A few years ago I was in Blackpool and found a phone on a wall. As it was unlocked I called ‘Mum’ and said “I’ve found this phone and I think it’s your childs, could you call a friend of theirs and tell them?” and this daft woman started having a go at me saying she was busy, didn’t have time and that I’d need to sort it out. I told her I was just a member of the public and didn’t actually know her kid. She was too thick to understand so I just said it would be left a Mcdonalds if her daughter wanted it back. Another time I found a pbone in the kids play area and scrolled through messages which were clearly about drug deals. We had a problem with dealers at the time so I texted the last one back to say I’d found the phone and could they tell their friend that it would be left at the Police station. Ha.

About 25 years ago my car (dodgy battery) cut out on a dark, miserable winter evening in the pouring rain.

I was trying to push it myself (no mobiles in those days to call for help) to a hill to bump start it as lots of cars sped past. Eventually one stopped and a gorilla got out covered in piercings, tattoos and generally pretty scary looking.

I couldn’t have been more wrong about him. He was brilliant, gave me a hand pushing despite the fact he got soaked and totally understood when I said that if the car did start I wouldn’t be able to come back and say thanks properly.

Top bloke.

I’ve lots, however one stands out. When I was 25 I drove right across the US in a car lent to me by an bloke I got drunk with in a small town bar. He lent it to me so I could see more of the States than my meagre budget would otherwise of allowed. I did over four and half thousand miles in it.

I’ve been the kind stranger too, but never to any extent even close to that. I’ll be paying that one back/forward for life.

Wife did sdw today from winch to Eastbourne on her own. Got a bit lost and ended up on monarch’s way. 2 very nice gents not only gave her directions but rode her back the right way and made sure she was on track. Made her (and mine and the kids as we were picking up) day much better….

Next time I saw him, he gave me an Ibis handjob

Hope you returned the favour? 😀

*from a long, long time ago, one of dads mates was a lorry driver and he didn’t usually do hitchers but it was a bad, bad Scottish wet day and he took pity on a bedraggled bloke walking along, anyway off they went, the bloke said thanks but didn’t speak much, as they went along a charming policeman stopped him and was a complete and utter ********, a rear light Was out so that was a charge and on it went, checking paperwork, and generally being an officious jobsworth ( they hadn’t provoked him), the policeman took all the details in his notebook and sent them on their way, again pretty much in silence, at the blokes village they stopped, the bloke said thanks, then as he got out, He said don’t worry about the policeman, nothing will happen, and he handed the lorry driver the policeman’s notebook, smiled and said I’m a pickpocket.

You should write a story about this. Oh no, wait. Roald Dahl already has…

A few years ago I was in Blackpool and found a phone on a wall. As it was unlocked I called ‘Mum’ and said “I’ve found this phone and I think it’s your childs, could you call a friend of theirs and tell them?” and this daft woman started having a go at me saying she was busy, didn’t have time and that I’d need to sort it out…

Thought that this story might might end like this one:

Quite often I find bits and bobs on the road side when out for a ride and on one day it was a mobile phone. All working so I phoned the owners ‘mummy’ and was then able to ride to where the owner worked. He was very grateful, but why he thought I might like a small ball of cling film for my efforts was a bit of a puzzle.

found a phone on the ridgeway , guy rang for it after 30 mins or so and started jibbering on about find my phone, riding towards each other to pass it back etc
i got him to text me his address and posted it back , he was training for Ride London

lot’s of kind acts from people on STW:

Years ago someone sent me a hat for my young nephew.

Tracey from here sent me some bits and bobs for the same nephew.

Binners made me some great business cards and would not accept payment.

Just recently a lot of you paid into our ‘scrubs making charity’. The scrubs have gone all over the country, to nhs, care, dentists and key workers.

Thank you. x

edit; Just realised binners is not a random stranger to me. But his act of kindness was worth mentioning.

A mate and I once drive out to ride at The Trough of Boland. On getting there I discovered I’d left my spd shoes at home. We packed up and we’re going to head to Merlin to buy some new uns. We passed a group of riders and stopped to ask them if there was a nearer bike shop. One lad said he had a spare pair I could use then drop them off where they were staying when we were done.

So amazingly I took his Specialized shoes and we had an awesome ride. I dropped them outside on my way home (no one was in)

That’s so trusting, I could have ridden off into the sunset in them

Top guy!!

My own story but quite funny (I think)

It was at Mountain Mayhem prob in the early 2000’s, and I was in a none too competitive / serious team, doing the last lap with specific instructions to not get back before 2pm. As I was finishing the last bit of singletrack, just the fireroad climb and then arena descent to come, I was aware of someone coming up proper fast behind me. As we turned on to the fireroad he stood on the pedals and …… snapped his chain. He was off and running straight away and as I caught him up I asked him why the rush – turns out they were in a battle for 3rd/4th and desperately needed another lap. Spotting we had the same pedals I offered him my bike – not sure if really allowed, I know you can offer parts but a bike’s worth? Anyway, he readily agreed and we swapped over and he hammered off up the fireroad. At this point I noticed how bow legged he was – as he was abou 6″ taller than me but couldn’t be arsed to take the time to adjust the saddle.

