Start by Putting Your Bike in the Box

Team member Joe James of Indianapolis smiles with four of his Canadian grandchildren while we disassembled his bicycle and boxed it for the flight to Vietnam. Our bike boxes, weighing less than 50 lbs even with the bike and some gear inside, will be checked as baggage.  This is the same sturdy cardboard bike box that Joe used to take his bicycle back and forth to India in 2007.

Today's the Day; Let the Journey Begin

This is the day our Bike Vietnam 2011 gathers together to begin our journey to and through Vietnam over the next two weeks.  We've been preparing for this beginning and these weeks of pedaling for a year: receiving an invitation from our friends in Vietnam, dreaming the possibility, building a team, researching our options, thinking through logistics, raising support, training together, training individually, making lists and checking them twice, and then packing lightly and tightly.  We've done all we can do to prepare for this trek.  Now the trek itself commences.

This photo is from one of our training rides early in autumn.  Looks like we're all a bit confused!  I'm sure we've made significant progress since this day.  Too bad, however, we won't have Donna (Bob Yardy's wife, pictured here) as our competent navigator through Vietnam.  By the way: a special thanks to Donna for her huge part in planning and organizing for Bike Vietnam 2011.  She works lots of behind-the-scenes and logistics details. Donna is an accomplished cyclist; we wish she were riding along with us.

The first leg of our excursion actually has all seven team members converging in Mahomet, Illinois (near Champaign) today.  That's a long way from Vietnam!  This is the home of team leader Bob Yardy.  There, we'll bring our boxed bikes, equipment, and luggage together, repack for optimum weight distribution (there's a 50 lb limit per checked item, including the bike boxes).  No small feat.  We'll also make sure all our documents are in order, review our itinerary, receive assignments, and do whatever is needed to easily negotiate the airports, security and immigration checks at Chicago O'Hare, Seoul, South Korea, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

During the pre-dawn hours of Friday morning, we'll load a mini-bus and travel together to Chicago--the second and last four-wheeled leg of our journey for the next few weeks.  We're looking forward to it all and will be relishing every part of the journey.

Team Member: Greg Pennington

Greg Pennington lives in Greenville, Illinois with his wife and children.  Greg teaches social work at Greenville College.  He's currently finishing up work on a Ph.D.  This is Greg's first major cross-country and international ride.  He's got a great spirit and we're glad he's part of this team.

Team Members: Bob Yardy

Bob Yardy is our team leader.  Previously, Bob organized and led the 2000-mile Bicycle India 2007 effort in support of rebuilding Umri Christian Hospital (where he was born and where his father was practiced medicine). Bob is a physical therapist with the Carle Clinic of the University of Illinois medical system. He lives in Mahomet, Illinois.

Bob is an avid cyclist, embarking several cross-country cycling excursions annually. He's also an excellent bike mechanic. He and Kevin Williams should be able to handle all our bicycle mechanical issues.  Like team member Bob Burtch, Bob Yardy is an ornithologist.  The two Bobs will keep us informed about what we're seeing and hearing in the sky and trees along the way.

Bob is married to Donna; they have three adult children and several grandchildren.

Team Members: Kevin Williams

Kevin Williams has lived in Greenville, Illinois for 45 years.  He’s been a cycling enthusiast since 1972, logging numerous group rides from 300 to 1200 miles each.  Kevin’s an Independent Bicycle Dealer (IBD) and owner of The Bike Barn in Greenville.  He’s a 4th generation dairy farmer (currently raising beef cattle) and professional commercial/industrial concrete finisher/cement mason.  Kevin’s been married to Lori for 19 years and they have three children, ages 14, 10, and 6.

Team Member: John Hay, Jr.

John Hay, Jr. of Indianapolis is the blogger and Twitterer on the team.  Along with Joe James and Bob Yardy, his first major cross-country and international cycling tour was a 2000-mile ride through India in 2007.  John journaled that six-week journey (http://bicycleindia2007.blogspot.com) and hopes to do the same for this ride through the southern and central highlands areas of Vietnam.

John is an avid cyclist.  He writes, teaches, and does resource development for international child sponsorship.  He's married to Becky and they have four young adult children.

Team Members: Daniel Shinkle

Daniel Shinkle is an attorney from Lawrenceville, Illinois. He is married to Rachel Winters and they have one daughter, Ilana. Daniel is looking forward to learning from the Vietnamese people and enjoying the beauty of the country.

One Week Away

We're counting down the days, now.  Next Thursday, our journey from the snowy heartland of America begins.  Team members from across the Midwest will converge in Champaign, Illinois to travel in a mini-bus together to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport for a long flight to Seoul, South Korea and then on to Ho Chi Minh City (pictured here).  Between now and then, we'll be celebrating Christmas with our loved ones and pedaling daily on our indoor trainers (won't we, guys!?).  Sixty-five or more miles (100 km) a day over hilly terrain, day after day, for guys ranging in their 40s to 60s is no easy feat.  We want to be as ready as we can be.

Such photos of Ho Chi Minh City and the countrysides and hills (mountains?) of Vietnam are motivation for us.  Negotiating our way through old Saigon, a burgeoning metropolitan area of over 9 million inhabitants, will be our first big challenge.  Every photo we view online shows streets packed with motorcycles, motor scooters, automobiles, bicycles and pedestrians.  Three of us have negotiated Bangalore and Delhi, India at rush hour--and it was a bit harrowing.  We look forward to cycling through this largest city of Vietnam as an energizing start for our joyful journey!

