Tonight we're in Rochester, NY after a long 90 mile ride today. It's amazing how quickly we're getting into shape. We're spending the night at RIT University, who graciously provided us dormitories for sleeping and a delicious dinner. Good food AND a bed tonight... How did I get so lucky?!
After dinner, we had our weekly Town Hall Meeting, where riders share their highs and lows from the last week. It was pretty easy to pick a low- I'm feeling a little sore from spending do much time in the saddle. As for the high of the week, that was more challenging- I've really enjoyed the scenery, proving myself to be one of the faster riders, getting to know other riders, etc.
But what stood out to me the most was when I was making a presentation at one of the churches we stayed in about affordable housing in our country. After the presentation, this one woman told us that Bike & Build has been stopping in their town for the last ten years, and the organization inspired her to get involved with affordable housing and fighting homelessness in her community. Since Bike & Build first came through her town, she has helped create the first homeless shelter in her community, and gotten the County Board of Supervisors to refurbish old apartments and offer them as subsidized affordable housing units.
It was so inspiring to hear what she's been doing, and to learn that Bike & Build really served as a catalyst for her own actions. It's easy to get caught up in the biking aspects of this trip, so this was a great opportunity to remind myself (and the group) that we are pedaling for a cause.
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