The World's Best Volunteers

Riding the Mantis at Cedar Point

Marsha is one of several dozen volunteer crewmembers, in many ways the unsung heroes of the 2000 RadioShack Big Ride Across America. Some are husbands or wives or fathers of riders; some, like Marsha, had no connection to the Big Ride, but were attracted by the opportunity to see the country and help along the worthy cause of fighting and preventing lung disease. They work behind the scenes and they work hard. After riders have left camp, they set to breaking down camp: stacking chairs and tables, taking down bike racks, picking up garbage, collapsing awnings and open-sided tents, and stacking gear in trucks. During the ride, crewmembers staff water stops, drive sweep vans, help riders, mark the next day's route, and help set up the next camp. Then they get to set up their tents, and get up early the next morning, and do it all over again, for no pay and no glory.

Bob Strobel
Still, there are rewards, as any crew member will readily admit. For Bob Strobel of Kalamazoo, Michigan, it was a chance to be with his son, Eric, a rider from Seattle. "Eric called me and said, 'Dad, we should do something together,'" Bob recalled. It was also a chance, at age 71, to do something brand new. "I had never been in a tent in my life," Bob said. "It was all new to me, buying a tent and a sleeping bag, and such." The best part of the ride for him, he said, has been the riders and the people he has met along the way. "Most riders are real grateful for the help they get and they say so. And what they're doing is awesome." Early in the trip, Bob's smiling, grizzled face could be seen at water stops, encouraging riders as they came in thirsty, hot, and tired. Lately, he has been marking the route with yellow chalk dan henrys, getting to see the route before the riders roll through. Which means he'll be one of the first to get into Washington, D.C. "Come heck or high water, I want to be in Washington for the end," he said. "It will probably be as emotional for me as for the riders."

Hansa Patel
The chance to be with family — her riding husband, Naran — was also a major motivation for Hansa Patel of Hinsdale, Illinois. In addition, she received visits from all three of her sons, Sanjay, Raju, and Parish, as well as being able to see her grandchildren while the Big Ride was overnighting in Naperville, Illinois. Like Bob, she's tried and mastered new skills, like driving one of the big sweep vans. Backing up, she admitted, was "interesting." A woman who doesn't like to sit around, Hansa busies herself every day, cheerfully carrying out her assigned tasks; if she grumbles at all, probably only Naran ever hears it. "I enjoy it even though sometimes I don't even know what day or time it is," she said. "Time just goes so fast."

Joel enjoys being taken for a ride

Don Corduroy
For crewmember Don Corduroy of Wallerawang, in the Blue Hills west of Sydney, Australia,"there are no bad days. It's all interesting. Everything's different." Don said he will relish the friendships made along the Big Ride, either while "driving on the wrong side of the road," or while doing some other crew chore like staffing a water stop or breaking bread together. If it's at a restaurant, he noted, he sometimes has needed a translator to get the waitress to understand his "Strine." His main motivation, Don said, was that "I want to help people." Known for his constant videotaping, Don has filmed more than 10 hours worth of tape, and plans to sit down and watch the whole thing when he gets home. That's after he visits Florida, New Orleans, Dallas, and Sacramento, the latter where he will participate in a three-day bike ride before flying home.

Donna Richards
Donna Richards of Lewisville, Texas, had done volunteer work for the American Lung Association for years and had even been on the national board for nine years. Since the end of 1997, she had been on the road in her motor home and on her own since her husband died of esophageal cancer in September 1998. When American Lung Association national coordinator Rusty Burwell called her and asked her if she was interested in serving as a volunteer, "it took me about 30 seconds to say yes," Donna said. "It married my sense of adventure and my passion for the ALA."

Donna and her friend, Jean Reuss, travel in Donna's motor home and staff the daily midday checkpoint, along with Donna's 10-year-old blond cocker spaniel, Lea. Every day, they check off numbers of riders as they come in to the checkpoint, make scores of peanut butter sandwiches, and slice bananas in half. "What fascinates me," said Donna, "is getting to meet and know people that I wouldn't otherwise have had a chance to meet." Riders have shared their lives and their feelings with her. "You can sometimes read between the lines," the former community college dean noted. "And sometimes it all comes out. We're here for support, whether it's peanut butter sandwiches or an understanding ear." Lea the dog has also been a source of support for riders. "I'm amazed how many people ask for her at the checkpoint," said Donna. "She puts a smile on people's faces — and she's had a ball, too."

Sean Walby discovers his past

The Day's Ride

For most riders, Thursday's route across more flat corn-and-soybean country passed pretty quickly, although fickle winds favored some and punished others. It was just about the flattest day of the route, said riders with altimeters, and close to the last before the route enters hillier country in northeastern Ohio and the steeper hills of Pennsylvania. Many pushed to get into Sandusky in order to be able to get to the famous Cedar Point amusement park, but there was actually plenty of time, as half-price admission didn't begin until 5 p.m. More on that tomorrow.

By Clem Work, riding reporter.

For more information about today's ride, check out the GORP Big Ride Log.