Life should be like this
So every fifth day we are on “Support”. We take a break from riding and drive the cars and set up rest stops and make lunch and dinner and videotape the riders climbing mountains and doing silly things. We also fill up eachother’s waterbottles, encourage sunscreen-lathering, and give the occasional much-needed shoulder massage. We cheer out of the car “You are doing great!! Keep it up!” We spray paint little encouraging and fun notes to the riders about where to go and how far they’ve ridden and cool sights to not miss. Support days are lots of work. Giving giving giving to take care of the riders.
And it feels great. I love that we all take a turn at supporting eachother so that we can also all ride. Having a support team gives us a family feel. Built into the structure of the ride is the recognition that we can’t all be riding in the glory seat all the time– we have to take our turns in order to make such an adventure sustainable.
A couple of days ago as we began crossing the Mojave Desert I was on Support. I was shuttling water to riders between rest stops and cheering people on. As I gave one rider an estimate of how much longer until the finish– thinking it was a good thing to share, she broke down and declared herself done. She was totally depleted. So I packed her bike up and she got in the car and we drove to the finish together. The moment she broke down and I was there to pick her up was beautiful. That she could ask for help and I could give it was this sort of transcendent thing. I am learning that there is only one way to cross a desert, and that is with a caravan of people working together. Feels like pretty much anything can be done when we work together like this. And we are. And it feels meaningful and good.