At the beginning of the summer, the thirty second videos started rolling in. Then celebrities began jumping on board and tagging other celebrities. And then by mid summer, I think more than half my FB posts were images of ice water dumped on beautiful dry heads. And then screams. And water exploding from my screen, it's a wonder my laptop didn't short-circuit. ;) The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Summer will stay with us forever. And all for such a great cause! We have lost some very dear friends to ALS and like many diseases, would love to see the cure found in our lifetimes.
So, if you're like me, you're wondering what the next BIG thing will be on Facebook. The NEXT Challenge if you will? Well, we over here at C4C2015 have been searching high and low to come up with something everyone can do that would be a fresh symbol of the fight against human trafficking. But nothing beats the X across the back of your hand. That's pretty loud and clear. And we thought about asking the public to put a cupcake on their head and bike one hundred feet without losing that tiny bit of yummy goodness. BUT not everyone has a bike. And you have to bake a cupcake just to watch it sail off your head to the world of dirt and grime. Welll, that is just a bit much to ask of anyone, in my opinion.
Instead. We're gonna make it easy for you. No bucket. No ice. And no cupcakes. Just a few minutes of your time and that cash laying around the house that you would have blown at Starbucks anyway. Would you think about these INSANE CHALLENGES the C4C2015 team will face next summer and give a small donation to the team? Even $10 makes a difference.
TOP TEN THINGS TO FEAR WHILE BIKING ACROSS THE COUNTRY:
1. Flat Tires. It will most likely happen, with all the miles that these bike tires have to cover every day. So the test will be on dismounting timely so the frame doesn't get damaged and the bikers don't get hurt. And then finding the puncture and patching it up and getting back on the road quickly.
Or Chains Falling Off. On an uphill. Or even worse, a mountain. Where the edge of the road is a cliff with a crazy drop off. That will be more than frustrating. SO the guys need to gear shift in a timely fashion and help each other out in those moments.
2. Potholes, gravel, and litter on the road. Would love to believe that all the roads the team will bike over are newly paved and in stellar condition, but that would be naive. So they guys need to look down. Once in awhile and make sure they're not about to run over broken glass or broken roads that ressemble black diamond level moguls on a ski hill. It'll be interesting to hear the team's POST-ride report of Top Ten Strangest Finds on the Side of the Road while Biking Across the Country. Something tells me Chicago will have the coolest find. But I guess I'm a bit biased. :)
3. Deer. And Goats. And Bears, Oh My. Seriously hope they see some cool wildlife while treking across the country. And catch some footage on a GoPro camera without crashing. BUT I also hope they don't have too many Close Encounters of the dangerous kind. Because I'm pretty sure bears can move faster than bikers. Especially on an uphill.
FOLLOW LINK TO c4c2015.com for the rest of the LIST! :)
4. Dehydration: The team decision to take enough water to last half their daily ride and then "refuel" with the RV Sag Team stopping by or at a REST Stop should work. But on those really hot summer days, the team will need to gauge their hydration, sipping frequently and making sure they're sweating. And of course the pee test helps. Less yellow is betta!
5. Motorcylists that want to show off. Or unicyclists that demand their share of the road. Or a horse carriage that can't be bothered to move over because, well, horses are people too. Not really, but sharing the road in general will be a challenge, no matter which vehicle is passing the team or the team wants to pass.
AND Drivers that Text. Seriously and possibly more dangerous than potholes and hurricanes. I worry about the Driver with a Facebook Addiction that thinks glancing at a phone in his or her lap is not a big deal. It's only not a big deal until you hit something. Or someone. Then it will be the BIGGEST deal eva! Don't even want to think about it. No text is more important than your eyes on the road.
6. Getting Lost. Because there are amazing APPS out there now. And even GPS's made specifically for bikers. But what about the inevitable deadzone. Where the signal fades and then disappears. What if they bike in circles and find that even though they've biked 100+ miles, they passed the same abandoned gas station twice. That would make for a very discouraging end of the day. Restless night thinking about where things went wrong. And a grueling next day as they try to make up the distance.
