Final Training Ride and a Few Ruminations (& an Invitation!)
Today is the last training ride before the long-awaited epic ride. Dad and I decided to make it a dress rehearsal for the actual ride, decking out our bikes in panniers and packing all the gear we’ll need to see what the added weight feels like. Basically the new gear gives you a 20 pound butt which is unfortunate on uphills but very nice on downhills. Overall, it’s very nice and I think Dad and I are going to make it, even while trucking all of our stuff!
However, today ended up being more than just a trial run, it was also an inspiration. So I’ve spent much of this summer trying to get closer to God, and I think that increasingly this bike ride is helping me to get there. I think bikes are good places to think, and also good places to pray. I frequently do that, even if it’s just begging God to please smite every car within a 10 mile radius because I’m tired of riding in the shoulder of the road. But more so than my own prayers, I want to thank all of you who have reached out with prayer for me on this crazy trip because it means so much to me. It seems like every day someone is telling me that they’re praying for me, and I think it’s working. Today one of our regular Thursday night riders, Julie, told me that she’s praying for our trip, and then we ended up having a conversation about how we both think that riding your bike is kind of its own form of worship. Then after supper, my dear Aunt Chris called to tell me that her entire Bible group is on call for prayers all of next week -- all I have to do is text.
I’d like to thank all of you, once again, for following my journey, donating to my cause, and providing unbelievable encouragement and strength through your prayers and your comments. In the past week my arthritis has been making its presence felt, and it’s people like you who help me get over it.
I can’t wait to start riding on Saturday, and I will be thinking of all of you when we take off! As a reminder - you're invited! We plan to meet pretty close on 8am at Benjamin's Coffeehouse at 49 E Court St, Franklin, IN 46131, and we'll visit with whoever shows up and roll out a little before 9am. We've engineered the first few miles to be local at a comfortable pace, so feel free to bring your bike and ride along!
Thanks for reading,
If you haven't yet considered a donation, please do - it makes a difference! (The pink Donate button above and to the right!)
Bethany
P.S. Today I got a bunch of cool stuff in the mail – Macalester College sent me a Macalester bike jersey (with a polite reminder to wear it the day I triumphantly reach the school) and the Arthritis National Research Foundation sent my whole family a giant box filled with CureArthritis gear. Here I am repping ANRF:
Cant’ wait to try this new stuff out on the ride!