2017-09-15-eEdition

PAGE 20 THE CATHOLIC WEEK SEPTEMBER 15, 2017 of friendship visits included do- ing a dance party or playing camp games or sports with children. Kenney said the welcoming he and other cyclists received pro- vided motivation for the journey. “The reaction and excitement of the people we were visiting gave us a reason to be excited,” Kenney said. “Ultimately our job is to make them as happy as pos- sible and meet as many people as possible because that’s who we are riding for. They were our inspira- tion for why we ride.” Kenney added that riders con- sidered their bikes a disability. “It’s this whole mentality that our disability is the bike.We don’t rack if we’re feeling tired.We stay on the bike. If we’re sore, we get on the bike,” Kenney said. “It’s kind of our cross to carry. …That was our mentality.” Kenney admitted he was es- pecially tired early on. He had 700 miles of training before the journey and only bought a bike in November. “I remember doing a 20-mile ride and getting back and feeling exhausted. ‘Oh gosh, how am I going to do this for four times the distance every day?’” By day four of the trip, Kenney and others were put to the test. They cycled from Jackson, Calif., to Lake Tahoe, a 95-mile trip that included an elevation climb of 11,000 feet. Kenney relied on prayer to suc- ceed. “I remember going up … not thinking I could continue on. I was just praying over and over again because I had nothing else to think about. I needed some- thing to focus on.” It was downhill after that – figuratively and literally. And when he rolled into DC in August, he wasn’t totally ready for the trip to end. “People are cheering, there’s a police escort and all of a sudden you see this huge group of people and see your family and the tears start coming because it finally hits you, it’s over,” Kenney said. “The entire week leading up to that you’re (thinking) ‘man I’m just going to pretend it’s not over yet.’ It all hits you. You don’t want to leave the guys, you don’t want to leave the bike. But you want to see your family, you want to get back home. It’s bittersweet.” Bike From page 1 Cam Kenney lifts bike in front of the U.S. Capitol on Aug. 12 after completing a cross-country trip. Photo courtesy of Julie Kenney