God-sized dreams elicit some peculiar responses. Becky and I spent a few days meeting new church partners for the COLORADO MOUNTAIN FREEDOM TOUR. We described the project to groups and individuals and encountered a common reaction. Tell folks you’re preparing to ride bikes over mountain passes and they’ll look at you with some mixture of […]
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We’re Headed To The Hills
Becky and I have a tough assignment this weekend. We “have to” scout the route and visit host churches for COLORADO MOUNTAIN FREEDOM TOUR 2017. The kind folks in Buena Vista invited us to share the story of the FREEDOM TOUR at two different churches on Sunday. So we’re forced to spend three summer days […]
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Cyclists Don’t Trade Bikes (But What If They Did?)
Amazing friendships develop during bike rides. The first day of FRONT RANGE FREEDOM TOUR is different. In addition to our team we invite some guests to ride with us from Cheyenne to Fort Collins. Among this year’s special guests were some men from Harvest Farm, a substance abuse recovery program located in Northern Colorado. These […]
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Did You Celebrate?
We completed a 500-mile tour one week ago. Months of planning. Lots of back-and-forth to get just the right jersey and t-shirt design. Meetings with sponsors. Fundraising. Thousands of miles of training rides. All leading to an amazing 8-day tour along the beautiful Colorado Front Range. After all the anticipation, we gathered in Cheyenne. The […]
Continue readingMore TagWhat If We Change The Culture?
Culture is everything. Big claim, but the longer I do this tour thing the more I’m convinced about culture. Mission, vision, values, goals are words. Culture, the way the team actually operates, is what matters. Last week was our 5th FRONT RANGE TOUR. We always begin with a clear set of morning expectations. We’re a […]
Continue readingMore TagIt’s Never About The Numbers
Are you one of the 2 billion Facebook users? If so, you’ve probably noticed their cute little personalized videos that show up in your timeline on birthdays, anniversaries, and other random important dates. The FB folks know we all like to see ourselves in videos and photos. They know lots of us will share. More […]
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My Spot In The Maze
Ed Richardson is an amazing guy. I could write a couple of posts about his story, his family, his teaching, and the intentional manner in which he built a legacy. Today I just want to tell you one thing he’s taught me during the past couple of years. Ed built (literally, with his own hands) […]
Continue readingMore TagLiving In Fear (Or Courage)
Once you’ve finished a bike tour it’s easy to minimize the accomplishment. Easy to forget how hard it was, actually committing and doing the preparation and training, then sticking it out through 500 miles of early mornings and late nights and sweat. Easy to remember the celebrations and forget the flat tires. When we talk […]
Continue readingMore TagMight As Well Embrace The Detour
I’ve always said this thing never turns out the way we planned it. FRONT RANGE FREEDOM TOUR is supposed to begin at the Wyoming state capitol building in Cheyenne and conclude at the top of Raton Pass at the Colorado/New Mexico border. For the past two years a massive renovation has forced us to begin […]
Continue readingMore TagThe Weather Changed
The FREEDOM TOUR experienced its first cool weather day in five years on Friday. Thursday we rolled into Rocky Ford in sweltering heat well into triple digits. Friday morning temps were low 60’s…and then they dropped. Not too often you see a 45 degree temperature swing in 12 hours in the middle of June. Folks […]
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Rich Got To Ride!
I got to ride with the team yesterday. That might sound strange, but I choose my spots carefully to make sure I don’t slow the team down too much. On big-mileage days or days with hills, riding with me would cause the others to be on the road later when it’s hot and there’s increased […]
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Tour Life
Tour life quickly assumes its own rhythm; after just a couple of days it’s like we’ve been doing this together forever. Loading, unloading, sleeping on the floor, eating out of coolers in the back of a support vehicle, grabbing a snack at every opportunity to replace burned calories–those start to seem normal. You learn to […]
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