RecumBum

Last week I had the opportunity to ride for a short distance with a group of cross-country cyclists. Journey of Hope is an annual event sponsored by Push America, a national charitable organization of the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity. The Journey of Hope raises money on behalf of people with disabilities. The event brings together over 100 communities and raises more than $500,000 for the cause.

There are three Journey of Hope rides covering a total of more than 12,000 miles over three different routes. The Northern and Trans-America routes start in Seattle, and the Southern route starts in San Francisco; all three routes end in Washington, D.C. on August 12th.

The Journey of Hope TransAm route arrived in Olathe on July 16th, and stayed at the Kansas School for the Deaf, spending a rest day meeting with individuals with special needs and the organizations that provide services to them. The group of 23 cyclists and 6 crew members left on July 18th, accompanied by several members of the local bike club, including myself, Dale, and Ed.

We left the school around 7:30am, and rode south through Olathe, accompanied by a police escort that managed traffic and allowed us to breeze through stop signs and traffic lights. The first leg of the ride had a rather fast pace, as the entire group riding together two abreast. We stopped at 175th street and Ridgeview for a short break.

From there, we headed east on 175th to Metcalf, then headed south again. This time we rode in smaller, stretched-out groups, and we had a chance to talk with some of the riders. They seemed to be very interested in my recumbent (they were all riding diamond-frame road bikes), and especially my cycling sandals. The riders regrouped at 199th and Metcalf for another break, then headed east into Missouri. Ed turned back at this point, while Dale and I continued to ride with the group.

The Journey of Hope riders were disappointed to find no “Welcome to Missouri” sign on the back road we used to cross the state line from Kansas into Missouri, though they stopped and took pictures at the State Line Road sign.

From there the route headed into Belton, which is a fast-growing Kansas City suburb with a very long five-mile strip of four-lane road with fairly heavy traffic, even at mid-morning on a weekday. By the time we reached the next rest stop, we’d covered over 31 miles.

At this point Dale and I said our goodbyes and turned back. The Journey of Hope riders still had another 55 or so miles of Missouri back roads to ride before they reached their overnight stop in Sedalia. At least they had a tailwind, which I hadn’t noticed much while riding east, but which hit us full-force as we made out way back through Belton towards home.

Instead of turning back south the way we’d come, we stayed on highway 58 past Belton, then headed north on Route D towards Martin City, hoping to shorten the distance on the return trip. Route D is a two-lane road with a fair amount of traffic and very narrow and rough asphalt shoulders, but at least we had a bit of a push from the southwest wind.

At Martin City we headed back west, then took Kenneth Road south again to 151st, where we headed west again. There’s no direct route across this part of town, other than the very busy 135th street, so we opted for the slightly longer, but less stressful, back roads.

By this time it was late morning, and the temperature was rising quickly. We were definitely feeling the heat when we stopped at a convenience store in Stanley. We rested in the cool store for awhile, then mounted the bikes for the last push home. We took Antioch north, then 143rd west back into Olathe. We reached the school at about 1pm, having covered a total of about 59 miles, at an average of right at 15 MPH. I was quite tired and sore by the time I loaded my bike back into the truck and headed home.

But it was a great day, and I feel very privileged to have had the chance to ride with the Journey of Hope on a small portion of their long trek. It’s a journey I hope to accomplish myself someday. I hope they realize how lucky they are to be able to do this when they’re young and fit and free, with the great support and companionship of their teammates.

Learn more about the Journey of Hope and donate to Push America to help them get out their message of acceptance and understanding for people with disabilities.

Journey of Hope (Partial) Group Photo