Special Edition 1 - Route Leaders

This post is copy/pasted with some editing from Dale Johnson's blog courtesy of Stephen French.

This is a perspective on the role of the route leaders and how invaluable they are to the safe and smooth operation of getting nearly two dozen bicyclist from one coast to the other. Pre-trip, the route leaders were assigned to different cyclists to help with questions about fundraising, recommended gear lists, and was always available by phone, email, or Facebook for random questions.

There are 3 full-time leaders (Matt Brinckman, Joe Ferrell, and Bret Taylor) who take turns driving the van with trailer in tow, and then there’s Don Fraser who drives his 4-Runner as an auxiliary vehicle for emergencies and scouting out the route for the day. As avid bicyclists themselves, one leader usually drives the van, another rides shotgun to be able to answer the phone and read the map, while the third rides along with the pack and picks up the rear to be sure no one needs an extra hand with repairs, or some added motivation!

Don (and his sub for the first week, Mason Cavell) show us their true colors and pure dedication to the cause by parking the 4Runner at campsites and then biking back to the top of steep mountains with frozen Mars bars as a treat for climbing Afton Mountain! Pure dedication!

They provide the days weather forecast at rest stops on a white board in the trailer. We have NEVER been without copious amounts of potable drinking water when we’ve needed it. Joe Ferrell,who is proficient with almost every aspect of bicycle repair from working at Phoenix Cycles, is provided with professional grade tools, and has been very successful helping to maintain our fleet.

All the videos you see posted on YouTube have been shot, edited and posted by the leadership team. As we enter into our second week on the road they still offer suggestions about what to eat for optimum energy output, how best to care for sore knees, ankles, and feet, and make recommendations for proper posture to avoid fatigue. When the unfortunate situation arises and a rider comes down with a cold/flu, they put their bike on the van and take them on as a passenger until they feel good enough to start pedaling again.

The Route Leaders are continuously proactive with providing information prior to a challenge/event because they all have extensive bicycling experience, most on this exact journey. we have had many opportunities to learn from mistakes/experience. These are all being cataloged to make things easier in the future for BUS4MS. These moments have been so seldom it’s hardly noticeable. In fact, Don exclaimed that it’s going so incredibly well he’s almost afraid that he’s doing something wrong!