Except for the 96 miles! The day started cold! I registered 32.5F on my bike. After all the rain yesterday, I got my jackets all dry, but my shoes were still a little damp, as I’m sure most everyone’s were. Damp shoes, with the cold temp, make for very cold feet.Before the ride started, somebody came up with the idea of putting our hands on the hood of the van to warm them up, which is a nice benefit of having the support van. A couple of people were even laying their faces on the hood.
I have my family with me on this ride, my son and my granddaughter. So proud of my 14 year old granddaughter Harper! She did a leap frog kind of day. Instead of 96 miles she decided to try for something she could do within reason. She rode the first 27 mile segment, got in the van for the next 20 miles, rode her bike again, and then back in the van. She hit her day’s goal of a metric century, which is 62 miles. Pretty darn good for a 14 year old! And on top of doing the distance, she was rocking in the lead pace line while her gramps was way back. I did manage to hook up with a slower pace line, and had a lot of fun with that.
We met with a reporter, from a local news station, at the first rest stop, and I was asked to talk to the reporter by Melissa. I waved Matthew and Harper over with me, and we had a fun time talking with the media. Harper spoke right up, answering the questions like a regular rock star.
Before coming on this ride I had put all of 24 miles on a bike outdoors.I was hardly prepared for the adventure that awaited me on the Natchez Trace.I looked forward to the week long ride with equal parts of excitement and sheer terror.It didn’t help that I missed most of orientation and introductions due to a delayed flight coming into Nashville.When I finally arrived at the first church, I was overwhelmed by all the new faces, bikes, and gear that lay everywhere.However, you couldn’t help but feel the buzz of excitement amongst the riders who had just come off of the first practice ride through Nashville.I quickly made introductions with new friends and began to take in my surroundings.Riders of all ages (14-85), from all across the country, all coming together with one common goal, to ride and to make an impact.
Our first full day of riding was spent taking on 47 miles of the trail.It was a beautiful sunny day with only one word to describe it- hills.Coming from nice flat Ohio, this was a totally new experience for me.There were times I wanted to get off my bike and walk up a particularly challenging hill.Thanks to many encouraging riders (who also told great stories), like, Cheryl and Diane, I just kept peddling.Today we braved it through the pouring down rain, riding for hours through thunderstorms.It was a bad enough storm that it even got a name!Conveniently, it cleared up about twenty minutes after we arrived at our next location in Collinwood, TN.
I can’t remember the last time I was that sore and tired, but I quickly learned I was in good company.The avid riders who have devoted weeks of their lives to biking cross country also had tired limbs and sore butts.It felt great knowing that even though we all went at different paces, we all made the same journey together and could share a wonderful sense of accomplishment.You don’t have bonding experiences like that every day.
St Patrick’s Day, 2013 was a memorable one for us.
We started the day with a service in the chapel at the Vine Street Disciples of Christ Church. This small chapel is separate from the main sanctuary, and our group of several dozen made up more than half of the congregation. The cyclists sat amongst the parishioners, and Rev. Thomas Kleinert wove the story of our journey into his service, inspiring us.
The Vine Street Church has a Congolese congregation. Rev. Celestine, who leads the congregation, joined us outside the church and told us about the challenges faced in the Congo. He led us in three “Oyee” (pronounced Oye-Aye’) cheers. In Congo, people say “Oyee” in cases when we would say “Amen”.
As we gathered in the parking lot, our two Sarahs (Doren and Cook) practiced their newly invented Fuller Center handshake……it needs a video to do it justice.
As we prepared to start our journey, a cameraman arrived from a Nashville TV station. He interviewed our oldest cyclist, 85 year old Jack Hughes, as well as several other riders, and then filmed us doing a warm-up ride around the parking lot and as we began our journey.
We've been trickling in since yesterday, one at a time or a few in a car together.We've come from all different directions and converged here in Nashville.Some of us knew each other, but most of us only knew anything about each other from our online profile … a few lines, or even a few paragraphs, isn't enough to really know much about a couple dozen people you've never met before.
We stayed last night together in the Vine Street Christian Church basement, and spent some significant time and energy trying to put names with faces.If tonight, the second night together, is any indication, the time we spent today getting to know each other, getting oriented to our week & to the Fuller Center, and going on a quick 12 mile ride has been worth it.
Tonight, this church basement is lively and communal, people who'd never met before yesterday talking with each other like old friends.
Background (By Ryan Iafigliola, Trip Leader 2008, 2009 and 2010; Trip Founder) Two years ago I was pulling together the Niagara Falls to New Orleans Bicycle Adventure at a time when we were also working hard on a Haiti response and working to double the size of our Global Builders program. The Bike Adventure, so full of potential, was yet poised to suffer if more help was not found.
In strode Allen Slabaugh, taking the Bike Adventure that had been my baby and helping to raise it as his own. Two years later, under his steady gaze and attention, the event has grown and matured to a new level. Leaving us with so many good memories, now it is his turn to move on as he talks about in his message below. We pulled together a complete scientific review of Allen's leadership in this video.
tarted, somebody came up with the idea of putting our hands on the hood of the van to warm them up, which is a nice benefit of having the support van. 
Two years ago I was pulling together the Niagara Falls to New Orleans Bicycle Adventure at a time when we were also working hard on a Haiti response and working to double the size of our Global Builders program. The Bike Adventure, so full of potential, was yet poised to suffer if more help was not found.