7. Emergency potty breaks. What if one of the guys has to go. And they happen to cruising along that part of the country where trees are scarce and everyone seems to be on the road going somewhere. And the nearest rest stop is ten-ish miles away. Think desert-thoughts. Dry. Walking across the sand dunes and not a drop of water in sight.
8. Lightening and Thunder. And the SUN. And helmet-line sun burns on their heads. Weather will be the x-factor. Summertime should at least guarantee that there will be no snow or ice to worry about. BUT there will be days when it might make sense to bike very slowly or not at all. Hopefully, there won't be too many of these days so the team can stay on schedule.
9. Getting Sick. Tummy problems. Colds. Allergies. Fevers. Muscle Strains. The team will have to fight off all these and more as their immune systems will be challenged with the daily ware and tear their bodies will undergo. Hoping to consult with some bright nutritionists before July 2015 for some tips on staying healthy. And some guys who have biked across the country for top ten Stretches. <--- little hint at future posts. Added Bonus: a couple of the team members are Medical peeps. : )
10. Falling. This is a tough one. We've been told by a guy who has biked across the country TWICE, that there are stretches in the Rockies where he didn't have to pedal for two hours straight. TWO. HOURS. STRAIGHT. A down hilll that just kept going. And going. And going. What does that mean for the uphills that are around the corner is what I'm wondering? But on those coasting miles, the team will have to think steady thoughts and keep from over-breaking or not breaking soon enough on winding corners. Hoping that the only falls they take are when the FALL asleep in their tents every night after a whole day of biking.
***
SO, if you think about these five guys who are training hard, almost daily on their bikes to get ready to ride from Seattle to NYC, please say a prayer for their safety. And wisdom. Ang health. And please consider a small donation. So appreciate all the support!
On behalf of the C4C2015 Team, THANK YOU! You Guys ROCK!
-raj
So, if you're like me, you're wondering what the next BIG thing will be on Facebook. The NEXT Challenge if you will? Well, we over here at C4C2015 have been searching high and low to come up with something everyone can do that would be a fresh symbol of the fight against human trafficking. But nothing beats the X across the back of your hand. That's pretty loud and clear. And we thought about asking the public to put a cupcake on their head and bike one hundred feet without losing that tiny bit of yummy goodness. BUT not everyone has a bike. And you have to bake a cupcake just to watch it sail off your head to the world of dirt and grime. Welll, that is just a bit much to ask of anyone, in my opinion.
Instead. We're gonna make it easy for you. No bucket. No ice. And no cupcakes. Just a few minutes of your time and that cash laying around the house that you would have blown at Starbucks anyway. Would you think about these INSANE CHALLENGES the C4C2015 team will face next summer and give a small donation to the team? Even $10 makes a difference.
TOP TEN THINGS TO FEAR WHILE BIKING ACROSS THE COUNTRY:
1. Flat Tires. It will most likely happen, with all the miles that these bike tires have to cover every day. So the test will be on dismounting timely so the frame doesn't get damaged and the bikers don't get hurt. And then finding the puncture and patching it up and getting back on the road quickly.
Or Chains Falling Off. On an uphill. Or even worse, a mountain. Where the edge of the road is a cliff with a crazy drop off. That will be more than frustrating. SO the guys need to gear shift in a timely fashion and help each other out in those moments.
2. Potholes, gravel, and litter on the road. Would love to believe that all the roads the team will bike over are newly paved and in stellar condition, but that would be naive. So they guys need to look down. Once in awhile and make sure they're not about to run over broken glass or broken roads that ressemble black diamond level moguls on a ski hill. It'll be interesting to hear the team's POST-ride report of Top Ten Strangest Finds on the Side of the Road while Biking Across the Country. Something tells me Chicago will have the coolest find. But I guess I'm a bit biased. :)
3. Deer. And Goats. And Bears, Oh My. Seriously hope they see some cool wildlife while treking across the country. And catch some footage on a GoPro camera without crashing. BUT I also hope they don't have too many Close Encounters of the dangerous kind. Because I'm pretty sure bears can move faster than bikers. Especially on an uphill.
