I am pulling a stint as a support driver this year. It is a different experience for me as I have always been a rider before. I am able to enjoy the scenery in a different way and dote on the riders as needed. I have again enjoyed the wildflowers along the Trace and enjoyed pointing out their existence to the riders who hadn’t noticed. It is fun to watch the riders make their way down the road and to feed them at the stops.

 

Everyone seemed to have a great day with no issues on the bikes or with the support other than a snafu finding the second rest stop. I spent some time alerting the riders to its exact location. No one got lost, it would be hard to do on the Natchez Trace, or missed the rest stop. 

As some of the last of the riders rolled into Collinwood and the Collinwood Freewill Baptist Church for the night the sun even came out for a bit. We had a delicious dinner prepared by the pastor in his smoker. There was so much variety it was impossible to choose a favorite. We were joined at dinner by some parishioners and by three cyclists who were staying at the fire station where we shower. It was fun to share information on the Fuller Center, the mission, and the future rides with them and hopefully entice them to join an event in the future.

 

There is so much love on this ride. It is very inspiring! I think I like my new role, at least for this week. But then again, I do have a bike and bike clothing with me, just in case.