Long Friendship Keeps On Pedaling Along
(Publisher’s Note: Jeff Houck posted this essay on his Facebook page Sunday. )
By Jeff Houck for LVSportsBiz.com
When you miss a dear friend, everything you see reminds you of them. In one visit two weeks ago to Stained Market Place, I had my memory boat swamped by reminders of Alan Snel.
His unfortunate love of the Mets, his beloved departed Pugsy, our mutual veneration of sombreros and, you know, his name in giant, illuminated letters. I’m observant like that.
I also think of Al every time I see one of Tampa’s newfangled dedicated bike lanes downtown. A pioneer for bicyclist protections on the road at a time when dozens annually were getting mowed down by motorists, Al led the charge on behalf of a Tampa Bay bicycle alliance that was a decade ahead of its time.
My friendship with Al for almost 30 years has been framed by cycling. Many a day would find him pedaling out to the hinterlands of Valrico from Tampa Heights in his YooHoo bike jersey to visit for a few hours or to watch a Bucs game. I can still hear the clack of his bike shoes on our tile floor.
We share a love of bikes. As a kid, I’d pedal my aquamarine AMC 3-speed to Pass-A-Grille from our home in Tyrone to visit my grandmother and my cousins or see my first serious girlfriend at the ripe dating age of 13. I rode my bike to school almost every day from middle school to sophomore year. The bike was pure, unfiltered freedom.
After our son Brian was born, Grace and I bought twin, cobalt-tinted Cannondales so we could strap him into a bike seat and take him out for some adventure. He pretty much only saw the back of my shirt for an hour or so when the NFL-sized bike helmet didn’t droop over his eyes, but the thought was there. We still have the bikes, 25 years later.
So I fell in love with Al’s latest book, Bicycle Man: Life of Journeys.
Everything about Al traces back to the pedal. His love of nature, his indefatigable strength, his love for natural human characters, his unrelenting capacity for friendship and his titanium hiney.
How a guy pedals twice across country without walking funny is beyond my explanation.
The book is like a long, casual ride on a sunny, crisp day, where you coast between lazy pedaling to enjoy the breeze in your hair, notice every blade of grass and give thanks for the strength in your legs.
The road is tough. Alan Snel is tougher.
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