As many of you know I commute to work about three times a week. My commute is 65 miles each way along the beautiful southern California coastline from Huntington Beach to Encinitas. I leave my home in Huntington Beach at 4am to get to work by 8am. I work a full 8hr shift and then commute home to Huntington Beach at 4pm and get home by 8ish pm. The headwinds going North usually add 15-20 mins.

On my commute today I met Louis. And who is Louis? Well every morning as I enter Newport Beach, just South of Huntington Beach, I see the trail of the street sweeping machine. Different parts of town are done on different days and I am always “chasing” the street sweeper. I feel so privileged to be the first cyclist to ride on a freshly swept road. I just want to catch the sweeper and say Thank you.

So….today I “caught” the sweeper. I pulled over and motioned to the driver that I wanted to talk to him. I couldn’t believe how noisy the machine was but Louis was kind enough to shut the different systems down. I introduced myself and we chatted for a minute and I thanked him because I’m quite sure no one thanks him. Here he is sweeping the streets for us cyclists (I know, I know it’s not just for us but let me fantasize) and he does it in the middle of the night and we never see him. He’s out there pre-dawn making Newport Beach a clean and road hazard free zone.

Next time you are out on a ride and are suprised you don’t see any road hazards think of Louis…I will!