Day 2- more orientation

Today was another fun day full of activities. We ate a ton of food, including bagels, cereal, deli sandwiches, and Chipotle. Food on this trip is mostly donated by businesses, so we don't eat particularly healthy at times. We broke into groups to learn bike maintenance - how to change a flat, lube and clean your chain, etc. Safety drills included an "obstacle course" of chalked objects... such as potholes, parked cars, a dead cat.. We each went through the obstacle course a couple times solo and then as a group. I accidentally ran over the dead cat after the group ride. oops. Other drills were stopping/starting to make sure you knew how to use your clip-less pedals/shoes and looking over your shoulder without swerving on your bike. After a short break, we went for a 19 mile 'shakedown ride' around Richmond to get used to riding in small groups and practice our skills. After showering at the local YMCA, we visited a cute little downtown area and went to get a nice bike shop. There was a Sweet Frog nearby, so we also got FROYO!! The local chapter of Rebuilding Together came by and gave us a presentation on their organization and the affordable housing cause.

I decided to give bumper pool a try and surprisingly completely rocked the table for several games. Andrea ended up beating me after I won numerous games... I think its safe to say I was not expecting to actually be decent at it with my lack of skill at pool. Other shenanigans today included Hacky sack with Andrea, Daniel, and DQ.. definitely not my thing. Daniel got the hacky sack stuck on the roof of the church, but after much effort and many ideas, we did get it down :) Meagan and I found a sweet little playground behind the church and had a blast playing around on it and taking pictures. We went to Chipotle for dinner and there was a group of women with dogs outside. Julia and I are both major dog lovers, so we headed out and got to play with the puppies (one a 3 month old Pitbull... sooo cute!!).

Loving the riders and loving the food. Can't wait to head to Farmville, VA tomorrow!!

Getting ready for the Shakedown Ride

A message left from a rider last year. "We're DOIN it" became one of our team mottos :)

Playing at the playground