Written by: Mike Rutherford
Our team woke up in Meridan, CT after a long, previous day of climbing and heat. Ahead of us lay an 84 mile ride day with more climbing, more heat, and more traffic. We had a great breakfast thanks to Richard and spent some of our daily round up time with the locals as a friendly dog joined us for some FCBA love.
The ride itself was challenging with the constant traffic and the mental demands of all the stop lights and turns. Personally, it was one of the longest days I’ve spent on a bike. The group worked well as a team to encourage and take care of each other today.
Highlights from the day include an amazing rest stop at Burger King for burgers and chicken nuggets, Dunkin’ Donuts, and killer hills! The team is ready for a more relaxed riding day into NYC for sightseeing and an evening destination on the beach in Sea Bright, NJ.
I found myself running Romans 5 through my head today, specifically, “we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” Our suffering on the bike on days like today is temporary “sweat equity” for us. It gives us the chance to look into our character and confirm our commitment to eliminating substandard housing so that we can produce hope for those suffering.
Thanks for the continued prayers for the riders, our support team, and the churches and people we interact with on the trip. Oyee!
