Global Agents For Change 007 » GAFC 2008 Ride

Global Agents for Change Video – duex

admin — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:13:18 +0000

Mexico !

admin — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:36:51 +0000

RTBTC 2008 – July 7

admin — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:31:34 +0000

Day 3 – Forests-Farmland-Amazing Hosts- Go GAFC !

admin — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 03:23:14 +0000

Our day started at 7 am in Bellingham. We ate breakfast, pumped tires, loaded the support van and headed on our way. We scratched the original directions and it was well worth it.. our amazing host Kyle from the night before and Thomas from Bellingham lead us along a bike path along the coast and through forests and farmland to lunch. Per Kyle’s suggestion, we stopped at a bakery that had amazing bread and coconut macaroons.

We stopped for lunch at Bay View Park where we also relaxed, stretched and played frisbee. Then we continued on our way through flat wind swept farmland. Along the flat straights we got practice in drafting (riding close to one another so the person in front of you breaks the wind and you take turns in front).

By 6 pm everyone arrived in Stanwood to our welcoming hosts at Stanwood United Methodist Church after a 80 kilometer ride. We are staying at this church because last years riders needed a place to stay at the last minute and they opened their doors, and we are thankful to be back again! Members of the congregation provided us with a delicious potluck dinner and then we gave a presentation about Riding to Break the Cycle, Global Agents for Change and microcredit.

We ended the night with a group gathering about logistics and responsibilities that was filled with many laughs. Soon thereafter everyone was feeling very tired and headed to bed. So on that note, I too will say goodbye and head to bed. Check back in tomorrow to read about our ride to Seattle!

-Jackie, 2008 Rider

Day 2 – GAFC – Ride 2008

admin — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 03:20:58 +0000

We filled ourselves with bananas for breakfast in a Safeway parking lot. We had to eat up all the fruits we had before crossing the U.S. border (Ben ate 8 bananas for the cause!). The border was a breeze. It was the first time I’ve crossed an international border by bike, I think that’s why it hasn’t hit me, or many of the riders that we are no longer in Canada! The ride was great, Kamila and I were sweepers (we stay at the end of the pack, making sure that no one gets left behind.

The 50 km ride was even cheered on by a herd of cows who seemed to be gathering by a fence, all their heads raised as we passed by.

We arrived at the Community Bike Shop in South Bellingham to find a small one-storey building, which seemed to be full of hidden corners. The place was littered with used bikes. All of them donated. They get repaired here, then are sold off. It’s a pretty sweet place! Complete with a “suicide machine” (a kind of homemade unicycle that many of the riders tried to balance on), and a barbecue (where our wonderful cooks made beans, potatoes, salad).

We showered at a nearby YMCA, used their sauna and steam room! So good! We found ourselves a documentary-guitarist-song-writer dude who came and interviewed some of us! Keep your eyes peeled for a mini-documentary on YouTube!

Although, South Bellingham seemed pretty slow on a Sunday night, our team got the party started. We hooked up some speakers to a laptop, got some bike lights (our strobe lights) and created our own club in one of the rooms in the bike shop! Dancing the night away, everyone was busting out some pretty sweet moves! Definite good times (hopefully we can link up some footage from it!)! We even turned many cycling terms into crazy dance moves! No need to look for a party, the Global AFC team is ALWAYS a party!

-Phillipe Murphy, 2008 Rider