History
Inspired by 700, 1,000, and 1,200 mile walks led by Millard and Linda Fuller in the 1980’s, Notre Dame graduate Ryan Iafigliola created the Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure in 2008 as a way to invite more people into our affordable housing movement. Since our inaugural ride in 2008, the event has ridden through 48 U.S. states, Washington, D.C. and one Canadian Province, helped physically renovate or repair 209 homes, and has raised over $2.35 million for families in need of housing all over the world. Combined 1,306 riders have ridden over 1,148,000 miles for the mission.
We have expanded from our single summer ride, giving people more opportunities to join in service-cycling throughout the year.
Why we Ride
Why do we do it? It’s pretty simple:
1. To spread the word about our ministry
2. To raise money for our ministry’s work
3. To develop Fuller Center partners along the way
The result of the ride is that the homes of real people get built and renovated, the movement expands and all involved can grow in faith, hope and love. We build homes, we build friendships, and we build community.
To learn more about the fascinating history of the Fuller Center itself (rather than the bike rides), head over to the Fuller Center’s history page.
A glimpse at why we ride from the 2012 Spring Ride build day.
As a movement, we like to be flexible in giving people the opportunity to join us, so we invite volunteers to join us for a day, a segment, or the whole way, to come as an individual or to form a team. If those options don’t work, then join us in spirit as a virtual rider. Together, we form The Team of the Bicycle Adventure. Learn more about joining.
2019 Goals
Our main goal, to grow the movement to end poverty housing, hasn’t changed a bit as we enter into our twelfth year. However, here are a few specific goals that we set for this year:
- 150 riders to join for multi-day lengths
- Raise $400,000, which would bring our total raised by FCBA to $2,500,000
- 40+ media stories
- 50+ new church relationships
- 5,000 fans of our Facebook page
The impact is larger than we’ll ever know.
Ride-by-Ride History
Take a look back at where we’ve been. It’s been quite an adventure!
SUMMER 2008
San Diego to Savannah: 3,300 miles
Whole way riders: 8
Segment riders: 8
Homes worked on: 7
Total funds raised: $135,000
Bicycle Adventure founder, Ryan Iafigliola, set out on the inaugural adventure with his crew of 8 intrepid adventurers. It was the journey of faith and purpose that started it all!
Photos from the 2008 adventure
SUMMER 2009
Michigan to Florida: 1,400 miles
Whole way riders: 14
Segment riders: 10
Homes worked on: 12
Funds raised since 2008: $199,000
One year under our belt and we decide to make a slightly shorter journey… but with no less adventure!
Photos from the 2009 adventure
SUMMER 2010
Niagara Falls to New Orleans: 2,500 miles
Whole way riders: 6
Segment riders: 21
Homes worked on: 10
Funds raised since 2008: $325,000
To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Fuller Center for Housing, founded to help victims of Hurricane Katrina in Shreveport, Louisiana, the Bike Adventure rides the shape of a “5” down the east coast toward New Orleans.
Meet the 2010 Riders
Photos from the 2010 adventure
SUMMER 2011
Washington to Washington
(Seattle to D.C.): 3,600 miles
Whole way riders: 23
Segment riders: 35
Homes worked on: 12
Funds raised since 2008: $502,000
In 2011 the Bike Adventure headed across the country again, this time under new leadership. As founder Ryan Iafigliola shifted his focus to the Fuller Center’s international programs, Allen Slabaugh stepped in to keep the adventure going.
Meet the 2011 riders
Photos from the 2011 adventure
SPRING 2012
In 2012 the Bike Adventure took a big leap with the addition of the Spring Ride in March!
Natchez Trace Spring Ride: 400 miles
Spring riders: 25
Homes worked on: 5
Funds raised since 2008: $535,000
The Bike Adventure selected the Natchez Trace Parkway for the beautiful biking (it was named one of America’s ten best biking routes by ESPN!) but we were met with even greater love and hospitality, and more opportunities to serve those in need of a simple decent place to live. By the end of the week on the Trace it was decided that this week-long ride should become an annual event.
Meet the 2012 Spring Riders
Photos from the 2012 Spring Ride
SUMMER 2012
East and West Coasts: 3,700 miles
Whole way riders: 30
Segment riders: 24
Homes worked on: 4
Funds raised since 2008: $683,000
In another leap of faith the bike adventurers embarked on two consecutive rides in the summer of 2012, starting the summer riding from Maine to Key West then skipping to the west coast to bike from Seattle to San Diego. Following the west coast ride, trip leader Allen Slabaugh decided to move on to his life’s next adventure and in the fall of 2012 Bike Adventure veteran, Melissa Merrill, took the lead.
