A Great Day at the Red Ribbon Ride

This was our second year volunteering at the Red Ribbon Ride.  If you haven't heard, the ride is a four day bike ride (not a race!) for AIDS research and support for those with AIDS.  This year I had the opportunity to talk to a number of riders and I discovered something that I didn't expect.  By the third of a few hot, rainy days, I had expected riders to be tired, cranky and ready to be done.  What I learned and observed was not this at all!  Riders were actually energized, feeling really good about what they were working toward and feeling incredibly supported by the Ride community.
One rider told me that he didn't want to be done tomorrow.  He said that so much time was spent in anticipation and preparation, the Ride comes and then it's over.  This rider wasn't ready to go home yet.

In speaking to one of the nurses, I learned that she, too, wasn't ready to head home.  Even though the first aid team is up at 3:30am and closes up around 8pm, she said that when she gets home she feels sad for a few days.  It's like post-ride depression.  When I asked why, I had to smile at her answer.  She said, "It's so great to be in this loving, supportive community.  Everyone is helping everyone.  If I drop something, someone else has picked it up before I can even bend down.  If the world lived like this, it would be a wonderful place to be."

There are many reasons that we like to volunteer at the Ride, but being welcomed and immersed in their community makes it fun.  This year we offered homeopathic care, Reiki, massage and acupuncture.  People were happy to try different modalities and everyone was thankful that we were there.  While I would love to join the community as a rider at some point, we will definitely be back to support the riders when they ride into camp next year.