Summer 2016 blog from the Orange Ride.
Written by: James Cirocco, Orange Ride
I was prepared for the strenuous climbs and long-distance rides. I was prepared to eat very simply and sleep on church floors. I was even prepared for hot, sweaty days and unpleasant bugs. But, I was not prepared for the cohesiveness of the group that I was so quickly and fully accepted into.
In my sixty-year work history, I frequently encountered a team attitude amongst coworkers, but never anything with a sense of family that I have found at The Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure.
Written by: Matt Rivers, Orange Ride
We covered a little more than seventy miles today, but there was one three-fourths mile stretch that made the whole day. We arrived in Vernal, UT just in time to join in their Fourth of July parade. While we were expecting maybe a few hundred people, there were more than sixty groups participating, and at least a few thousand spectators. We all had a ball riding along and talking with folks along the way.Continue reading
Written by: Susie Wolf, Orange Ride
It is hard to believe we are starting our fourth week. Time seems meaningless. One day fades into the next; the mountains fade into the valleys; June has faded into July. It is already 4th of July weekend. It’s two o’clock in the morning, and I can still hear fireworks. Everyone else is celebrating the holiday. I’m still celebrating starting an amazing ride across America.Continue reading
Written by: John Nugent, Orange RideHallelujah, we reached Salt Lake City today and the end of segment 3. We
have now exceeded 1,300 miles and over 40,000 ft of elevation gain
with one third of the trip complete. Today the ride consisted of cloud
cover for our morning climb which later turned into welcomed light
sprinkles and later in the day the sun came out to beat down on us up
for the last couple of hours. I feel very lucky getting to know our
amazing group of folks and to be doing this ride with my daughter.Especially wanted to thank our trip leader, Connor for all his hard
work for making this journey so successful. I know he is putting a lot
of work behind the scene that most of of don’t see. Also, wanted to
thank our support crew: Jessica, Nicole and Noori for all their work.
In addition wanted to thank my donors for their generous support and
wanted to let you know that your money is truly going to a worthy
cause with very little money going to administration fees. Life is
good.
Written by: Paul Stultz, Orange Ride
Four years ago I started practicing yoga with my lifelong cycling friend Mark Watson. He is an Iyenagar yoga instructor and has been practicing yoga and teaching yoga for over thirty years. During our many trips he would awaken early and do yoga before we rode. He thoughtfully asked me to join him but I always elected to stay in my sleeping bag and sleep in for another 15 minutes. When I started taking one of his group classes, he would get us students into precarious and challenging poses. When he sensed frustration he would tell us “it was only yoga” implying the non-permanence of our condition, would tell us to smile in the pose as it relaxes us, and don’t forget to breathe. The same principles apply to cycling. While we are long in our drop position, or climbing a hill, pushing into headwinds, trying to ease saddle and body discomfort, I remind myself it is only biking. Breathe mindfully, smile, and the condition will pass, a calming peace can take over to prepare for the next cycle or help you get through the existing one.Continue reading
Written by: Kristin Lillie, Orange Ride
It’s hard to believe we are finishing up segment three of the ride—crossed into our fourth state today, Utah! We have had some longer rides this week, leaving plenty of time for some good thinking while cruising through the countryside. To be honest, I have passing random thoughts such as, Why has no one invented a memory foam bike seat?! and I need to invent a cooler backpack, so I can have access to ice-cold chocolate milk throughout the rides! However, I do spend a lot of time in prayer and deeper thought, such as the following:
Created by: Lauryn Kostopoulos, Orange Ride
Written by: Nicole McLeod, Support Staff, Orange Ride
You made it; you made it; you made it to my blog post, my blog post, my blog post! Welcome to my blog post! Can you say support staff going crazy?! Woo-hoo!
Written by: Gloria Mesick, Birthday Girl, Orange Ride
Yesterday when I read Connor’s e-mail I found out that I was to be the blogger for the day. I thought, “Oh, no. What am I going to write about?” I woke up and went into the kitchen for breakfast and everyone started singing “Happy Birthday” to me!
Thanks for reaching out to us, we’ll be in touch with you soon!