Meet the 2012 Summer Riders
Photos from the 2012 Adventure
SPRING 2013
Natchez Trace Spring Ride: 400 miles
Spring riders: 29
Homes worked on: 2
Funds raised since 2008: $711,000
As promised, the Spring Ride down the Natchez Trace Parkway happened again in March of 2013. We were blessed with the added joy of visiting with old friends we met along the route last year, and promises to come back again!
Meet the 2013 Spring Riders
Photos from the 2013 Spring Ride
SUMMER 2013
Savannah to Vancouver: 3,700 miles
Whole way riders: 15
Segment riders: 22
Homes worked on: 18
Funds raised since 2008: $826,000
The 2013 Bike Adventure headed across the United States again, crossing our first international border on the final day of the ride to finish in Vancouver, British Columbia!
Meet the 2013 riders
Photos from the 2013 adventure
SPRING 2014
Natchez Trace Spring Ride: 400 miles
Spring riders: 36
Homes worked on: 11
Funds raised since 2008: $861,000
We enjoyed our third annual ride on the beautiful Natchez Trace. The weather was very cold, but it brought us together! It was also the first ride sponsored by Cafe Campesino.
Meet the 2014 Spring riders
Photos from the 2014 Spring Ride
SUMMER 2014
Atlantic City to Astoria: 3,600 miles
Whole way riders: 18
Segment riders:39
Homes worked on: 25
Funds raised since 2008: $1,064,000
In 2014 the Bike Adventure traveled all the way across the Northern United States for the first time ever. Along the way the riders stopped and helped the most Covenant partners of any route yet and they celebrated when the Bike Adventure met their one million dollar fundraising goal.
Meet the 2014 riders
Photos from the 2014 adventure
FALL 2014
Silver Comet Fall Ride: 165/128 miles
Fall Riders: 36
Funds raised since 2008: $1,069,000
The first annual Silver Comet fall ride featured a fun two-day weekend event that felt like a family reunion with so many returning riders. We camped overnight at the Chief Ladiga Trail Campground in Piedmont, AL. The first year was a great success and a great way for some new riders to get to know the FCBA experience.
SPRING 2015
Natchez Trace Spring Ride: 400 miles
Spring riders: 35
Homes worked on: 4
Funds raised since 2008: $1,112,000
We enjoyed our fourth annual ride on the beautiful Natchez Trace. Holding it in April for the first time, the weather was beautiful and the fields were literally full of flowers — blues, yellows, whites, and reds. We love visiting many of the same churches year after year.
Meet the 2015 Spring riders
Photos from the 2015 Spring Ride
SUMMER 2015
Oceanside, CA to Portland, ME: 4,000 miles
Whole way riders: 23
Segment riders: 50
Homes worked on: 25
Funds raised since 2008: $1,308,000
In 2015 the Bike Adventure traveled the furthest it has ever been, 4,000 miles over 10 weeks. Along the way the riders stopped and helped on six planned builds, and a few more impromptu ones as well. The riders raised about $220,000 pushing the total to-date to over $1.3 million.
Meet the 2015 riders
Photos from the 2015 adventure
FALL 2015
Silver Comet Fall Ride: 165/128 miles
Fall Riders: 23
Funds raised since 2008: $1,315,000
The second annual Silver Comet fall ride featured a fun two-day weekend event that felt like a family reunion with so many returning riders. We camped overnight at the Chief Ladiga Trail Campground in Piedmont, AL. A quite brisk morning in the second week of October encouraged us to have the ride in September in future years.
SPRING 2016
SPRING 2016Natchez Trace Spring Ride: 400 miles
Spring riders: 36
Homes worked on: 4
Funds raised since 2008: $1, 358,000
Our fifth annual ride on the beautiful Natchez Trace was full of camaraderie, scenic views, and excellent church hosts. We loved seeing the familiar faces with Covenant Partners and church hosts alike as we took in the beautiful Southeast!
