Rich's Ride

Plank People

I hate to admit it, but sometimes I’m a plank person. Jesus said I should take the plank out of my own eye before fussing about the speck in another’s eye. That’s hard. I’d rather point out your imperfections than confront my own. Plank people are like sight-impaired eye surgeons. They think they’re helping, but […]

Keep Calm

Every year, people greet our cyclists with encouraging, creative signs. Didn’t Winston Churchill say something like this? When you’re struggling up a hill, this is a pretty good reminder. This one incorporated the Project Rescue butterfly — a symbol of hope and re-birth. A perfectly-drawn Rich’s Ride logo… And – Jim’s grandkids thought this was […]

Back To Basics

“What’s the FREEDOM TOUR about?” Becky’s question surprised me. After ten years, I thought she should know. Human trafficking. Community. Following Jesus. Then I realized she was looking for something deeper. “Hope,” she said. “From the very beginning it’s always been about hope.” She’s right, of course. Long before we even considered the FREEDOM TOUR, […]

No Clue

Once in a while I look at one of our pictures and just shake my head because I have no clue what was happening. Is it a binky? No Clue. We have plenty of stuff to drink. What’s Cynthia doing? No clue. Who placed this very cool sign along our route? No clue. These last […]

About The Crowd

I still fuss about the crowd. In my case, it’s the FREEDOM TOUR. Try as I might, I fuss with why we don’t attract more riders. We’re at the end of a week that started with the crowd welcoming Jesus as king. A few days later, the crowd in the same city demanded His execution. […]

Pete’s Century

Pete signed up last week for the FREEDOM TOUR CLASSIC. He’ll ride 100 miles on June 18th. Impressive, right? Pete added this comment to his registration fee. “The thought of children in the sex slave trade sickens me!” Yeah. We’re all repulsed by this sick, evil reality. So, what do we do? Well, Pete did […]

Look Away?

I guess I’m supposed to look away. From images of genocide, live video of children intentionally bombed, stories of horrible abuse. As these atrocities flood my awareness, I guess I’m supposed to look away. My friends say I’m obsessed, it’s not healthy. You can’t do anything about it. Go ride your bike. Play with your […]

What’s The Plan?

Hang around church very long and you’re sure to hear about “God’s plan.” Classes, sermons, podcasts, books – there’s an entire cottage industry devoted to tracing His plan throughout history, interpreting current events and predicting future event based on His plan. Seems like a big chunk of that cottage industry is devoted to a debate […]

Laundry

Our 2015 team posed for a group photo in Ordway. I’m not sure we meant to have our laundry as the background. Or, maybe we did. Earlier that day, we arrived under a blistering sun and temps over 100 degrees. As we rested in the shade, Jeff spotted a way to cool off. We debated, […]

Without Us

We couldn’t do it without us. In this case the “it” I’m thinking about is the FREEDOM TOUR. We’re celebrating our 10th anniversary, and none of it could happen without us. It’s a broader notion, of course. The USAmerican myths of rugged individualism and pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps are just that – […]

Snack Time

Most of the best memories aren’t planned. On a hot day in 2017, a DQ treat apparently sounded pretty tempting. I wonder what they thought when Larry rolled up to the drive-thru window in spandex? This little guy was just enjoying a sunny afternoon as we unloaded bikes in Trinidad. A sudden downpour forced the […]

Mud Season

We’re approaching mud season in Colorado. It’s an informal space between almost done and not quite ready. Ski areas cling to the last precious weeks of snow. The hardiest cyclists layer up, brave the chilly breezes, and crunch along on road shoulders littered with winter gravel and grime. The rest of us wait anxiously for […]

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