Team 12’s home tour is coming to a close. With a long series of amazing events and rejoining many friends and families, the team feels motivated to finish the last leg of the trip out. On July 5th, we rode out of Paducah towards Clarksville, TN, with a good 80-mile ride. That night we were hosted and fed by Team 11 rider Tyler Baldwin’s family. The team rode a short 45 miles to Nashville on July 6, the shortest ride in a long time. This was the first stay with familiar faces during the whole trip and also share our own experiences with good friends. That night the team hosted a meet and greet at Franklin TN, serving dinner and hosting a fun cornhole tournament. the next day we got to spend resting with family and relaxing.

On July 9th we departed from Nashville and headed our way to where it all started, Bowling Green KY. Our excitement was ecstatic, making this feel like a lot faster ride than most. Before arriving we took a slight break in Franklin KY for a quick interview for the local news. At this point nothing could slow us down - whether it be from the heat of the sun, or the tube that Thomas lost on the last stretch of Nashville Rd. Entering WKU’s limits we rode under the bridge and onto campus, greeted by many families, girlfriends, friends, and many more people to cheer us on. After many hugs, laughs and fantastic reunions, the team packed up. The next rest day we held an event at the SOKY Marketplace downtown. Even with torrential downpour, we set up a burger grill, selling meals and selling merch. We got to eat, talk and play cornhole with those we missed so much.

However, the next day July 10, we had to leave the ones we loved to continue our journey. Joined by Jessi, the team made our way to Elizabeth Town taking the route that beat us into shape during our practice ride 2 months prior. Only this time, the team was ready and we dominated the ride. We arrived into E-town and went straight into another event with Flywheel Brewing. The team got to appear on the local radio show, and tabled for the oncoming friends, family and more connections. We were kindly hosted by Tyler Jury’s parents for our stay in town. Getting to relax and take a quick swim after the event. Our next ride into Louisville was short but sweet. The team got to finish the ride at Clayton & Crume headquarters. On our rest day, Clayton & Crume hosted one of our most successful events with a silent auction inviting Bike4Alz slum, families, friends, and so many more coming to support us.

Team 12 visiting Sanders Brown once again

The next day, we left Louisville and rode into Lexington. This would be our last hoorah with Jessi, who we could not thank enough for her constant positivity, and great vibes while riding. In Lexington, we stayed at fellow brother Cai Coburn’s household. They were so kind to let 12 hyper college students into their house, and we are incredibly thankful. We would have yet another rest day in town for our shrimp boil event. Before the boil we spent the morning going to service at GardenSide who after service kindly treated us to drakes for lunch. During the Boil we sold merch and fundraised while indulging in great shrimp. The team also proudly delivered a check of $75,000 to Sanders Brown Center of Ageing. On July 15th, we made our way to Somerset, staying at an Airbnb that we got together. While there we had a truly relaxing day at the SomerSplash water park before hitting the steep Eastern Kentucky hills.

from Somerset, we moved onto Hyden, or at least somewhere near it. We stayed at the Red Bird Mission camp after an eventful ride full of dogs, hills and less-than-pristine roads. the following day, July 19, we made our way to Pikeville, our last stop before leaving our home state and moving to Virginia. By this point in the trip the team is finally coming to terms with leaving home once again. We have never been stronger as a team riding wise. As we head onto our last state, we start to reflect on the overall trip, but still make as many memories as we can before we arrive at the sandy beach. We knew the Appalachians would be difficult, but we were ready.