A Tale of Two Cities

San Francisco managed to deliver on all the highs we were expecting – critical mass was amazing, everyone loved the city, and our event with Kiva was a smash success. By the time we left town we felt like everyone knew who we were and what we were about – we even saw a few random people around town wearing “I’m An Agent” t-shirts they had purchased at one of our events! We got some decent local media coverage with a couple of radio interviews, highlights in a big San Fran blog, and a spot on the news from the critical mass day. We also got to spend 3 nights in a hostel which was positively plush compared to the rest of the trip. Much of the group had another treat when we visited the Kiva offices on the way out of town and had a long sit down to ask all our questions and learn more in depth about how they fit into the overall picture.

In the midst of all of this, we managed to hit bottom in terms of morale.

Two riders had their bikes stolen after leaving them locked outside over night, the hard push to reach San Fran and the rest days seemed to result in a bit of slack in group cohesion, and to top it all off the RV was broken into the morning we were leaving with important things for a few people going missing – including a huge chunk of the film shot for the documentary… We hadn’t been in a large city for some time, and none like San Fran with the time to explore. Our neighborhood was in one of the poorer areas of town and we were face to face with some of the very issues we are trying to do something about – poverty. We manage to get pretty caught up in the ride and our own group and it was a timely reminder of what we’re here for. All of this together left the group reeling a bit as we left town, even with some of the individual highlights of the trip so recently experienced.

But from bottom one can only go up! We managed to get a loaner bike to replace one of the stolen ones and may yet replace the second. Both riders stayed with us for the duration to help the team too! This was never supposed to be easy and these are exactly the times we learn the most about ourselves. Yesterday was a MONSTER day with some riders clocking 140-160 kilometres depending on how lost they got – but spirits were high! Today the same, legs are killing but it seems to be just what the doctor ordered with the shared challenge pulling people back to the purpose at hand. We seem to be getting our feet back under ourselves and are set for the final push to the border – stick with us as we hit these rough spots sometimes its the support from all of you that can make the difference!

San Fran also marked a change in the crew with Annie and Amy flying home – we miss you! Amy was scheduled to leave from the city all along and Annie took a pretty bad spill on her bike about a week prior to hitting Frisco. She debated sticking it out for a few days while we shuttled her along with the team but in the end decided she’d be more comfortable at home. We’ve been in touch and were sad to see her go….

Think I mentioned this before but also added the crazy Chilean Francisco (yes we added Francisco in San Francisco) – he’s now going through what we were in the first few days as far as physical pain and mental exhaustion but loving the adventure as he tags along for a few days. It was not a decision taken lightly to add a rider mid stream but we had lost a couple riders, he’s really excited about what we’re doing and wants to learn more about the greater cause and take that home with him….and the energy boost certainly doesn’t hurt – this was balanced against the concern that some earlier riders went through a stringent selection process and we didn’t want to cheapen that, or mess too much with group dynamics. He’s super cool though and so far so good!

Will try to update again soon (we’re at a roadside cafe during lunch break and REALLY need to get back on the road!). Much love to all, talk soon!