Countdown to adventure

The voice in my head--cleverly disguised as a little birdie--recently gave me a swift reality check: I am now leaving for Europe in under a month. Yes, that’s right, I have four weekends left to get everything accomplished that needs to get done before I take off on this epic adventure. Where the heck did all of the time go?

Some of you will remember that I had all of these lofty expectations to blog all throughout my training and have everything done months in advance and while that sounded very well and good on paper, in reality… I have under a month left until I leave.

So, lets assess the situation: fundraising goals met? No, although I am very close to the minimum requirement (Click here to help me out). Body fully trained up and in shape? No, I’ve been on a few runs, played some soccer and volleyball, but I didn’t actually get my bike until yesterday so that was somewhat prohibitive to the training goals. Yes, I know I could have gone up to a gym and ridden a stationary bike or done other things, but it really isn’t the same thing, and besides, I had tons of time. Accommodation all sorted out? No, I think I’ve got one place locked down in Germany but I just can’t seem to make any headway in the Czech Republic. I do however have a plane ticket, travel insurance, and a passport, so I don’t think I’m a total lost cause.

I’m sure some people would be going into panic mode right about now, and maybe I should be as well, but I’ve just been too busy with everything else I’ve been doing. Podcasts, TV Pilots, Girlfriends, Social Media, and other organizational issues have been much more at the forefront than this trip. Despite all of this however I am not nervous at all. It could be that the scope of what I am trying to attempt is so crazy that my brain has simply chosen not to process the information, but I would like to think it is because this sort of pure absurdity is what I signed onto this trip for.

I knew this trip could wind up going to hell in a split second, and that actually made me want to go more. This is a great adventure to be had and the people involved are incredible. I’d have to be crazy not to go.

Still, crunch time is now so I had better start shifting things into gear - bike pun intended. I tried out clipless pedals for the first time today and managed to promptly fall off bringing the bike down on top of me. I’m sure it will become second nature soon enough but it was a good reminder of the work that still needs to be done. So with that in mind I figured I’d fire up the blog and get back in this saddle as well. This will be updated as long as I can find internet access so don’t worry about that. I have had to read those horrible e-mails at work and at school for too many years from friends telling me how much fun they are having off gallivanting around the world. It’s about time I get to write some myself.

So, if you need a little break from the daily grind check back here and clip in for the ride. I promise it will be an adventure, and the worst pain you will suffer is having to deal with my comma splices.

My First Rider Blog

Writing the first blog of many is always an interesting thing. You have to figure out how to introduce yourself in such a way that is interesting enough to make people come back and read more without totally embarrassing yourself.

So without further adieu I will pull back the red curtain and introduce myself. My name is Chris and I am one of the riders on the Europe Riding to Break the Cycle. I also do some of the video work for Global Agents for Change and am currently spamming everyone on twitter on behalf of GlobalAFC. I currently live, work, and play, in Vancouver, and I am super stoked to be involved with Riding to Break the Cycle. There, now that wasn’t so bad was it?

So perhaps I should explain what I envision this blog becoming. Leading up to the ride I will talk about my training and just how scary it is to suddenly decide you are going to ride 4000km across Europe from Amsterdam to Istanbul. For those that want a Canadian equivalent it is basically like riding from Vancouver to Toronto. Once the ride is underway there will be hopefully weekly updates (ideally with videos as well) to let everyone know just how we are making out on this journey. And as for afterwards, well I’ll figure that out once we actually manage to complete the ride.

That thought actually pretty much sums up my thought process about the trip. What the heck have I actually gotten myself into? I mean I’m in pretty good shape, I play soccer twice a week and have to walk up big frigging hill to get home from work everyday, but am I really up for riding 100km each day? Then of courses there are the logistical elements. I have to raise $3000, which is no small task. Lauren pointed out to me that if I have 500 friends on facebook all I need to do is get $10 from half of them and I’d be fine, but it still seems like a lot of money. I also need to find a bike that I won’t hate riding by day 2, buy a plane ticket, and then of course actually ride a bike across Europe. Or did I mention that already?

Honestly though, despite all of those though crazy thoughts I am way more excited than I am nervous. I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge and an adventure and the idea of doing something crazy for an amazing cause is simply to incredible an opportunity not to ride. I was at Shawn’s house the other day and we were talking about possible routes and the excitement hasn’t worn off yet.

I think the thing I am looking forward to most is sharing this experience with everyone we met along the way. I love the idea of being an ambassador for a cause, and really there isn’t a better one I can think of than to change the world for the better. Alright, that’s all I’ve got for now as I think I’m starting to ramble, but if you want to stay in the loop follow myself and Global Agents for Change on twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/globalafc
http://www.twitter.com/chriswalts

Until next time!

Chris Walts

Riding to Break the Cycle Europe 2009