The First Training Night Ride

We have 33 days before we head out!  Last night we came together to begin our journey as a team.  What a great night we had!  Good food, laughter, a commitment to a worthy goal and camaraderie always make for a great time!  And of course, having Brenna there giving us her endearing smiles helps us to NEVER forget the reason we are doing this in the first place!

Checking out their sleeping quarters.......Boys will always be boys! Scott Francis and Rick Nichols

Dave Roadruck and Bob Roach

We begin to learn as riders and drivers the importance of safety at the exchanges. Over the 7 days that we are traveling across the United States, we will have hundreds of exchanges. There are strict rules that we must follow to keep both riders and drivers safe (and of course avoid any time penalties).

Craig Roach

Bev Driver, Scott Francis, Rick Nichols and Bob Roach

Doug Richards and Tony Wilcox

When the sun sets, we head up to Oak Glen where riders will practice riding downhill in the dark.  The speed ranges from 30-40 mph.  It was a chilly evening and for the boys, "AN ADRENALINE RUSH."  As drivers we basically were given automatic trust from our team of riders.  They trusted us to provide their light and to keep them safe.  WOW!!!  They were all amazing!  The best part is seeing their smiling faces after they finished the descent!  Each of them were smiling from ear to ear!!!  Driving behind the riders as they increased their speed was a little stressful, it was when we had to follow my husband that I needed to close my eyes........don't worry I wasn't driving at the time!  Seriously, they are traveling at very high speeds and it only takes a small hole in the road or a blow out to take them down.  It is intense and as drivers it is very important that we stay close to them to provide the light, but not too close so that we have some reaction time in case of an unexpected stop.

Also, if you are ever visiting Oak Glen and notice a tree that appears to be well watered............you can thank our boys for that!

 The evening was a HUGE success.  We began with asking our Lord

and Savior for protection and we ended with grateful hearts to be a 

part of such a great cause!  Praise God for a safe and successful evening.

Tony Wilcox, Tony Coulson and Randy Sperling