SUMMER 2016
Seattle, WA to Washington, DC: 3,600 miles
Whole Way Riders: 36
Segment Riders: 60
Homes Worked On: 24
Funds raised since 2008: $1,620,000
In 2016 the Bike Adventure elected to take its first ever repeat route, paying homage to 2011. We also had record interest in the ride, allowing us to split into two groups for the first time to allow for maximum participation! Along the way the riders stopped and helped on six builds in Spokane, WA, Kellogg, ID, Craig, CO, Peoria, IL, Indianapolis, IN, and Springfield, OH. The riders raised over $300,900 shattering our goal of $200,000!
FALL 2016
Silver Comet Fall Ride: 165/128 miles
Fall Riders: 26
Funds raised since 2008: $1,618,000
The third annual Silver Comet fall ride featured a fun two-day weekend event as we camped overnight at the Chief Ladiga Trail Campground in Piedmont, AL.
SPRING 2017
Natchez Trace Spring Ride: 400 miles
Spring riders: 31
Homes worked on: 4
Funds raised since 2008: $1, 600,000
Our sixth annual ride on the Natchez Trace was full of new and old friendships, beautiful days spent in God’s creation, and excellent church hosts. A highlight of this year was visiting Houston, MS, the location of the newest Fuller Center Covenant Partner! We also unveiled the redesigned 2017 jerseys at this event.
SUMMER 2017
Seattle to San Diego: 1,400 miles
San Francisco to Savannah: 3,300 miles
Portland, ME to Key West: 2,200 miles
Whole Way Riders: 49
Segment Riders: 52
Homes Worked On: 24
Funds raised since 2008: $1,984,000
In 2017 the Bike Adventure ran three separate summer rides, down both coasts and one cross-country route! Along the way the riders stopped and helped on eight builds in Craig, CO, Shreveport, LA, Natchitoches, LA, Americus, GA, Albany, GA, Tabernacle, NJ and Orlando, FL! The riders raised over $400,000, reaching our 2 MILLIONTH lifetime dollar!
Dirt to D.C. 2017
Dirt to D.C. Miles: 360 miles
Dirt to D.C. Riders: 14
Homes worked on: 3
Funds raised since 2008:
$1,997,000
Our first annual Dirt to D.C. rode dirt and gravel trails from Pittsburgh, PA to Washington, D.C.! The beautiful GAP and C&O trails were full of excellent company, team bonding, and fall foliage. We were able to work with The Pittsburgh Project, another Christian housing ministry, to work on repairs for three different homes in the city.
FALL 2017
Silver Comet Fall Ride: 165/128 miles
Fall Riders: 23
Funds raised since 2008: $2,002,000
The fourth annual Silver Comet fall ride featured a fun two-day weekend event that felt like a family reunion with so many returning riders. We camped overnight at the Chief Ladiga Trail Campground in Piedmont, AL with great food and a campfire!
SPRING 2018
Natchez Trace Spring Ride: 450 miles
Spring riders: 36
Homes worked on: 6
Funds raised since 2008: $2,058,000
Our seventh annual ride on the Natchez Trace had a new look and feel to it, as we tweaked the schedule to allow us to ride all the way to Natchez. In doing so, our Nashville build day was moved to Friday, and made a full day instead of a half, and we departed Nashville a day earlier. We saw snow flakes on our first ride, and had to cancel the last day into Natchez due to tornado warnings. The schedule worked great though, and we decided to give it another shot in 2019!
SUMMER 2018
Ocean Beach, CA to Ocean City, NJ (Ocean to Ocean): 3,400 miles
Astoria, OR to Portland, ME (Port to Port): 3,600 miles
Whole Way Riders: 30
Segment Riders: 55
Homes Worked On: 29
Funds raised since 2008: $2,357,000
In 2018 the Bike Adventure ran simultaneous cross-country rides on separate routes for the first time. Along the way, the riders stopped and helped on eight builds in eleven cities in the US! The riders raised over $370,000, and cycled the 1,000,000th mile in orange since our founding. We are now on our 47th lap around the world!
FALL 2018
Silver Comet Fall Ride: 165/128 miles
Fall Riders: 23
Funds raised since 2008: $2,362,000
The fifth annual Silver Comet fall ride featured a fun two-day weekend event that felt like a family reunion with so many returning riders. We camped overnight at the Chief Ladiga Trail Campground in Piedmont, AL. It was another great year, but the Silver Comet ride did not experience the growth that we hoped. This ride has been taken off our annual calendar to allow ride organizers to focus on new events.