Which is then where I had the opposite issue. The fireroad was a walk anyway, but the freewheel zigzag back into the arena….the saddle / seatpost was some sort of lightweight carbon weight saving thing that I couldn’t adjust. So my reward for offering up my bike was death by a hundred tiny impacts on the nuts as even standing my ballbag was just in reach of the super unpadded racing saddle that inevitably he’d fitted.

(he also gave me a half eaten pack of Clif Shotbloks when we swapped bikes back. The glamour of these sponsored tider teams!!)

Never got my multitool back though

Kid nicked it obvs.

Was cycling to Bromley one dark winter evening on my old Orange P7 and I managed to get a puncture in the middle of Catford. I found myself perched on the pavement trying to fix the flat and was approached by a crowd of MLE accented hoodie yoofs.

“Ya got a puncture innit?” says one.
“Your frame and brakes are well cool!” said another. Uh oh.

“I’ve got my bike pump with me, need a hand?” said the biggest of the party as he stepped forward and helped me lever off my tyre and find the hole in the inner tube. The group of yoofs and I spent the next twenty minutes talking about bicycles, shiny Hope kit, their aspirations for the future and in doing so they restored my faith in humanity. Whoever their parents were, they raised bloody decent kids. Chapeau.

“I’ve got my bike pump with me, need a hand?”

Did he have a bike? Obvious questions arise otherwise.

Eventually one stopped and a gorilla got out covered in piercings, tattoos and generally pretty scary looking.

I couldn’t have been more wrong about him.

Appearances can be deceptive. I’ve learned this from spending most of my drinking years in rock / biker bars, the only time I’ve seen bother is in places like Yates. It’s never the tattooed man-mountains you need to worry about because they’ve got nothing to prove, it’s the Begbies of this world that are trouble.

Rewind to 1990, Monsters of Rock at Donington, my first ever ‘proper’ gig and still hard to beat. Me and a mate got randomly molested by a marauding group of Begbish Scotsmen. “Hey ye,” the lead Begbie went, prodding me in the ribcage, “has ye go’ any beer?”

“Erm, I’m terribly sorry sir,” 18-year old me stammered, “I’m afraid we don’t.”

He looked me in the eye with a stare like mining lasers. I genuinely thought “christ, this is it, this is how I check out, mullered by an angry Scotsman for the crime of not being able to provide him with free alcohol.

A moment passed. Galaxies could have formed and died in the length of time I felt passing. Then he suddenly gave a big drunken grin, went “well, here ye ‘kin go then laddie!” and thrust a gallon container of ale into my hands.

One of our customers has just popped in and handed us a card with a £100 in it.

Thank you very much!

WOW! ^^^ nice one zippykona!

Regarding random kindness from strangers, my Wife & I have been in touch with a lady 3 doors down who lives on her own since lockdown.

She keeps herself to herself but there is the odd flurry of messages.
We have had some messages in the last couple of weeks that make us think she is quite down, but we can’t visit her & feel a bit helpless.

My dad once saw a “lady” place her purse on the roof of her car after shopping, get in and drive off. The purse fell off the car. The way the car park was designed meant that my dad could easily intercept her on her way out, which he did, while waving her purse at her. To which she responded with the middle finger and drove on.

As an act of kindness my dad took her purse to the police station instead of handing it in to the shop, in the hope of causing her a bit more hassle.

On a similar note to the above, I once tried to alert a man in a repmobile that he had left his briefcase and files and McCoffee on the roof. He must’ve been distracted by the phone call he was still on as he drove out of MaccyD’s. He probably thought I was beeping and pointing at his phone rather than his spreadsheets when he flipped me the bird. I assume his paperwork is distributed down the side of the A1 now as I didn’t persue the matter after his ungrateful reaction.

A moment passed. Galaxies could have formed and died in the length of time I felt passing. Then he suddenly gave a big drunken grin, went “well, here ye ‘kin go then laddie!” and thrust a gallon container of ale into my hands.

😃

The way the car park was designed meant that my dad could easily intercept her on her way out, which he did, while waving her purse at her. To which she responded with the middle finger and drove on.

This has just reminded me…a mate and I were cycling into Oakham after doing a lap of Rutland water. We passed a Police car parked up with a speed radar gun clocking people coming out of Oakham (it’s a wide 30 road, but easy to get up to ~40).
Further down the road a chav kid in a Mini came hoofing it towards us – must have been doing 50 and still accelerating.
Both of us waved our hands and then did the downwards waving sign of ‘calm it down’ at him. We were met with a middle finger and a further prod of the accelerator. He must have got done by Plod the speed he was going.

I have just remembered another one where I benefited. A few years ago on an offroad tour in the highlands we bust a sidewall on the rear tyre of the tandem – a combination of the weight of us and the bike, a lightweight tyre that was a bit underinflated and a rough track taken at high speed meant the sidewall had fretted and the bead came away from the carcass. We limped into Bridge of Orchy, went into the pub and asked if anyone had a tyre we could buy ( Bridge of orchy is a tiny settlement) Ten mins later we were given one, the chap refused payment and that enabled us to do another big offroad loop rather than limping on to the next town or giving up.

We left a tenner behind the bar for the chap who gave us the tyre