'It's amazing how nice people can be': Stranger helps stranded cyclist get to work on time

NINA MOINI: It's time now for another edition of our series, Thank You, Stranger, where we hear from people who were touched by the kindness of others. Today, a cyclist tells the story of a driver who shared the road when he was down on his luck. NPR producer Ellen Finn talked to him.

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RAY TAHNK-JOHNSON: I was biking down by Lake Grace in Chaska, just doing a regular ride that I like to do. And I got up to Pioneer Trail. And strangely enough, my bike, the derailer actually broke. And I thought, there's no way I'm going to get home now.

ELLEN FINN: Ray's bike was done for. To make matters worse, he was due in court soon. Ray's a lawyer. He didn't have much time to make it the 12 miles back home.

RAY TAHNK-JOHNSON: I was just about a block and a half from an intersection. I walked to the intersection of Pioneer Trail and Chestnut, which is the highway there. And I just started hitchhiking. I haven't done that in, boy, probably 40 years. But I was just looking at my options, and I had to get somewhere. And I was just hoping that it would work.

ELLEN FINN: Ray took a leap of faith and stuck out his thumb.

RAY TAHNK-JOHNSON: And I swear to God, within a minute, a vehicle stopped. I couldn't believe it. This really nice guy asked me how far I was going. I told him I was going to Minnetonka. And he said, oh, well, I'm only going up to Chanhassen.

ELLEN FINN: That at least got Ray closer to where he lived in Minnetonka. So he decided to get in.

RAY TAHNK-JOHNSON: I put my bike in the back of his truck. And it was maybe a 10-minute drive. And in those 10 minutes, we just started chatting. And he was telling me about where he was headed. He was going to pick up his brother from school. It was like we were buddies in a very short time. He's probably half my age, by the way. And we got to Chanhassen, and he said, now where exactly do you live? I told him where I lived in Minnetonka. He said, oh, what the heck, I'll give you a ride. He ended up driving an extra 10, 15 minutes out of his way, took me all the way home,. And I got home in time to make it to my hearing.

I was really, really lucky that day that he came along and was kind enough to help. So I really appreciated his assistance. Sometimes it's amazing to me how nice people can be. I do hear people being critical about other drivers on the road, especially the bicyclists. But I have to say, most Minnesotans are very courteous, very friendly, yield to me more often than I actually deserve, frankly.

ELLEN FINN: Ray doesn't even know the man's name. But he said he won't forget his help that day.

RAY TAHNK-JOHNSON: I really appreciated his being friendly and helpful. Keep being that kind of helpful person because I think we all need more of that.

NINA MOINI: That was Ray Tahnk-Johnson, from Minnetonka, talking to NPR producer Ellen Finn. If you have a story about a stranger who made your day a little brighter, we want to hear it. Email us at minnesotanow.org. You can find our entire collection of "Thank You, Strangerq stories at mprnews.org.