FOLLOW LINK TO c4c2015.com for the rest of the LIST! :)
4. Dehydration: The team decision to take enough water to last half their daily ride and then "refuel" with the RV Sag Team stopping by or at a REST Stop should work. But on those really hot summer days, the team will need to gauge their hydration, sipping frequently and making sure they're sweating. And of course the pee test helps. Less yellow is betta!
5. Motorcylists that want to show off. Or unicyclists that demand their share of the road. Or a horse carriage that can't be bothered to move over because, well, horses are people too. Not really, but sharing the road in general will be a challenge, no matter which vehicle is passing the team or the team wants to pass.
AND Drivers that Text. Seriously and possibly more dangerous than potholes and hurricanes. I worry about the Driver with a Facebook Addiction that thinks glancing at a phone in his or her lap is not a big deal. It's only not a big deal until you hit something. Or someone. Then it will be the BIGGEST deal eva! Don't even want to think about it. No text is more important than your eyes on the road.
6. Getting Lost. Because there are amazing APPS out there now. And even GPS's made specifically for bikers. But what about the inevitable deadzone. Where the signal fades and then disappears. What if they bike in circles and find that even though they've biked 100+ miles, they passed the same abandoned gas station twice. That would make for a very discouraging end of the day. Restless night thinking about where things went wrong. And a grueling next day as they try to make up the distance.
7. Emergency potty breaks. What if one of the guys has to go. And they happen to cruising along that part of the country where trees are scarce and everyone seems to be on the road going somewhere. And the nearest rest stop is ten-ish miles away. Think desert-thoughts. Dry. Walking across the sand dunes and not a drop of water in sight.
8. Lightening and Thunder. And the SUN. And helmet-line sun burns on their heads. Weather will be the x-factor. Summertime should at least guarantee that there will be no snow or ice to worry about. BUT there will be days when it might make sense to bike very slowly or not at all. Hopefully, there won't be too many of these days so the team can stay on schedule.
9. Getting Sick. Tummy problems. Colds. Allergies. Fevers. Muscle Strains. The team will have to fight off all these and more as their immune systems will be challenged with the daily ware and tear their bodies will undergo. Hoping to consult with some bright nutritionists before July 2015 for some tips on staying healthy. And some guys who have biked across the country for top ten Stretches. <--- little hint at future posts. Added Bonus: a couple of the team members are Medical peeps. : )
10. Falling. This is a tough one. We've been told by a guy who has biked across the country TWICE, that there are stretches in the Rockies where he didn't have to pedal for two hours straight. TWO. HOURS. STRAIGHT. A down hilll that just kept going. And going. And going. What does that mean for the uphills that are around the corner is what I'm wondering? But on those coasting miles, the team will have to think steady thoughts and keep from over-breaking or not breaking soon enough on winding corners. Hoping that the only falls they take are when the FALL asleep in their tents every night after a whole day of biking.
***
SO, if you think about these five guys who are training hard, almost daily on their bikes to get ready to ride from Seattle to NYC, please say a prayer for their safety. And wisdom. Ang health. And please consider a small donation. So appreciate all the support!
On behalf of the C4C2015 Team, THANK YOU! You Guys ROCK!
-raj
Hey, Did I leave something out? Maybe there's something you would be worried about if you decided to bike across the country. Join the conversation and Leave a comment below. :)
***
Rajdeep Paulus is an Award-Winning author of Swimming Through Clouds and Seeing Through Stones. She's not quite sure know why she agreed to let her hubby bike across the country, but he turns 40 on the day he starts biking, so if this is his Mid-Life Crisis at its peak. She supposes sh