2017 Blog

High fives and wheelies

We’ve been quite busy the past month with finals and graduation – but we are high-fiving and popping wheelies because we are officially DONE and are now full-time employees of Pedal the Pacific. We wanted to take the time to give you a little update on what has been going on because there’s lots to look forward to (and a little hint into an upcoming project at the end!)

We've been planning the route and are getting stoked about the places that we’re camping and the sights we’re going to see (biking across the golden gate bridge, big sur, and through the Redwoods are a few…). But even more impactful than these things are the people we are going to meet. We’ll be stopping at organizations that are actively fighting against human trafficking and highlighting what makes their heart beat: the facts & figures, their mission, their fears, their concerns and their successes. Meeting people that have chosen to commit their lives to improve the lives of others is inspiring and being able to share their stories for everyone to see and be a part of is something we are really looking forward to.

With our incredible bike camping group!
With our incredible bike camping group!

Sara has been training in Fayettevile. When we were talking the other day about what we’ve been learning she pointed out how she’s actually started to enjoy cycling. It’s not a chore anymore. Being on two wheels in a place that you’re usually cruising around on four gives you a whole new perspective. One thing that’s for sure is it gives you lots of time to think! Resting on our thoughts, prayers, fears, worries, and joys is perfect when you have a 3-hour bike ride to look forward to. Training by yourself isn’t the most ideal situation, but she’s so dedicated to the cause and has been riding her little tush off. We just can't wait until we are all in the same place!

We’ve been going on 30 and 40-mile bike rides (WHAT!) and that is coming from a gal who a couple of months ago thought that riding 5 miles downtown was ABSOLUTELY INSANE! We went on a bike camping trip with an incredible bike shop in Austin called Cycle East and it was a great example of what we'll be doing every day on the road. We're all caught up on our cyclist lingo by learning that bikers ride motorcycles and cyclists ride bikes. Get them confused and that is just plain embarrassing. Grace got a hilarious new cycling hat and we decided that she is officially inducted into the cycling world with it. We’ve had some stray dogs chase us and nibble at our feet while riding in the middle of Texas…. which is truly terrifying. We’ve mastered the wave that all the serious cyclers give so casually when crossing one another (gently lift your fingers from your handle while keeping the palm of your hand down and give a slight nod – be cool!! do not for gosh sake get over excited… which we do). And we've successfully changed multiple flat tires on the front and back wheels that I'm convinced we'll be able to do a 5-minute tire change here pretty soon.

Changing tires on the side of the road will be a norm 
Changing tires on the side of the road will be a norm
This will never get old
This will never get old

On top of that, we’ve been learning so much about the role we get to play in raising awareness for human trafficking. We've each been researching into different causes and factors that lead to trafficking and are excited to share them in the weeks leading up to our departure date. I wish I could elaborate more on this post, but the amount we each have to say will be enough for a couple of separate blogs. Just know that this is at the forefront of our minds, and keep an eye out over the next couple of weeks to read about what we've been learning!

With all that being said, we are still on. Our jerseys are ordered. Our flights are booked. Our route is (almost) fully planned. Our bags are not packed because that would be just a little premature, but we’re daydreaming about the day that we’ll have to! It’s overwhelming and humbling to realize that this initiative is SO much bigger than ourselves, and that fact becomes more apparent every day we learn something new or meet someone passionate about it as well. The connections are insane and there are some incredible people in this world. PEDAL TO THE METAL. WE ARE IN THIS.

P.S. We're up to something with The Refuge and it involves some horses and a ranch and some sweet videographers. I promise it's relevant. Stay tuned.

-Savannah

December 1, 2023
by 
Madilyn Warner

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