Life has a funny way of working out sometimes. I first met Tom Swallow in college and convinced him that he should come work with me at a bike shop which I had been working since first starting in the industry. It was at that shop that he met Sarah after she was hired on from the local bike rental. Soon they were married, and after the shop sold and sort of imploded under the new ownership, I made my way to Bikerumor, and Tom and Sarah made their own path with Swallow Bicycle Works. It wasn’t long until they became the hub for adventure riding in the area and gradually worked their way up to their incredible TAT ride – crossing the country by bike on the Trans-America Trail. Typically reserved for dual sport motorcycles, the Swallows crushed the 4,970 miles in 87 days. A ride that many thought wouldn’t be possible.
Which brings us to the present and the fact that I am not at all surprised that I am writing about their latest rides as part of the Specialized Adventure Dispatch. Say what you want about the program, but riders like Sarah (and Tom) are the real deal – which I can only assume the same for other Adventure Dispatch riders like Ty Hathaway as well…