Team Members: Joe James

This is the second major international bicycle excursion for Joe James.  He was part of the Bicycle India 2007 event, riding 2000 miles from the southern tip of India to Delhi during a Sabbatical.  Canadian by birth, Joe is a distinguished faith, educational and organizational leader now living in Indianapolis.  Joe travels periodically throughout South Asia and Southeast Asia to encourage and consult.  When Joe can carve out time to train, he rides around the perimeter of the Indianapolis International Airport, which is not far from his home.  Joe is married to Marilyn and they have three children and several grandchildren.

Two Weeks Away from the Ride

We're counting down the days for flying to Ho Chi Minh City and beginning our 600-mile ride through Vietnam.  Our preparations for Christmas combine with our preparations for Vietnam--twice the challenge and double the blessing.

Imagine going from cold and snow of the American Midwest in December and January to the near-tropical climate of southern Vietnam. We anticipate sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 80s and low 90s for the journey. We may experience some cooler temps as we climb in to the highlands near Cambodia, but it's going to be a warm ride.  Still, we'll trade freezing temperatures and short days for warm temps and sunshine.

Don't worry, we'll still be suffering.  Views of our route on Google Earth show us significant elevations and much hillier terrain than we have trained on.  Consider the photo, which is a view along route 14, the roadway we'll follow most of the way from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang.  Some of the road follows along the hilltops, but it has many more ascents and descents than we've trained on.  "Just remember, this is not a race," one of our team members reminds the rest of us.  Indeed, it is a tour.  We'll make it...together.

Two-wheelers in Vietnam

We anticipate seeing lots of bicycles in Vietnam, though, from the balance of photos we're able to view online, it looks like motor scooters and motorcycles now outnumber bicycles there.  But at least we'll have lots of two-wheeled company.

Team Members: Bob Burtch

Meet Bob Burtch (blue jersey), one of the team members who will pedal through Vietnam in January 2011.  Bob recently retired from science teaching at Rotolo Middle School in Batavia, Illinois.  He taught in Batavia public schools 35 years.  For the past 15 years, Bob also taught at Wheaton College.  Bob is an avid ornithologist, as is Bob Yardy (in the white shirt).  Both have tried to call birds while riding in the bike line through Illinois countrysides. Bob Burtch lives near Chicago.

Hills We'll Encounter

This photo is from an area along our planned route. Starting in Ho Chi Minh City, we will ride close to the Cambodian border, far away from the relative flatlands near the sea.  The terrain for much of our ride is substantially hilly.  That will be a challenge, but one we're all looking forward to.  Well...at least SOME of us!

More Training and Behind-the-Scenes Preparations

Our cycling team has shared a second weekend of training. We pedaled together 60+ miles around Champaign, Illinois, on a Saturday and Sunday in mid-October.  Now, we are training individually through November and December.  Cycling and training in November and December is a challenge because of short days and cold weather.  But we use trainers inside when the weather won't cooperate.  We want to be ready to ride with a good pace and meet the hills we'll face as we ride near the Cambodian border in Vietnam.

We're also doing the behind-the-scenes preparations for our journey: getting Visas, shots, equipment, supplies.  We're also raising awareness and funds among friends as we prepare for this 600-mile ride.  Hope you will follow our journey!

Vietnam Team Training Underway

 These photos were taken during our first meeting and weekend of team training, September 18-19, 2010.  Getting to know one another is an important first step to building a good team.

Bob Y., Joe, John, Kevin, Dan, Greg, and Bob B. pedaled about 130 miles together over two days. We trained in western Indiana. The weather was perfect -- warm and dry.  A second training weekend is set for October near Champaign, Illinois.

We range in age from 45 to 65.  Getting ready to pedal 60+ miles a day for two weeks in Vietnam in January is a good challenge for us.  Our pace is not high -- about 15 mph -- but riding well together is not as easy as it sounds.

More than a bike tour

A reflection by John Hay, Jr. of Indianapolis, Indiana

So, it’s decided: I am planning to join a group of up to 10 cyclists from North America to bicycle 600 miles through Vietnam in January 2011.  Our purpose is to raise funds and awareness to (1) get an initial 40 Vietnamese children sponsored through ICCM and (2) underwrite a number of development projects for faithful people there.  At a secondary level, we hope to enjoy a rigorous bicycle tour in Vietnam, meet friends and encourage emerging leaders of communities there. 

While this cycling tour is shorter than the 2,000 miles Bob Yardy, Joe James and I pedaled through India in 2007, it is much hillier and so will have significant challenges.  Our group plans to ride from Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) in the south to Da Nang further north.  Originally, we thought about making the trek all the way to Hanoi, but chose to conclude at Da Nang for time’s sake.  Our cross-generational team will share some training rides this autumn, coming together in preparation and anticipation for this unique journey. 

So, imagine bicycling through places full of strife and devastation 35 years ago.  Imagine passing rice fields and pedaling over hills once named for the loss of life for both Vietnam and the United States.  I recall from my childhood the protests opposing the Vietnam War.  I think of stories of Vietnam vets I’ve listened to.  I consider homeless veterans whose youthful minds were ravaged by the realities of that war and who finally stabilized and were housed through supportive services at Horizon House where I served as Executive Director.  I think of the books and movies that have dramatized aspects of the bloody conflict that occurred in Vietnam.  And that’s where we’ll be peacefully riding bicycles.

I hope you will join us for this journey.  Certainly, I will blog it, just as I did our cycling trek through India.  You will be able to follow our daily travels and share in our encounters via Internet.  But we hope you will join us both now in prayer as we prepare and raise support, and then as we travel through Vietnam in January.  We will write more about this venture over the next several months, but, for now, we invite you to include it in your prayer.

I hope this will be more than just a bike ride that raises needed funds. I hope, omehow, it will change some lives and bring about awakenings and reconciliation before, during, and long after we return home.