Now what? We’ve been home a month and it still hasn’t gone away, has it? That feeling. There’s just no mistaking it. It’s a mixture of happiness, pride, humility, and sadness. Completing something this huge leaves us with an unmatched emotional state. We want to rewind back to ALC5 and fast forward to ALC6 all at once. We want to talk non-stop about waking up at the crack of dawn, sharing meals with 2,000 other people, about taking showers with those same people, and about the miles we rode.
Those miles were ridden down long stretches of farmland, perhaps the sinking sun our only companion. Those miles were ridden on SAG busses, when we wanted in our hearts to continue so badly, but knowing our bodies had the final say (and then maybe we met Jan, the SAG ambassador, who illuminated the true joy of SAGging and then we didn’t feel sad at all). Those miles were walked in camp, to and from the Rememberance Tent, the dining tent, or to set up your new friends’ tent, we want to talk about it all.
Except when we don’t want to.
Some days are spent in quiet contemplation, reflecting on everything we’ve seen, heard, done together. Some days we prefer to thumb through our photos solo, or read a letter from one of the school children, or absent-mindedly play with our wristbands we have since cut off but still keep as a neon reminder of the riding, working, breathing, traveling family of which we are part.
For some of us, this was a huge under-taking. I got emails and phone calls throughout the year with all sorts of concerns and updates—“am I doing enough miles? Why do I have knee pain? Will there be enough to eat? I am inspired everyday by this.” For some, the enormity of the event was felt right off the bat. For others, it didn’t hit until the Ride came—“I can’t believe how many people are here! That hill was so tough. I dehydrated and had to call it a day. I helped 5 people change a flat today.” And for others still, the weight of it all is just starting to sink in now.
It’s very powerful—some might say mystical or spiritual, even. I hope you are finding time to process the experience in your own way.
I hope you remember that by whatever the means, you have SAVED LIVES. We say that all the time, but we really mean it. Working at the Center, I see the money YOU have raised providing our clients with medicine they simply couldn’t get any other way. I see it providing mental health support to all members of our community in all sorts of places in their lives. Make no mistake here—people owe their lives to YOU. And to those of you who rode to honor loved ones, both past and present: I cannot think of a more incredible living testament to them. You have shone down the brightest light on some of our darkest corners?.
Thank you for partaking in this journey with us—and on a personal note, with me. I got to meet many of you on the ride, but so many more of you are out there, and I didn’t have the opportunity to look in your eyes and ask you how the ride was going (I was somewhat behind the scenes, supporting and guiding participant who needed that little extra something.), so I encourage you to keep in touch. I know that some of you out there are done for now, so I won’t have the benefit of keeping tabs on you in the official sense. If you’re coming back, I look forward to working with you again. This year was my first as a Cycle Buddy, and you all made it a wonderful experience, especially those who I interacted with, whether by email, phone, in person, or all of the above. For me, that was the best part. I had 412 cyclists to look after, but I only had the pleasure of getting to know a handful of you. Special thanks to those of you who made this job more than just database management and number-crunching. You taught me a lot (like how to search for a missing donation and give you training advice over the phone at the same time) and inspired me even more. ..it’s been awe-inducing and has restored my faith in humanity.
Well, enough of my banter. Time now to wrap up here at the ALC ranch. As you read this from the comfort of your home or office (where there’s no wind, and you don’t have to shove your furniture to the corners of your room to keep the building up), I hope you know how much you’re loved, appreciated, and admired?and don’t forget to look for the things of beauty that are here amongst us, even now. I’ll leave you with one final story.
One of my most vivid memories of ALC5 is of day 6 when I had a conversation with one of my cyclists who had just registered for ALC6. He came to find me in the command center that day to tell me that he and his wife had BOTH registered for ALC6. I congratulated him and told him how great it would be to have him back. He wanted to share something else with me as well though. He asked me if I recalled the day he came into the office to register for ALC5. I did. He then asked if I remembered asking him why he was doing the ride. At the time, he had told me that he had checked the “challenge” box on the form and talked about how training and riding would be such a great physical challenge and how he looked forward to losing some weight and getting “ripped”. Now he stood before me 10 pounds gone, muscular and tan with tears in his eyes telling me that he felt like a fool for not realizing what this ride was really about. He then hugged me and told me that this time he had checked every box except “challenge” and would continue to do so for as long as he could ride. Then he wiped his tears and told me he had to go because he and his wife we meeting some new friends they had made for dinner. Friends, who incidentally, “are Poz Peds” he said with a huge grin on his face. For me, at that moment, I knew ALC5 was a great success.
You’ve done it. You’ve surpassed obstacle after obstacle. Congratulations, truly—on your achievement, your boldness, and your unbelievable commitment to do your part in this world.
Your very proud of you Cycle Buddy,
Kerry Castillo
I know I haven't posted much except for ALC stuff, but I hope this gives everyone a little more understanding of what we went through. Thanks again for all your support and love.