he was and what he was doing. Not too many people can even begin to understand that philosophy.

I wound up repacking both front and rear Dura Ace hubs, wheels are as good as almost new.

DELINQUENT(but important) INFO: I realized while riding around today that I had no idea and no way of knowing that Andreas was back in country just arriving within 20hrs of when I rode out to http://www.singlespeeds.com/ to fix maintenance my Dura Ace bearings that started making noise on the East Side Stay Alive early that morn. While I was repacking and listening to Raab it dawned on me that this was his original hub set that he sold to me 3 plus years ago for the very best price after he crashed his Mostowy into a car that crashed into him. At one point I ask for the bearing count acronym(front wheel, BB, rear wheel)which is when Andreas spoke up making my connection to hey, these were your hubs a revolution times a million ago. Is it possible giving consideration to the infinite powers of energy, manifestation and synchronicity that the hubs actually sent me who had been turning them daily for the past what seems to be an eternity to see their original owner? I believe so, just another one of my crazy thoughts that I will surely continue telling you about.