SALINAS VALLEY — A group of 20 bicyclists from the Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure cruised through the Salinas Valley last weekend as part of their 1,700-mile trek from Seattle to San Diego.
The group began their Friday morning ride in Watsonville and ended after 73 miles in King City, where they began Saturday on their 82-mile south and coastward trip toward Cambria.
The goal of the group was to raise money and awareness for the Fuller Center for Housing’s efforts to build and improve housing for the impoverished. As of Friday, they had raised $120,000 during this year’s ride.
This year marks the 20th year for the center and the 17th year for the ride, but the first time the trip came through the Salinas Valley, as the Big Sur highway closures meant an inland detour was necessary on their otherwise coastal journey, which will take a total of four weeks.
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church provided overnight shelter for the group so they could get rest and eat in King City.
The Salinas Valley trek came with intense tailwinds and a view of the local agriculture.
“This area has been eye-opening for a lot of people to see our agriculture system up close and personal,” said trip leader Brad Birky. “All the huge fields of produce we just don’t see in other parts of the country. Plus you have the mountain vistas.”
“These farmlands are fascinating, and I will never look at a jar of strawberry preserves (the same) again,” said Andy Simpson, who himself was riding with the adventure for the first time and had never before seen agriculture on the scale of Monterey County fields. “The wonderful workers doing this are amazing.”
Birky said the adventure was about more than just bikes, as the Fuller Center works to end poverty housing, from building new houses to smaller repairs, such as painting fences or cleaning a yard for the elderly. The center has chapters around the country, with more on the East Coast than West.
“We get to enjoy cycling together and are devoted to working for a good cause,” said Steve Hurley, the group’s media liaison and intern. “Not only is it an opportunity for me to practice very mobile journalism, but also getting to meet people and hear their stories all while supporting a great mission.”
For some of the riders, the journey began at the Fuller Center headquarters in Americus, Ga., and for others, the trip began in Washington, D.C. They crossed the United States in vans and met in Seattle before embarking on their two-wheeled adventure with three support vehicles to help with rest stops, coordination, repairs and supply hauling.
Hurley said the group would like to get more people involved in the ride, not only as riders but also on the support crew.
Peter Asmuth, who was on his 10th ride with the adventure, said the people and the mission of the Fuller Center have kept him coming back. He noted many riders return yearly to make the event like a reunion, but new riders are a rarity, which they’d like to change.
“If there’s kids in college looking for an internship in the summer, he will be a far better candidate for any job, and far more interesting, if he rides a bike across the country,” Asmuth said.
Asmuth even encouraged his wife, Genie, to join, and this year marked her fourth ride.
While the Asmuths sometimes rode as much as 25 miles every other week in their D.C. area, Simpson said he rode a total of 1,900 miles from January to June in order to prepare his endurance. He said joining the Christian organization’s adventure ride began as a bucket list item, but has since become a desire to help with the Fuller Center’s building projects nationwide and worldwide.
More than 1,800 cyclists have ridden on adventures with the Fuller Center since 2008 and have raised more than $6.4 million over those years.
The Fuller Center has 100 chapters across the United States and 20 international locations.
“When you ride a bike across country and stay in churches, you live a very simple existence,” Asmuth said. “You realize how little in life you need to be truly content. If it didn’t rain on you that day, nobody’s snoring around you, you have a little space for yourself, and you’ve been fed by the church, it’s a great day. It’s as simple as that.”
