After Bike & Build

Some will remember, no doubt, not only that they went to the college, but that they went to the mountain. - Thoreau

Tuesday morning I got coffee in San Francisco with whoever was awake, and then called for a cab to the airport. I ran downstairs, and by then the rest of the team was awake. I quickly entered the room and grabbed my bin, ignoring everyone and singing, “You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone!” as I pivoted back into the hallway. The team shouted and demanded I make my proper goodbyes - they weren’t going to let me ghost-bounce that easily. Many hugs and warm wishes later, I was on the sidewalk and Rae and Kevin were putting my bin in the backseat of a taxi. In a scene fit for “Bike & Build: The Movie” I waved to my good friends out the back window until the city traffic crowded my view.

There were a few strangers along the road this summer who had some bike touring experiences. I’ll never see them again, and it’s these meaningful yet transient interactions that make me want to delete my social media accounts. Their words were, “There’s something magical about the bicycle,” and, “Everything I know I learned from bike touring.” That second quote reminded me of a shirt I once saw:

Though I have a lot of reflection and processing to do, so many simple lessons can be learned from a summer on Bike & Build: how to listen to your body and mind, the harder the climb the more rewarding the descent, some days you've got high temperatures and feral dogs and other days you have open roads with smooth paving. 

I looked out the window of the plane headed east. The rivers cut and twisted through the landscape at free will. In Clarksdale, Mississippi there was a Bike & Build alum who saw modern society as being structured around waterways. In Colorado we rode along the upper Arkansas River, which I thought I’d said goodbye to back in Little Rock, and this tiny town’s economy was based entirely on white water rafting. And in Juntura, Oregon, the cattle-ranching desert town of 25 people, sulfurous well-water was served if they did not travel three hours to the nearest bottled water source. That alum in Clarksdale, who now works to protect the Mississippi Delta, has a point.

Clarksdale, Mississippi

I noticed the colorful patchwork of crops fields below me. I imagined watching over my team dispersed along one of those country roads, either fighting the headwinds solo or drafting in a paceline. 

Dalhart, Texas

My team is fantastic and I will miss everyone dearly. Each person has made an impact on my life, and I’m grateful for Bike & Build because I probably wouldn’t have met them otherwise. There’s already talk of pen pals and reunions. In parting, we each wrote affirmation letters for each other. As written in our notes, it’s clear that each teammate has expanded each other’s minds to different identities and ideas.

Filthy, beautiful, and free

Flying over suburbia, I imagined looking down on my younger self biking on the sidewalk. A bike ride with a friend to the dollar store, or to the ice cream shop at the farm on a summer afternoon. It occurred to me that my view of the bicycle has matured over time from a childhood toy, to a mode of transportation in the years before my driver’s permit, to a hobby when I could’ve driven but opted to bike anyway, to a passion - because I think you have to really love something in order to wake up at 4:30am and focus on it for 8-10 hours a day. There were moments this summer of brutal climbing and rough conditions when I had to yell to remind myself, “I FLIPPIN’ LOVE BIKING!” 

Sunrise in the Tollgate Canyon. Des Moines, New Mexico

The view from the plane flattened the hills, made them inconsequential. In South Carolina I was so nervous about climbing, but Bike & Build has really changed my perspective. A local of Colorado Springs asked the question, “How has this experience changed you?” Another rider said she's more appreciative of the little things: a warm breakfast, an indoor shower, a free milkshake. I agreed with her, and added that my perspective on the larger things has changed too. From where we talked we could see the Rockies out the window. “That’s where I’m headed in a few days. If I can bike over the Rockies, anything is possible.”

Walsenburg, Colorado
Looking at this is making me bonk.

What's next for me after Bike & Build? After several days of sleeping and recovery, I’ll be moving back to Simmons for my senior year. Readjusting to life after Bike & Build has meant simplifying my possessions - in packing for my dorm I donated 40% of all my clothes to charity and threw out several bags of junk. During the academic year I’ll be an RA, a rower, and working on projects with the Spiritual Life Office and the Bike @ Simmons club.

Charles River, Boston
Synchronized like a paceline.

Also, I'm figuring out an answer to that "What are you doing after college" question, but with the increased confidence that comes from fundraising $4,700 and pedaling 4,200 miles for affordable housing. I’ll be applying to the Peace Corps, to grad school programs for my MBA in nonprofit management, and to positions at nonprofit organizations. I'm keeping my options open - a Bike & Builder is flexible. I’m willing and able to travel because I’m interested in working on women’s issues around the world.

And on the subject of biking, stay tuned for LainiBikesEurope.blogspot.com :)

Thank you for your faithful readership.

-Laini

Independence Pass, Colorado