Through My Eyes: Bicycle Separation Anxiety

It hit me last week as I was crossing the New York state line on my way back from Delaware that I was in New York in June for the first time in three years. I traveled down to Newark to meet up with 2009 Illini 4000 bike team and talk about their journey during a church service on healing the day prior to their arrival in Newark. It was awesome to see them and hear their stories from the road thus far; it was also a little weird, as aside from Brad I didn’t know any of the riders! Salem United Methodist in Newark gave the team a warm welcome for the second straight year showering them with food, arranging showers at the local YMCA, providing dinner and rising early to make them breakfast. From Newark, I rode out to the first water stop with the team hanging with Brad, Sarah, Kristen, Erik and Matt. Less than half a mile out of the church driveway Sarah got a flat as a piece of wire made its way through her tire. After stopping to change it we continued on through Newark and into Maryland on 273. Riding along the same route we rode in 2008 it all seemed so familiar, as though I’d just ridden the route yesterday. Miss it, I did.

Part of the 2009 Illini 4000 team in Newark, Delaware

I don’t know where the past nine months have gone. While it seems like it’s been forever since I parted ways with my I4K 2K8 teammates the memories are still crystal clear in my mind as if it were yesterday. From the roads we traveled, the sights, the sounds, the people, and the weather. They are all part of a continuous timeline in my mind that put a smile on my face whenever I think of them - something that occurs on a daily basis. Since I4K I guess you could say I’ve gotten the cycling bug – riding to and from work whenever my schedule permits and trekking through the rolling hills/mountains of upstate New York whenever I get the chance. I had surgery on March 31st which sidelined me for about 4-weeks while I regained my strength but as soon as I could I was back on the bike. The 800 miles that I’ve ridden this spring pale in comparison to the past two years while training for I4K.

What I’m about to say probably makes me a bicycle dork but in five days I will leave for a 7-week journey to Ghana and I’m already going through bicycle withdraw!!! I have spent the past couple of days riding through the green rolling hills of Otsego and Delaware County and had forgotten just how much I miss beauty of upstate New York summers. This summer will be the longest I’ve been off a bike since I started riding in 2005 and the longest I’ve ever been separated from Squeakers (my precious road/touring bike). I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad thing that my bicycle seems to have overtaken my identity as when people hear I’m heading to Ghana 9 out of 10 people reply, “to bike?” As crazy and exciting as that would be, that is not the case. Why on earth have I decided to spend my summer in Africa you may ask? Long story short – blame I4K for opening my eyes to the cultures of others, the long days of daydreaming on the bike that anything is possible and realizing that there are a lot of extra materialistic things that I don’t need to be happy - i.e. I'm looking forward to life at a slower pace again. I’ve always had an interest in Africa but my views are from the prospective of what I see on television, read in magazines, etc. Through traveling to Ghana I’m hoping to see things and experience the culture from another point of view (there is a word for this that is slipping my mind).

Anyway, I’m headed to Kpando, Ghana where I (along with the eight others in my group) will be working with the HardtHaven Foundation and the Community Health and Safety Network conducting a community education program focusing on health issues and working with children in the HardtHaven Children's home – at least that is what my program description tells me. As a bonus (a big reason I decided to invest in this) I will also be earning credit toward my master degree in Experiential Education at Minnesota State University. I’m excited and nervous at the same time. I’m excited for the experience but nervous as the 16-total hours of flight time to get to Ghana is not something that excites me. I leave for orientation at Adelphi University next Monday, June 15th and fly to Ghana on the 18th/19th. I then return to New York August 9th. I admit, I’m not even close to being ready to leave; I guess I need to work on that soon as I have a long list of things that need to be done prior to getting on the bus bound for NYC. I’m not sure what kind of access to the outside world (interwebz) I will have over the summer but I’m thankful to know that the place where my group is staying has running water and electricity, a luxury in many parts of the world. If I do find an Internet connection I will try to update here, via email or twitter (yes, I caved as I though it would be a simple way to post updates). You can subscribe to this blog via email (when I update it will email you my latest update) by clicking the link on the top right side of the page. A link to my twitter page is also there.

I know it’s not officially summer until next week but Happy Summer to all!