What can I say about Bike for Bible roadies that hasn't already been said? The road crews at every B4B event rise well before dawn and some of them hit the hay well after the last cyclist is sound asleep to ensure that each day goes smoothly. Inevitably, some of them are as exhausted as the participants by the end of the trip.
To be a roadie on a B4B trip, it helps if one is a) extroverted & enthusiastic; b) a coffee fiend; c, d, & e) patient; f) friendly; and g) adaptable.
Having never been a support crew member on my previous B4B trips, I was nonetheless aware of the crucial fact that a ride simply cannot happen and function without a solid squad working 'behind the scenes'. Most breakfasts and lunches are provided by the road crew, including some dinners. So every night there are people in the church kitchen prepping the next day's meals, and most mornings the kitchen is alive with our people prepping coffee and breakfast.
To be a roadie on a B4B trip, it helps if one is a) extroverted & enthusiastic; b) a coffee fiend; c, d, & e) patient; f) friendly; and g) adaptable.
Having never been a support crew member on my previous B4B trips, I was nonetheless aware of the crucial fact that a ride simply cannot happen and function without a solid squad working 'behind the scenes'. Most breakfasts and lunches are provided by the road crew, including some dinners. So every night there are people in the church kitchen prepping the next day's meals, and most mornings the kitchen is alive with our people prepping coffee and breakfast.
Lily and Dave Louie, with one of their sons, my gracious hosts before and after the trip
This year, the following people were roadies for this event, in no particular order: Wilma, Judith, Maris, Patience, Cathy, Cindy, Liani, and Amie. Also, Chris, Andrew, yours truly, and Roger, our crew's Captain. Like the bicyclists, we were (are) a diverse lot. Also like the riders, we meshed well together pretty quickly. Chris stepped in to lead rather commendably for the couple of days that we were shorthanded when Roger and Maris were away.
Adaptability was #7 on my list of personality traits necessary to be a B4B road crew member. Whether it is adjusting plans on the fly, like Roger, Judith and Cindy are doing here. Or finding a good location to set up shop for a rest stop, like Wilma, and then Andrew, and Patience did with the supply truck. Being adaptable is really just as important as the previous items on my list.
The churches that host a B4B group overnight provide a wonderful and very important ministry. When a group of four dozen people needs a place to stay, even the smallest churches and congregations are happy to help. (Although, after we leave they may be wondering what just happened...In 2006, on the cross country ride I was one of about 80 riders, with 15 or more roadies, going through BC, and we landed in Hope at the tiny Baptist Church. Those poor Baptists were making us breakfast by 4:30 in the morning, and might have thought we were like a swarm of locusts, but more pleasant, eating everything in sight!)
We were provided barbecue meals at the Anglican Church in Sydney, and New Life Church in Duncan, and terrific hot meals in the other towns. Since we were on the west coast, salmon was on the menu more often than not, and always done to perfection!
Obviously there is more to hosting a large group overnight than just providing meals. Often, the host church provides volunteers to help drive everyone to the local rec centre to clean up, and the usual tasks of opening and closing the building, providing space, making sure the kitchen is fine for us to use in the mornings. Sometimes there are people within these congregations who make it their ministry to provide a meal for the groups that come through their area. They do so with incredible enthusiasm and friendliness, and you can tell that this is important to them.
We were provided barbecue meals at the Anglican Church in Sydney, and New Life Church in Duncan, and terrific hot meals in the other towns. Since we were on the west coast, salmon was on the menu more often than not, and always done to perfection!
Obviously there is more to hosting a large group overnight than just providing meals. Often, the host church provides volunteers to help drive everyone to the local rec centre to clean up, and the usual tasks of opening and closing the building, providing space, making sure the kitchen is fine for us to use in the mornings. Sometimes there are people within these congregations who make it their ministry to provide a meal for the groups that come through their area. They do so with incredible enthusiasm and friendliness, and you can tell that this is important to them.
At Campbell River and Gibsons, we held meetings for the road crew to go over plans for the next few days, specifically plans to get our cyclists safely through Vancouver. There was a lot of laughter during these meetings, as well as the usual updates and modifications to our routines. What went well, what could we do better, that sort of thing. (The 3 photos above were taken by Lenny Van der Lugt.)
Often, cyclists would jump in to help with food prep or clean-up, like Veronica is doing here in Courtenay. On the last day we had a few extra roadies going through Vancouver who were done riding for the week for various reasons. Ralph examined his bike with another cyclist and a fine-tooth comb in Gibsons and discovered a structural problem in his frame, which could have led to serious problems on the descent out of town down to the ferry.
One of my mottos when I go fishing is 'the more the merrier!' (i.e. more fish to eat!). And the same can be said for roadies on a B4B ride. Things generally go much smoother with more support crew, and besides, I think the cyclists are always happy to see a friendly face with a big smile encouraging them during the day, especially on tough long, hot or wet days.
One of my mottos when I go fishing is 'the more the merrier!' (i.e. more fish to eat!). And the same can be said for roadies on a B4B ride. Things generally go much smoother with more support crew, and besides, I think the cyclists are always happy to see a friendly face with a big smile encouraging them during the day, especially on tough long, hot or wet days.
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