Just call me Rachel!

On our last night at Carvahal beach, while Sharon was cooking up a storm in Gurty, a face poked round the corner. A guy asked if he could take a picture of my bike, because he loves Kona’s and knows the people in Canada who design them. What’s a girl to say, but of course. As you all know I love my bike, she makes me very happy.

Simon explained he was Canadian, recently had a cancer scare and so decided to give up the rat race and go on cycling adventures. He was cycling from Lisbon to Lagos over a week to meet up with some friends and gave me his card, which had ‘laughalot_fun – bike mechanic’ on it. Never one to miss an opportunity I got him to give a quick service to my bike, whilst initiating him in the ways of Bristle. I told him about Gurty and why she was so called, but I think things got lost in translation when I later looked on his Insta account to find his version of events:

So Kona is my brand. When I am not riding my custom Naked, I’m riding a Kona. The engineers at Kona are true innovators and the management and staff keep it real by provide some of the best bikes in the industry. And best, they back their bikes and keep you riding.
The fantacism of Kona owners never ceases to amaze me. Enter Rachel on a remote Portuguese beach and her cinder cone, Gert Lush (Bristolian for rather nice). Seeing the Kona, I introduced my self, handed Rachel my card and was greeted with “your a bike mechanic?” She told me about her first Kona (stolen), how much she loved Gert Lush and the joys her Kona had given her. I gave Gert a complimentary tune, Rachel some advice (replace that chain asap) and was on my wonderful way. Thanks Kona. You rock!
#konabikes#konacindercone#unitedbicycleinstitute

Funniest thing is, I do remember a phase when I was about 10 or 11 of telling everyone my name was Rachel and wouldn’t answer to anything else. Funny how things come back around!