Category: Rich’s Ride

…we were in the middle of the adventure called RICH’S RIDE. Hard to imagine. Our hectic culture is all about the demands of now and the pressures of what’s next. Too often we forget to look back and recall the gift of our story. A whole year? Life moves on, but it’s hard to believe […]

Ever forget you’re not the center of the universe? My discussion with a spinal injury support group left me pondering the whole notion of An Able-Bodied World. The audience was folks who are relatively new at figuring out how to navigate life with some level of paralysis—and their spouses. Becky pointed out afterward that the […]

How do you know when you fail? Today, I failed. My team disagrees. They tell me I did my best, so I can’t fail. This isn’t the heart rhythm of someone who’s about to have a heart attack. It’s the elevation chart for my ride today. I rode well, felt strong, and didn’t succumb to […]

It’s mid-week, so I thought I’d give you an update on our progress. Who know Ohio had this many steep hills? My team on the IJM Freedom Ride is an amazing group of dedicated people. We’ve completed two days and two hundred miles. Nearly everyone has done every mile—that’s two century rides in two days, […]

Today we learned a lot about the work of International Justice Mission. That’s Karen from IJM during her presentation. It’s not a fun topic. The stories are difficult and dark. It’s hard to listen without becoming outraged and angry. Even the stories of victory and rescue tear at your soul as you look into young […]

Wow! Thursday was an intense day. I started with a twenty-five mile training ride on a great bike trail. Then we met our team for the IJM Freedom Tour. What an amazing group! These folks converged from all across the U.S. with a common purpose: to gain rescue and justice for victims of violent opression. […]

There’s something about riding in unfamiliar places. This morning I took off from our hotel on a training ride through the countryside south of Indianapolis. I had a general idea where I was headed, but didn’t know what the roads would be like, how much traffic I’d encounter, or what kind of terrain I’d face. […]

We stopped to see Becky’s parents on our way to Cincinnati. Becky’s dad is always interesting to talk to. He’s a farmer, lives on the same land his dad and grandfather farmed. When you listen to his comments, you immediately notice that he has a long-term perspective on most situations. He observes the current hot, […]

Music touches me–not really the music as much as the lyrics. I’m always amazed by the range of emotions that can bubble up when I hear the words of a familiar song. Since we’re about to embark on our next ride, I thought we ought to revisit our official theme song. It sends chills down […]

Do you ever stop and think about how much other people do for you? Americans are enamored with the image of the lone ranger, the one-person success story. We love the myth of doing it ourselves. But it’s mostly a myth. The truth is that most success is the result of community. RICH’S RIDE is […]

Can we talk? One of the curious aspects of writing a blog is tossing words out into cyberspace without knowing who will read them. The conversation often feels one-sided. You learn a lot about me, but I often don’t know much about you. As we embark on the next chapter of this adventure, I’d like to […]