Day 1: San Francisco to Santa Cruz

A great first day! We had a brief devotional and started off from a foggy, chilly San Francisco, keeping in mind the words from Deuteronomy 15:11 Moses said, "Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, 'Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.'" We rode through the city and down along the coast. It was chilly, but we warmed up quickly as we rode. Every 20 miles we found our amazing support van waiting with our great support crew, Colin Webb and Kayla Kellogg. Chris and Ross did a great job of pulling the group and allowing the other riders to draft behind them. We kept a good pace and stayed together. Everyone was very positive and supportive. There was a fog cover the whole time, but it helped us to keep cool and avoid dehydration. The changing landscape was beautiful as we passed the farmland and the nature. We were blessed with a slight tailwind the last 20 miles, and everyone finished strong. We were very grateful to be able to take warm showers, eat dinner together, and relax. Tonight we stay in Santa Cruz and ride the 45 miles to Monterey tomorrow.

It was a long journey and a new experience for many of us. We enjoyed the community, the landscape, the challenge, and the ride. We also had our mission and the people in downtown Long Beach to put our struggles, challenges, and enjoyment in context. We are very blessed to have the time and support to be able to do a ride like this.

Lydia