2021 Blog

17 takeaways

7 weeks, 51 days, and 1,700 miles down the coast has taught our team so much and while there will never be any way to fully explain what being a part of the 2021 Pedal the Pacific team has taught me, I have tried my best to consolidate some of my top takeaways from this ride.

  1. Teamwork makes the dream work
  2. It costs you zero effort to encourage those around you
  3. Water resistant is just a fancy way of saying things will dry faster. It is not waterproof
  4. Oatmeal tastes better with loads of peanut butter & cinnamon sugar in it
  5. Braids > every other helmet-friendly hairstyle
  6. The best way to make it up a hill is to listen to music on the way
  7. A little weight gain is not the end of the world
  8. Falling off your bike is funny for the people watching but not that funny for the person falling
  9. Put your trash in the van every night because you might just find yourself smack-dab in the middle of bear country calling 911 at 1 in the morning asking for their help in scaring away a bear
  10. This too shall pass
  11. Making calls to your teammates in an Australian accent might be hard to understand, but it sure is funny
  12. If you see a fruit stand on the side of the road, stop
  13. No one is drinking enough water
  14. Awake chocolates are always the move
  15. Getting out of your comfort zone is 9 times out of 10 going to be a good idea
  16. Your body is capable of so much more than you expect
  17. There is no one perfect answer to fighting against sex trafficking, but if we all try the best we can to help fight against injustice, we will have a much better chance of preventing trafficking and supporting survivors.

It’s hard to believe that our time on this ride is coming to a close, but I know that the lessons this team has taught me will last a lifetime. Here’s to the rest of our journey growing as advocates off of the coast!

-Cara

July 12, 2024
by 
Chloe Aguilar

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