Bicycling in the Light
Workshop number:
3
Russell
Nelson
Short Description:
We will ride our bicycles in the light, and hopefully in the Light as well. A ride can be just a ride, or it can be a transformative experience. The only way to find out is to ride and submit to God's will. Rides will be available between 10ish and 30ish miles depending on terrain and roads.
Long Description:
Many spiritual traditions depend on repetitive activity, and it don't get more repetitive than turning that crank around and around. Cycling is one of those activities where you can zone out and let the miles disappear beneath your feet, or you can be mindful and experience every leaf. Cycling in the Light is probably either, neither, and both. It is a way to be open to the spirit, and yet be guaranteed that you won't nod off.
We will meet as a group, worship, split up into (probably) three groups for long, medium, and regular distances. If possible, we will worship in a quiet reflective place. In 2011 that didn't work out very well when the lawn mowers turned up, but we can only but try. After the ride, we will meet for worship again on campus.
Expectations: we ride as a group (well, several groups, split up for the different distances), just as we meet as a group. If we get lost, we get lost as a group, because one group is easier to rescue than three or four groups. In controlled environments, such as a bike path, we may split up into smaller groups.
You should have a helmet, a bicycle in good condition, which you do not need to repair on the first day of the gathering. You should plan to come to the workshop having had breakfast; bicycling consumes substantial amounts of calories, and low blood sugar is not conducive to an enjoyable or safe experience.
You should be able to ride at least ten miles in one go, and have ridden same several times before the gathering. If that sounds like a lot, trust me, it's not. Do that several times and you will be hankering for longer rides very quickly.
The rides will be on paved surfaces, so a road bicycle is acceptable. If there are any off-road rides, they will be extracurricular and optional. We will bicycle in the rain if necessary. Keith Barch will not have an accident in the first two days of the gathering (maybe if I say it here it will become true).
