Thirty-Four Hundred Miles of Good Ground

What is the most difficult thing you’ve ever done?

In the summer of 2004, I faced the biggest physical challenge of my life: pedaling my bicycle from Everett, Washington to Williamsburg, Virginia. In terms of miles per day, the “Northern Transcontinental” (www.pactour.com) is one of the most rigorous non-racing cycling events in the world.

Consider how it compared to the 2004 Tour de France:

Why ride that far?

One reason is that it is the perfect physical metaphor for a professional practice. The Long Ride demands the day-in-and-day-out persistence and cooperation that is the hallmark of any successful partnership. Sitting on a bicycle for 200 hours in less than a month provides ample time to reflect --- and a few good, relevant lessons:

• Teamwork is vital. How does your team work together? Even though each participant must turn the million pedal strokes it takes to cross the country, sharing the chore of battling the wind as the lead cyclist in a pace line makes a tremendous difference.
• You can do almost anything you put your mind to, given enough preparation. Are you ready for your challenges? Riding thousands of miles in the months before the Long Ride prepared my body for the grueling days in the saddle.
• Pacing is critical. Will you burn out? Pushing too hard too soon caused even some strong riders to abandon.
• It’s not the mountains; it’s the plains. Can you weather the routine, day-to-day grind? It’s relatively easy to marshal energy for the relatively brief, tough climbs – especially since they are usually followed by nice long downhills. The real challenge is day after day of fighting stubborn headwinds and the corn-and-soybeans monotony on the Great Plains.
• If you want to badly enough, you can perform despite the strain. Do you let the little burdens of the job get you down? Unyielding bicycle saddles, aching knees, and stiff muscles are a small price to pay to achieve your goal.

I had another motivation for the trip. I didn’t ride nearly as fast as Lance Armstrong, but it was a short and easy trip compared to the journey that the homeless face on their way back to society. I know that because, more than two decades ago, I was part of a team that founded Our Daily Bread, Maryland’s best known soup kitchen, and Christopher Place, which specializes in giving homeless men a fresh chance at a new life. (See: www.cc-md.org and search under services). In terms of sheer endurance, those programs’ statistics are even more impressive than the Northern Transcontinental:

• Five million meals…and counting. Our Daily Bread has not missed a day of service since it opened more than 25 years ago. It serves more than a quarter million lunches and breakfasts a year to the homeless, the elderly and the working poor. Its 7,000 volunteers come from churches, synagogues, schools, and businesses.
• From a cardboard box to a steady job. For more than 100 men a year, Christopher Place’s intensive six-month program takes them from joblessness on the streets to steady employment and a permanent apartment – and even reunification with their families.

Thanks to the generosity of scores of friends and supporters, my ride raised more than $38,000 in donations to help build a new home for these great programs.