Allen Slabaugh returned to The Fuller Center for Housing headquarters in Americus, Ga., filled with a sense of accomplishment … and a longing for his own soft bed.

Slabaugh, who leads our Student Builders program in addition to coordinating the Bicycle Adventure, led a group of cyclists on a cross-country journey from Seattle to Washington, D.C., raising money and awareness for The Fuller Center. In its four years of existence, the Adventure has raised nearly $500,000 to combat poverty housing.

Next year marks the fifth Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure, one that will feature two paths – one down the East Coast and one down the West Coast. You can learn more about that here.

After he settled in back to his "regular" job at The Fuller Center, Slabaugh sat down with Director of Communications Chris Johnson for a question-and-answer session about the Bicycle Adventure.
 

FCBA is a fast paced, action-packed, cross-country adventure. Or FCBA is an FPAPCCA. Because we move so fast, we have little time for words. Words can only slow us down if spoken in their entirety as Webster tries to force on us. Here are a few of our shortened phrases that helps us get things done in a hurry:

Bob Driscoll
FCBA cyclist

Hmmm ... So this is my first cross-country bike tour.   Truly, I came at this without any real idea of what to expect.  I also approached training much too casually.  OK, my wife was right…     

However, I am truly having a great time!  For a long time, I have felt that there was nothing that I could not accomplish when I set my mind to doing it.  With the Fuller Center Bike Adventure, I have genuinely challenged myself.  We are told that the riding days average 75 miles.  Well, I have yet to see a day that is ONLY 75 miles!  In fact, I have yet to see a day that was only the advertised mileage.       

I have had my backside kicked by every rider here, from the youngest, Blake Smith to the most seasoned, Tom Weber.  And I am sure that it will continue to feel like it has been kicked literally for at least a week after I get home from DC.  My hands will probably be partially numb for that long too.  But the memories and relationships that I am building, in the middle of nowhere, crossing Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, will last far beyond my departure on a flight from Washington Dulles International Airport.     

It was with great excitement that Hayley and Patrick, the day’s sweeps, and I crossed the Indiana state line into Ohio.  The day was dramatically cooler than my first two riding days of the 2011 Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure, and everyone was more than ready to visit a new state!  We paused long enough to take some pictures of the crossing and to stage some majestic re-enactments of exploring Nebraska, and crossing into Indiana.  Growing up in Oklahoma, I knew that there wasn’t anything particularly exciting to see in Nebraska, so I sat out on that photo.  Then, as we rode into the great state of Ohio, I found myself looking in anticipation to see what was around the next corner.  The answer—“Oh, look!  ANOTHER hill!!!”     

Anne Troyer
FCBA cyclist

We have devotions every morning before we ride. At the beginning of this trip, Ryan did a devotion in which he told us a story about the Rag Man.

At the end of the story Ryan gave each of the riders a rag to tie to our ankle, allowing us to decide what that rag will mean to us, knowing to some it meant a commitment to the Fuller Center.  While others it meant a commitment to Jesus.

I put the rag on, and wasn’t sure what it was what that rag represented to me.  I realized at that moment I couldn’t wear it and feel like I was being honest.  So I took it off and hid it deep inside my bag.  

This trip has been hard. So hard.  There are the obvious challenges like climbing the Rockies or the inevitable headwinds but there were also many other things that made this trip hard.  Every day, we get on our bikes and pedal hoping to reach the next destination safely.  We have (unfortunately) had constant reminders on this trip just exactly how dangerous what we are doing is.  We have had a few too many close calls on this trip, but so far we have all ended up ok.  And while we couldn’t be more thankful for that, the constant reminder of how dangerous this trip is has been a heavy weight to carry.