“I like to bike and I like nature. But I can’t bike like you guys.”
We exist to reach a person that says this. Because we believe in adventure. Our programs are built to break down the barriers to adventure. And we believe in the profound level of growth inherent. And we don’t just believe that everyone can go on a bike camping adventure, we know it. And we have built our programs and a fleet of adaptive bikes. Trained guides and made the partnerships. We more than believe you, yes you, can go bike camping. The invitation to adventure awaits.
You, yes you, can access a night out in nature. You, yes you, can ride 25 (or more) miles through the beauty of Chicagoland. You, yes you, can feel the joy of huddling around a campfire with other adventure seekers in community. In a meal well earned. In a celebratory beverage for having accomplished those miles. For having pedaled here, under your own power. No car. No plane ticket. No gas necessary (besides the water and snacks you ate along the way - that was the only gas needed to power that distance).
And you, yes you, can have mediocre sleep in a tent as you daze in and out of REM sleep while you listen to a mix of crickets and frogs and car traffic. And you, yes you, can wake up in a camp, to birds chirping, with a group of individuals that left Chicago yesterday as a bunch of strangers and woke up today as a community of bike adventurers. A community that just completed a mini-bike tour. A community of learners that are going to return home today and maybe to work the following week, refreshed. A little battered, maybe. Sore, likely. But with that adventure, that sense of accomplishment of having overcome challenges, that immersion in nature, twinkling in your eye a bit.
And you, yes you, can crawl out of your tent on Sunday, to a smiling “good morning” from an OOFD guide, as they pass you a cup of coffee and offer you some breakfast.
And you, yes you, can do this. We don’t just believe it. We know it.
