Ridin' Cross America

Lincoln, Helena, White Sulfer Springs, Harlowton, Billings... These are the Montana towns we've stayed in since my last post. I can't believe how quickly the last week went, but it certainly wasn't without its challenges.
We've really battled some head winds the last few days... a biker's worst nightmare. We'd all rather climb tall mountains than push against the winds. They wear you down (and we've certainly all been pretty tired). But together, we've been able to conquer the winds. We ride in groups and switch off who leads and blocks some of the wind for the others to have an easier time. It's amazing how much of a difference drafting behind each other makes. Yesterday I believe we had 7 or so people in a nice little line and switched the leader every 1/2 mile or so. Teamwork!

Drafting in the wind

 We biked through some rain a few days ago

Speaking of teamwork, our group of 13 riders is having quite a good time together. You can feel the community aspect starting to come together. We laugh together, sing together, and have already cried together too... we had a night last week when we really all felt God moving and it was a pretty special night. I'm looking forward to what this summer all has in store!

The team (minus Clayton and Shanysa who joined in Missoula)

A little run down of how things work: we ride each day somewhere usually between 60-100 miles. We usually stop every 15-25 miles at the support van for water and snacks/lunch if needed (we eat way too much food!). At night we arrive at a church/school/home that was set up before our journey. The communities we've stayed in have all been special in their own ways and have all been very welcoming so far (we received an invite after church today to someone's home for dinner). Often, we have some kind of event in which we set up a display and/or share with a group our own stories and about the cause. We sleep on our sleeping pads anywhere we can find room and in the morning we get up early to do it all again! We try to build community in all the things we do and make sure to keep focused on God too.

A few random photos

The week ahead looks like its going to be a challenging one. We have over 500 miles in store before next Sunday. So far, so good for me. The body is tired and sore, but still working. I've been worried about my knee, but to this point, it has not caused any issues. Please continue to pray for my strength and for the team's. We have a few knee injuries that people are battling through, and one rider who took a spill (our only incident so far) is back to riding but has some pain in her arm as she rides. Spirits have been pretty high, but yesterday, as the second day in a row with head winds, was a frustrating day for some. Pray that we remain passionate about the ride and our work through the Just+Hope Campaign.
Thanks so much to all those reading this here blog!
~Rob