The Bike4Alz Team 11 Home Tour is coming to a close. With a series of successful events and reunions with many friends and families, we feel rejuvenated and ready to finish this thing out. On July 5, the team rode out of Paducah and towards Clarksville, TN, with a nearly 100-mile ride. Though it was hard to leave what is many of the riders’ home state, we knew it would only be temporary. That night, we were hosted and fed by rider Tyler Baldwin’s (or T-Ball, as he has been nicknamed) parents. The team rode only 50 miles to Nashville on July 6, our shortest ride in a long time. From there, some team went down to the Jones’ residence in Spring Hill, the home of our Director of Ride Operations, Callan Jones, and some went to spend the night with some of the Bike4Alz alum. It was nice to see not only some genuinely familiar faces and best friends but also those who can share our experiences. On our rest day on the seventh, we hosted an event at The Reserve in Spring Hill, an assisted living and memory care facility where rider and treasurer Ryan Spychalski’s father works. It was great to speak with the residents, meet with prominent people in the community supporting our cause, and get some of our bikes’ fixed up thanks to a visit from one of the local Trek store employees.

On July 9, we departed from Nashville and made our way to Bowling Green, KY – which for many of the riders, was the real homecoming. Our excitement was evident, and probably one of the fastest rides we have completed. Before we reached Bowling Green, however, we took a pit stop at the Franklin Church of Christ to eat and visit with the people there. In addition, we picked up a new rider who would join us for the next few days, Jessi Dietrich, who has also tagged along for the past few teams’ rides. The team sped off from there, feeling refueled and knowing home was just a short ride away. Nothing could tear our spirits down – whether that be the bee sting the author of this blog got on his tongue, the upset stomachs from overeating, or even the torrential downpour we received upon arriving in Bowling Green city limits. We finally made it to Warren Central High School, where we met up with our police escort. We rode under the bridge and onto campus, greeted by families, girlfriends, friends, and many more people to cheer us on. After many hugs, laughs, and an overall fantastic reunion, the team packed up and prepared for our night's event. Featuring live music, food trucks, and a silent auction, not even the rain could bring us down. That night and the next day, well-rested in our own homes, we could relax and hang out with those we missed so much.

However, the next day, July 10, we had to leave those homes to continue our journey. Joined by not only Jessi but members of Team 10 as well, the team embarked on the route that beat us into shape during our practice ride almost two months before. It was much easier this time, but not too much. We arrived at Elizabethtown and were hosted by Team 9 member Colin O’Hare’s mother’s house. We also got to hold an event at Impellizzeri’s Pizza, selling merchandise and raising money. Our next ride on July 11 was fueled by Colin’s fantastic breakfast burritos (which I still think about) and covered by the Clayton & Crume media team. Throughout the ride, they shot footage from all sorts of awesome scenes and conducted some great interviews with the riders. We did have a little detour through Fort Knox, where we had gotten very lost. After, we got to hang out in the Clayton & Crume retail store, where they fed us lunch and let us hang out until the Airbnb that the mom of one of our riders and lodging coordinator, Mason Alexander, had gotten us opened up. On our rest day, Clayton & Crume hosted one of our most successful events so far, with Bike4Alz alum, families, friends, and so many more coming to support us.

*Team 11 rider Tyler Baldwin selling a t-shirt.*

*Riders resting after a stretch in Eastern Kentucky.*

The next day, we left Louisville and rode to Lexington. This would be our final hoorah with Jessi, who we could not thank enough for her constant positivity and for finally teaching me to slow down while riding. In Lexington, we stayed at the Greene household. Jonathan Greene rode for Bike4Alz in 2017, and his parents support us and the organization to this day. They were so kind as to let 12 rambunctious college students stay in their home, and we are incredibly thankful. On July 15, we made our way to Somerset, staying at the Ruby home. Taylor and Chaney Ruby both are proud Bike4Alz alum, and their family has loved being able to support us. While there, we had a truly relaxing day on the lake and enjoyed a truly restful day before hitting the Eastern Kentucky hills.

From Somerset, we moved onto Hyden, or at least somewhere near it. We stayed at the Red Bird Mission camp after an eventful ride full of dogs, hills, and less-than-pristine roads. The following day, July 19, we rode out to Pikeville, our last stay before leaving our home state and moving on to Virginia. In Pikeville, one of the riders, an aspiring optometrist, took a self-guided tour around the campus there and was pleased with what he saw. It was hard to leave in the morning, knowing that it would be the last time we were “home” until we finished the ride out, but simultaneously were excited with how close we were to putting our front tires in the Atlantic. We knew that the Appalachians would be difficult, but the thought of having less than ten days to go inspired us every step (or pedal?) of the way.