Post-Ride Reflections: Margot Heltzel

I am writing this now, two weeks out from crossing the finish line in San Diego, and if I could describe post-Pedal life in one word, it would be bittersweet. I was in a training for work the other day, and my peers and I were asked to describe a time when we had to collaborate with a group of people to solve a problem. I instantly thought of my teammates and our summer together.

I thought back to being without service on the side of a remote road in Oregon with my second flat tire of the day. Driving two hours backward to the nearest ER in the SAG. Trying to find water in remote Big Sur after our campsite shut off its running water. These are just a few examples of the many times things went sideways this summer and we truly had to just figure things out. In each of these memories, I see the faces of my teammates. I see Cadence’s calm, Olivia’s fearlessness, Ceci’s knowledge, Sedrie’s warmth, Eliana’s kindness, Mattie’s confidence, Lucy’s selflessness, Molly’s courage, and Sofia’s joy.

Sometimes, the problems I encounter now in my everyday work and school life feel like they cannot even compare. I came back to a world with all of the resources and comforts of normal life that I could possibly need. What I am lacking, though, are the teammates who helped me make it through all 50 days of the ride. I find myself reminded of them in little ways each day, and I miss them deeply.

In a lot of ways, life feels easier than it did before the ride. The normal inconveniences of everyday life feel so minor now. I do not feel the pre-semester anxiousness that I normally do this time of year. It sounds cheesy, but after everything this summer asked of me, I know now that I absolutely can do anything.

... after everything this summer asked of me, I know now that I absolutely can do anything.

What weighs on me now is figuring out what to do next. Pedal felt like an obvious first step into advocacy and into truly learning about the realities of sex trafficking. Since coming home, I have found myself constantly sharing what I learned this summer from meetings with DA offices, the nonprofits we partnered with, and survivors who shared their experiences with us. I do not know exactly what my next step will be, but I do know that my learning and advocacy cannot end with the ride. Pedal may have ended in San Diego, but I will always remember what it taught me, and what it called me to care about, which will stay with me far beyond those 50 days.

I do not know exactly what my next step will be, but I do know that my learning and advocacy cannot end with the ride. Pedal may have ended in San Diego, but I will always remember what it taught me, and what it called me to care about, which will stay with me far beyond those 50 days.

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