After a fantastic day of rest in Wilmington, NC on Sunday, the East Coast team started today with a devotion about the miracle of Jesus feeding 5000 men plus untold number of women and children. We wondered together how that happened! Riders completed 75 miles today to get to Richlands, NC. There were three rest stops with snacks selected by the cyclists then delivered, set up, and cleaned up by the support team. At stop one, several team members got bagels and donuts at a nearby shop. Stop two was in the middle of nowhere on a gravel pull off. Stop three was in a parking lot of a store. One rider came out of the store with a multi pack of ice cream cones to offer others. Everyone was in by 3:45, and our dinner team served tacos at 5:00. The rest of the day consisted of tweaking bikes, deep conversations, food prep for tomorrow, and lights out at 10:00.

 

Besides rest stops, the support team handles unplanned events. On any day, we might get calls requesting pick up for tired bodies or mechanical failures on a bike. We model good driving habits for other vehicle drivers who pass our riders, and we drive social media interns ahead of the riders so they choose a good place for great pictures that they use to tell the story in hopes of encouraging future riders to join the adventure.

 

Some days, we pick up or deliver team members to airports, and we take orders for items at a local bike shop or Walmart.

 

The support team also interfaces with church hosts regarding arrivals, wifi passwords, shower details, and provided meals. Social media interns also invite news outlets to meet us at rest stops.

 

Although we don’t pedal bicycles, the support team members sleep on the same floors, wear the same colors, eat the same food, use the same showers, work on the same build sites, and share the same message as our cyclists. 

 

Yep, the cyclists are ours! It is our privilege and delight to make the logistics happen so that this journey is one of the best rides of their lives. In the spirit of the Apostle Paul, we who are many form one Fuller Center Bike Adventure team.

 

Now that we’ve been away for more than a week, I’m also thinking of the support teams at home who make this all possible: parents and spouses, children, co-workers and supervisors, pet sitters, donors, and more. There is a hard-working support team keeping these riders going, but this trip wouldn’t be possible without supporters at home who keep the house running, the yard mowed, the bills paid, the kids entertained, the work done, the pets loved, and the financial support coming. Thank YOU!

 

And a point of personal privilege: I want to give a special shout out to my Mama who handles the small and big things that happen when I travel. I love you, and thanks!