Busan
We had driven through the night and so arrived in Busan for our first day of riding around 5:30 a.m. There was no visible sunrise; rather, over the course of the morning the overcast sky turned a brighter shade of grey. Despite the drab weather and the general lack of sleep the entire team was eager to attack the trail on their first day. Bikes that had been so carefully stored 7 hours before were now just as carefully unpacked and prepped for the journey. The riders, too, were prepared - each given a Ride Against Traffick jersey and filled up with breakfast sandwiches. When we gathered around to pray together before departure it was obvious what a unique group this was: men and women of many nationalities and ages, and even different cycling abilities, joining as a team for this Ride Against Traffick. We drew the attention of many passers-by at our starting point, and hoped to gain a lot more notice as we rode up through the countryside.
The entire team divided into 3 groups with approximately similar cycling speeds. But the biggest challenge that each team faced on the first day was cohesiveness. They had staggered their starts into three waves to avoid getting too tangled together, but afterwards keeping pace with each other proved to be a challenge. It was difficult for the support team as well to gauge the times between the checkpoints, and to navigate to each point ahead of the riders to make sure that the checkpoint was prepared and the food was ready. Only by God's grace we were able to work through the chaos and begin to establish a method of serving the riders.
Bikes are bubbled-wrapped and loaded carefully into the truck
Let's go team! 12:30 and we are off for Busan!
6 hours later... unloading the bikes :)
Watching the airplanes from Busan Airport
Freedom riders! The illustrious Jasmine Jung and John Choi
Peter prepping the teams for departure
Team 1
Team 2
Starting strong
Team 3
Steve and Kim Palma
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