Donald Miller and the Ride:Well Team Bike America

Week Three was a great week on the Ride:Well Tour. We took the day off from riding in New Mexico and went to the movies, then got up the next morning and started just outside of Roswell, New Mexico and rode 85 miles into Plains, Texas. We were slightly upset to have not encountered any aliens during our stay in New Mexico, but crossing the border and interacting with Texans was close enough.

Did you know the state used to be it’s own country, and that Texas is the only state in which the state flag can be flown at the same height as the American flag? It’s true. They also use the state flag on shower curtains, truck mud flaps, coffee mugs, various sizes of panties, Bible covers, swimming pools (the pool being the shape off the state), food items such as cookies and meatloafs, door knobs, coffee tables and basketball courts (the state is currently lobbying the National Basketball Association to have the rules changed in order to fit the proposed geometry)…Yes, Texans are very proud of the shape of their state. And though the concept of state pride is foreign to those of us who live elsewhere, as somebody born and raised Texan, I do find myself endeared by the people back home.

There is no question we have been treated well here. Our host homes across the state have done everything possible to make us comfortable and happy. To us, luxury involves a bed and a shower, so we are easy to please. But these folks have gone over the top. A church near Dallas called The Oaks Fellowship helped raise more than 10,000 dollars that will go toward building many wells in sub-Saharan Africa. Our message is being heard and is being passed along with equal enthusiasm and import. Thanks Texas. We will carry you in our hearts as we move into Louisiana and Arkansas. And if anybody asks we will draw the shape of your state on a napkin because we all have it memorized. And if we forget what the shape of the state is, we will sneak away and look at it on our underwear.

While in Texas my mother and grandmother came up from Houston to visit the team. My mom brought the team gifts including stickers shaped like Texas. And my grandmother brought a map of the United States and she had circled many of the small towns where we had stayed. Amazingly, we had never pulled out a map to see where we had been. We’ve been too busy pedaling to the next town to even think about the fact we were crossing the country. All of us were amazed as we filled in some of the missing cities to see exactly how far we had traveled. None of us can believe it. We’ve gone more than 1500 miles. Nearly half the map is covered. And we still have four more weeks of pedaling to go. I intend to have the team sign that map when we are done, then scan it in so people can have copies, then give the original back to my grandmother. She will love that.

Here are some more hi-lights from Week Three:

Aaron Smith and Matthew Williams were back with us in Dallas! Aaron works in the home office in Minnesota doing all the groundwork for the team. He was with us during orientation but went back to MN  to be with his family as we pedaled out. He will be with us in Nashville and D.C. too. But it was great to see him again in Dallas. And Matthew Williams was with us as well. As you might remember, Matt’s father was diagnosed with cancer so he left the tour to be with his dad. But he rode with us for a day as we traveled into Dallas, and then rode the city ride with us. We miss him a great, great deal. Matt, we love you, we are praying for you and your father. We wish you could be with us. Just know you are being thought of every day.

Our First City Ride: Dallas was the location of our first city ride. We joined up with the Cow Creek Classic, a large ride that includes a ten-mile trek, nineteen miles, thirty-six miles, forty-nine miles and a century. More than 1500 cyclist rode, and about 150 of those specifically registered for the blood-water ride. That is a huge turn out for us. Registration and t-shirt sales allow us to build several wells in Africa! Thanks riders. And it was a great ride. We’d ridden into a headwind the previous day, so many of us opted for shorter rides. Some of the team did the 75-mile ride just to make up for lost miles due to illness or injury, but most of us took the day off. For me, it was the first time I’ve realized how much better shape I’ve gotten into on the ride. I’ve lost nearly 20 pounds on the ride and am definitely a stronger cyclist. Without trying, we passed nearly everybody on the trek. And thirty-six miles literally felt like a warm-up. Even the hills came easy.

Like I said, we weren’t trying to go fast on the ride. The truth is we needed the day off to rest our muscles. But at one point I passed a couple guys who were clearly racing. They were drafting each other into a headwind. I think one of the guys got ticked cause I passed them and so sped up to get in front of me. I know what he was thinking, “no way I’m getting passed by a chubby dude on a bike that looks like a fixie”…so he passed me and we immediately started up a hill. So I decided to get into his head a bit and just drafted right behind him up the hill. He was moving slowly by the top, breathing really heavy in his decked-out spandex and spendy bike. So I pulled up next to him, breathing softly through my nose, looked over and said “Man, headwinds make it harder, don’t they?” He could hardly respond he was breathing so heavy. “It’s windy!” He said. “Yeah,” I responded. “It’s windy. I’ll see you later, though, okay.” And then I took off. It was awesome. Arrogant, but awesome. I promise not to do it again. But I confess I am hoping I still have a few pounds to lose after the tour because I want to go back to Portland and get behind some racers and then pass them, asking “which button makes the bike go faster?”

