(Stanford, CA -> Kentfield, CA)
Hello, welcome to Spokes 2019. In case you are reading about us for the first time, we are a cycling team of six Stanford students biking across the country while teaching workshops throughout rural America. Our goal is to generate excitement around education in disadvantaged communities and schools by hosting “learning festivals” at schools and libraries along our route! We are so excited to have this amazing opportunity, and it can only happen with support from friends and family like you. If you have the ability, we would still appreciate donations to help us purchase cycling gear (I’ve already needed to replace both of my tires!) and teaching supplies for the journey; please consider contributing to our GoFundMe campaign and sharing our story with others!
Each of us will be teaching a different workshop, on topics ranging from mindfulness, self-compassion, and creative writing, logic and games, chemistry, mind-body health, vision and illusions, and design.
We will cross over 3,600 miles and climb over 170,000 ft of elevation.
Without further adieu, here is our first blog entry about
Day 1: Stanford to Kentfield
Travis– Today I drove the car and worked with Maceo to designate where we would have our stops. I arrived at a designated hotel stop earlier than expected and walked around the path along the bay. I had a peaceful time to myself to reminisce on my college experience and to anticipate what will occur on our bike journey. While waiting at the stop, I noticed that the group’s “find my friends” location had not been updated since the last hour. Slowly panic creeped in and I was on high alert. Maybe they had already passed and I missed them?!?! After waiting a half-hour, finally I saw them and chased them down. We ended today at Cole’s house and had an awesome dinner with them. They gave us a cycling lesson 101. It was much needed. Tomorrow we are biking about 60 miles, and I finally get to ride! Here we go!
Thumbs Up Travis!!!
Maceo– Phew. What a day. I can hardly believe that this adventure is finally starting. Yesterday, I walked in Stanford’s commencement ceremony, said goodbye to friends and family, and moved out of a Stanford dorm room for the last time.
Team minus Cole at the Oval!
Today, I biked over 60 miles. It’s crazy to think that this what my life will look like for the next 10 weeks. The first 5 miles felt incredible. I was brimming with excited and positive energy. I thought, “Hey, this is easy! We’ll get to Marin by 2 or 3 pm!” Then, about 9 miles in, Asia got a stomach ache and I realized how even the tiniest issues could arise and dramatically change the entire group’s course. We mistakenly took our first rest stop outside a Women’s Correctional Facility at an undisclosed location and were promptly asked to leave. The next rest stop was supposed to be about 15 miles from the first, but we ended up biking over 20 miles before we met up with the car again. The route took us along the San Francisco Bay Trail, which was absolutely beautiful. I would definitely come back. The sun was out, the sky was blue, and the water. Oh, the water was stunning - turquoise and rippling with the wind. Driving through San Francisco International Airport was pretty freaky. Cars drove a little bit too close to us and there was not enough of a bike lane. At our second rest stop, we got to have lunch! One of Anna’s old coworkers gave us an obscene amount of canned garbanzo beans, so guess what I ate? Yup, a can of garbanzo beans with Tajín. Delicious. Our next section brought us to San Francisco and we learned (again) that you absolutely always must cross railroad tracks perpendicularly. Asia took a little spill but thankfully didn’t sustain any major injuries. It was fun biking past the Giants Stadium and pretty silly passing Fisherman’s Wharf. We stopped to watch a breakdancing show with a little bit too much racial commentary. We took a pit stop underneath the Golden Gate Bridge to dip our rear tires into the Pacific Ocean (I dipped my whole body in too!) before we road across.
Dipping wheels in the Pacific!
Whenever I drive across the bridge, I try to steal glances of Alcatraz and the expansive views of the Marin Headlands. Today, on the bike, I felt spoiled with all the time to admire the scenery. It was SUPER windy. Like, hold on tight to your handlebars windy. We made our way into Sausalito and eventually up to Cole’s familys’ house. They greeted us with open arms, a phenomenal meal, a warm jacuzzi, and loads of cycling tips. They even helped us work on our bikes in the garage! Tomorrow, we will ride to Napa.
Best of Luck!