This amazing woman, over the span of 93 years, touched many lives. Selflessly giving to all she met, demonstrating kindness, patience and faith, she changed the world, one person at a time. You won’t find her name in chronicles or perhaps even know her outside of the Inland Empire, but she CHANGED THE WORLD AND MADE IT BETTER.
Today, Drew and I met Aaron H while discussing ‘life on the bike’. The world of cycling is made up of very unique and intriguing people. You are either a ‘cyclist’ or you ride bikes. They are not ‘one and the same.’ IYKYK
Aaron introduced us to ‘BlindStokersClub.org’, an organization based in San Diego whose mission is to provide visually impaired cyclists an opportunity to ride. He is a captain of a tandem, riding with Rocky who was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa. Aaron’s kindness makes a world of difference in someone else’s world. I am reminded of Tom H, a cyclist in Redlands who suffered vision loss due to a softball accident. Tom continued to ride as a stoker with the help of a friend and oh, were they a force to be dealt with!
Many have asked why Drew and I choose to ride 3 months self-supported across the United States when we could just put our feet up and chill. While there are lots of reasons, one of the greatest is to share the gift of discovery and beauty with all of you.
And who are ‘YOU’?
You are the mom who is fighting to keep Rex alive.
You yourself are fighting for your life.
You are losing your sight and are struggling to maintain your independence.
You had surgery and must take a break from riding.
You are chasing a 3-year-old and pregnant with the next miracle.
You lost a dear friend in a tragic bicycle accident and being on the road is uncomfortable.
You go to work in the wee hours of the day and come home in the dark, providing for your family.
You are in a relationship with a person who tells you “You will never be able to do that!”
We are riding for YOU. While this journey may not work into your life in 2025, someday it may.
I am reminded of my first ride across Iowa. It was RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa). Work was crazy so most of my training occurred on a trainer in the Zwift app. I remember an acquaintance voicing his opinion: “She’ll never make it.” And he was almost right. You see, my bike never arrived but was lost in shipping. Thanks to Craig Kundig at Cyclery USA in Redlands and his connections, at the very last minute, he coordinated a loaner bike from a local Trek dealer (late Saturday evening, just 12 hours before the ride began). Then, my Look cleats would clip into the Shimano pedals but I could not clip out; a disaster waiting to happen, especially since it was raining. By now, I was on plan F, having gone through B, C, D and E. Out came the flipflops. Yep, I am going to ride 7 days on a borrowed bike in flipflops (well, I had hoped to find pedals/cleats) having trained indoors. Thankfully, I was surrounded by an amazing group of friends who pulled me in the wind Jerry Cowden, helped me figure out which smoothie to drink Gay Van Roekel Richards and kept my spirits light. I will be forever grateful.
I had a mission…something way more important than my comfort. A friend and fellow cyclist had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing treatment…and it was serious stuff. I wanted to give Sandy a mental break from the intensity of fighting for her life by taking her across Iowa to experience RAGBRAI…taking photos of every silly thing like people emerging from the corn fields like Zombies (but quite satisfied as well), faces filled with buttered corn or sticky watermelon or, the incredible beauty of a sunrise…a new opportunity to live life to its fullest. It didn’t matter how I looked, if I matched, what my equipment was. It mattered to help…to give and to love someone through a tough time.
Our 2023 Tour was very much the same with a goal to find “Where’s Home” for all the people leaving California. We also participated in the National Association of REALTORS Disaster Relief Fund to help our neighbors in other states. During our 2023 tour, we came across two incidents that will be forever etched in my memory. The first, while we were in a KOA camp in West Yellowstone, a young girl, maybe 7, asked an adult male (father, uncle, ??) if she could go outside and ride bikes with the others (boys). She was told no…that she wasn’t strong enough. Drew looked me square in the eye with the “Don’t!” Jaws clenched and knuckles white, I sat there. How dare, anyone, tell another what they are or are not capable of! Do you not know the human spirit! How tragic this child is already being limited! And yet another example was a young man waiting on us at a restaurant. He wanted to join the armed forces and become a doctor. He was probably 18 and shared how so many told him he’d never leave ‘this town’. How do you convince a young person that the naysayers are just projecting their own fears and limitations? I never knew what a gift it was to be raised by parents who told me and embraced that I could do or be anything I wanted to be. And sometimes I wonder if I took years off their lives because I was and continue to search for the edges of my world. So far, it’s still round with horizons beyond.
So what does all of this have to do with cycling and a 2025 tour? Understand that life is like…no, not a box of chocolates but a route, a tour. You never know what you’re going get. So many lessons are learned while riding a bicycle and so many learned lessons carry you through the miles.
This post is about the ‘WHY.’ Know your ‘WHY.’ My why is YOU.
And it’s about knowing the power of your words and choosing wisely. Are you lifting up others or casting your owns fears out like the web of a black widow? Those words…the ones we all have and carry with us a lifetime, about whether we can or cannot do something, are or are not good enough, smart enough, fast enough…you get. Our demons.
Be the good in the world. Be the captain with the stoker behind. Sheild the riders behind you if you are stronger. Encourage. Believe. Thrive.
Lastly, understand that your words and conversations can have monumental effects on another’s life. With that, I am grateful for Pat Wirth. IYKYK.
April 9, 2025