Fandangle: One of the greatest days of the tour happened this week. We were riding from Anson, Texas to Brad, Texas and passed through the town of Albany. We rode off the rest of the caprock into the hills and sped through what seemed to be a small, perfect oasis of a town. I was surprised I’d never heard of Albany as we passed through. The town-square with its shops and galleries was perfect and I felt like I was suddenly transported into New England. Even though it was a Thursday, the town was out on the lawn in front of the courthouse, having a barbecue and preparing for a parade that evening. Patriotic streamers were out and shopkeepers had goods on the sidewalk. Jessica Abt and I were riding sweep that day so we rode slowly through town, hoping to see the rest of the team had stopped to enjoy the atmosphere. But we didn’t see anybody, so we kept riding into the hills outside of town. I confess I felt a little sad to have sped through the town without enjoying its New England meets Texas feel. But five miles out, we got a text saying we had missed the riders. They were all at the courthouse dealing with a ticket Drew had gotten for driving without a seatbelt. So we circled back and went back into Albany, where the team was sitting at tables in the square. A man named Jeff Jones had seen Project Rwanda Jersey’s (Tom Ritchey donated the jersey’s to us before we left) and had a friend who knew Tom and so decided to buy us all lunch. Thanks Jeff, and thanks again, Tom. Tom actually called that night so I was able to thank him once again for all the influence he is having.

Anyway, before eating, I crossed the street to talk to some locals. There was a feel about the town that made me want to set up an office and interview all 600 residents to mine the locals for stories. There is no question there are a thousand novels in Albany, Texas. The locals told me that Albany has more Princeton grads per capita than any other city, and that the local Art Gallery has a Picasso and a Renoir. And not only this, but each year the town puts on a musical called Fandangle, and that the musical would be performed that very night in the amphitheater on the edge of town. I think the show runs only a few times on a couple weekends and we happened to be there the night that it opened. Anyway, I crossed the street and told the team and they looked at me and rolled their eyes because they had already been there for an hour and had already heard. Oh well. So we rode out of Albany to Brad where we all stayed in a great farmhouse and then shuttled back to see Fandangle. 1500 people flood into Albany to see the show. The cast, all 300 participants, are locals, amateurs, who work hard to present a very colorful and celebratory musical about life in the south. The first act seems to be songs and stories from southern culture, then act two deals with the history of the area, including the rise of Ft. Griffin, the ranching era, the invent of the steam train and the oil boom. Then the evening closed with a sentimental thank you to all those who had participated in the musical for the last 70 years. The night really was magical. I couldn’t believe a small town had come together to create a musical. In the age of television in which we are cynics and critics, and consumers, Albany, Texas has chosen to create and to risk. Good stuff. Thanks, Albany.

We shuttled back to Brad, Texas where we slept in the farmhouse and were also allowed to sleep a little late. We only had about 50 miles the next day before being picked up and shuttled into Dallas. We enjoyed lying around in the morning and slowly eating breakfast, showering and getting packed.

We also had a small group time and in my small group Mike Barrow shared his life story. Jesse and Briane, Erin and Chriselda and I sat and listened to Mike share his heart and I can only say his story is beautiful and meaningful and inspirational. I think just hearing his heart and openness really drew our small group together. As we ride the miles, we are truly becoming family.

I would also say that was a highlight of week three, just getting closer to the team. We are in host homes here in Dallas, and while it is great to be in host homes, it is also very difficult to be away from the team. When you depend on one other for food, water and safety, it’s hard to even rest without your security blanket. We are moving from team to family. And family feels better.

While here in Dallas we were hosted by a church called The Oaks Fellowship. Paul and Candace Hurckman and their daughter Lola, pastors here at The Oaks have taken us in and treated us like their own family. Today, Monday, is our first day off on the tour. Not only did we not have to ride, but also we didn’t have meetings or presentations. We slept in, worked on our bikes, cleaned the trailer, updated blogs, returned e-mails. I go into week four feeling rested and ready.

The last hi-light of the week was hearing that this site alone has already raised enough money to build between three and four wells in Africa. More than ten thousand people will have access to clean water because of your contributions. I can’t thank you enough. On this ride, we are learning to love people we do not know, people we have not met. I do not know how to do this, except to apply some of the lessons we are learning on the ride to the work of social justice, namely, to wake up and do things you do not want to do for the benefit of those who are in need. In the end, love, I think, looks like work. The reward is not immediate, but it will come in hindsight. If you’ve not given to Blood:Water Mission yet, would you today? We’ve four weeks left on the ride, and hundreds more wells need to be built. Even one dollar goes a long way. Thanks for partnering with us. Thanks for loving those who you have not met. Thanks for donating.

Okay, the week in Pictures: