It sprang from an idea born at my friend Kristin's wedding reception in January in Iowa that unexpectedly doubled as a mini-college reunion. As we toasted the happy new couple (with a bit too much wine), plans were made to join a team to ride the Des Moines Register's Annual Bike Ride across Iowa (RAGBRAI) the last week of July.
Excitement built the next few months, and I registered to join Kristin and her husband Andy's team, The Crank Addicts. Never mind I had no bike, no gear, and no idea how to change a tire (nor that there was a tube INSIDE the tire).
As you can tell, becoming a "cyclist" was a well-thought out plan.
I began scouring Craigslist for a bike. After one Craigslist heartbreak and a bit of pouting over the "bike that got away," I bounced back and restarted my search.
Before I knew it, I was handing over a sizable amount of cash (the same amount, in fact, that I had sold my car for on Craigslist four years earlier) to a suburbanite in Golden, Colorado for One Sweet Ride.
Then came the learning curve of clipless pedals, riding shoes, learning to clip out quickly, falling in front of a busy golf course, falling while biking in high heels, and figuring out, how, exactly, DO I shift the gears on this bike?!?
As I put in some (well, one,) 50 mile day, and many more short rides in preparation, I began thinking about raising money through the bike ride for the NGO (non-governmental organization), One! International, I taught at in India last year. I've done many running races through the years, but never raised any money. I felt like this was the time, and the cause was perfect.
One! teaches and provides mentorship for over 100 students in two areas of the slums in Mumbai (Bombay). It's a small NGO, which does amazing work and really makes a difference in the kids’ lives, providing them opportunities through education they would never have otherwise.
Teaching there was the best and most rewarding thing I did while I lived and travelled abroad last year.
So, I set up a website donation page and emailed friends and family notifying them of my Crazy Bike Ride and corresponding cause.
RAGBRAI was, as I expected, amazing. I rode every mile plus 20 extra (to put in a century day) for a total of 462 miles in seven days. The event itself is more of a rolling party than anything else, and with all the small-town churches located along the route, I ate well (think pie, biscuits and gravy, pot roast, sweet corn, and enough pork for a lifetime). My teammates were delightful, and welcomed me like I was family.
RAGBRAI conjured up thoughts of a quote from the movie “Field of Dreams”, where Kevin Costner’s character is asked, “Is this heaven?”
And he responds, “No, it’s Iowa.”
And yet, despite all the joyous shenanigans that RAGBRAI brings, the most awesome part of the entire adventure was that because of the generosity of friends and family who were willing to support me and the children at One!, my Crazy Bike Ride Across Iowa raised a significant sum—$952.52 to date!
I whole-heartedly thank everyone who donated to my cause to support One!—the money raised will truly be used to directly benefit the wonderful children studying there and the kindhearted teachers and volunteers providing their time to help the kids succeed.
And next year if anyone's interested in doing RAGBRAI, don't waver, it's a total and complete blast! You will finish the ride with a sense of accomplishment, great stories, and absolutely no regrets.
Yep, that's me with the flashy orange pants, teaching in August, 2009 in Mumbai
Team Crank Addicts on the last morning of RAGBRAI! July, 2010
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