Done!

Well Folks, it's official.  We have completed our journey!  The last ride of the trip was probably the best of the trip.  The entire ride was unbelievably flat and there were cycling paths everywhere!  I love this country!  But seriously, we were able to fly on the roads.  The only things that slowed us down were the number of turns we needed to make and cycling through the cities- because even though there were bike paths, there were a ton of bikes!  We pulled into the home of the Spragues in the Hague at 7 pm to an awesome welcoming party that was composed of Hunter's family, neighbors, and friends.  We ate way too many fajitas and relaxed the rest of the night, recapping the trip we had and reminding ourselves of the funny stories.  The hospitality of the Spragues has been fantastic and having a motherly figure around in Mrs. Sprague is a welcome change of pace.  With our ridiculous tan lines, we have enjoyed the first day off the bike and look forward to another day of relaxing here in the The Hague before we hop on the plane home. Thank you again, to everyone who made this trip possible - especially Asia Broadcast Satellites, Ann Arbor T-Shirt Company, Kinderfrogs, Push America, and all of our friends and family.  Your donations, support, and love have been unparalleled, and without you, Awareness Europe would still be an idea on paper.  So again, thanks.

            Most Sincerely,
             Addison White
and the Awareness Europe Team

Tribute to our Parents.

Today we spent our day off in Brussels touring around the city and watching the USA basketball team win the gold medal. It was a fun day touring and relaxing. In the afternoon, we prepped for our final day on the bike to ensure our final day from Brussels to The Hague. As we were prepping the directions and our car, we talked about the most important people of our life, and how they helped us achieve this great event. We all were in agreement when we said that our parents were the most important people of our lives. This blog post is dedicated to our parents, for without them, we would not be the men we are today, and this trip would not have been possible. Below is a paragraph from each member of our team thanking our parents for their love and support during our life and for this event.

To Mom and Dad (Diane & Scott Sprague),

Thank you so much for the love and support you have given me over the past 21 years of my life. From the day I was adopted,  and every day since, I have received all of your love and support. Because of you both, I have learnt to love everyone, serve others, and push myself to be the best I can be. Mom, thank you for coming to all of my events at school and sports, for teaching me to serve others, for introducing me to God and allowing me to learn about His love, and for the love and encouragement I have needed to become the man I am today. Dad, thank you for all your love and support. Thanks for teaching me sports, for working hard every day to give me every opportunity I have ever wanted, and for pushing me hard to be the best I can be. Without you both, I wouldn't be where I am today. I would not have created Awareness Europe, and I probably would not have participated in the Journey of Hope. I love you both very much, and I thank God every day for your love and support.

With all my love, 

Hunter

To Kirsty and Rives (momma and pops) 

Thank you so much for always supporting me. When I believed my Journey of Hope dream to be a long shot, you came through for me unquestioningly. When the opportunity to crew for Awareness Europe came along, you were willing to bargain with me until it became a reality. Not only have you given me the chance to see the world, but also the chance to participate in friendship visits that have opened my eyes to the abilities and strengths of others. Thank you for buying me a bike when I'd never cycled, and thank you for sending me to Europe when I'd never driven a stick. Your belief in me has always spurred my own belief in myself, and for that I will be forever grateful. As far as parents go, you two are really, REALLY, awesome. 

So much love from your grateful, happy son,

Ethan  

To Jimbo Slice and Laur,

I wanted to take a short minute to thank you guys for everything that I have.  We took some time while on the the bikes to talk about three things in our lives that have defined us up to this point.  Family was my first thing that I listed.  I would not be the person I am today without your support. The difficulties I had when I was younger would have stopped me from making any personal progress without your encouragement and enthusiasm.  My life has led me to this point- the summer before my senior year, riding my bike through Europe- and you guys are the reason.  So, again, thank you.  For my ticket, my bike, and my fan base.  We have one more day of cycling left.  I am incredibly excited to finish, but I will not forget what it took to get me here.  You guys are the best parents any kid could ask for.  So, one more thank you for making life, and everything it has to offer, possible.

Love,

Big Add 

Mom, Bum, Katie, Birdie,

Its hard to explain how much your support has helped me on this trip.  I wanted to thank you for everything you have given me throughout my spoiled 21 years. This trip is exhausting but it has been life changing! Awareness Europe has also made me realize how great you have been to me. I don't know how I would make it without all of your help! It's hard to believe that we have one more grueling day of cycling left but I can't wait to get home to see everyone in the states. I know that your two week party you've been throwing ever since I left is coming to an end but I wanted to take the time to say thank you for the bike, ticket, and necessities but most of all the support and motivation to finish this trip. Just know that I am sending my love from Belgium! Love you guys to death! 

Love

Jay

Leadership

Two days ago, we left Sarcelles, France and headed to St. Quentin, France. The ride was met again with a headwind and more hills! Luckily, we had plenty of time to complete the ride and finished all 85 miles without any incident. This morning, we woke up in St. Quentin and headed for Brussels, Belgium. Due to some logistical errors (read: getting lost), we only finished 75 of the 85 mile day, but managed to cycle to the border and a little ways into Belgium. Although we haven't had any friendship visits, the time has allowed us to focus on completing as many miles as possible and reflect on our mission of serving people with disabilities. The discussions on the bikes and at meals between the team has generally been about what we are learning, thanking our sponsors, donors, and family for their support, but today we talked about the mission statement of Push America.

The mission of Push America is "Building leaders of tomorrow by serving people with disabilities today." The focus of our trip is to primarily serve people with disabilities. However, the fact that this is a new event, it has required a lot of leadership from not only me, but every member of the team. The planning process demanded a lot of time and energy, but the trip itself is where our leadership has been needed most. For example, Jay Baumgardner is the strongest cyclist on the team, and works hard on the bike to help "pull" Addison and myself up steep hills. Addison, as many of you know, has an amazing personality and keeps us excited and laughing on the trip. Ethan, as our Crew Chief, constantly double checks our directions on paper with the GPS at every turn and scouts the road ahead to ensure our safety. As the Project Manager, it is my job to make sure we are organized and ready for each day, each visit, each sponsor, and ensuring we represent our sponsors, our donors, KinderFrogs, and our Fraternity as best we can. Each of us have stepped up in great ways this trip, and the leadership experience from this trip will undoubtable serve us in the future as we venture further into the future. 

Overall, the leadership experiences I have been exposed to . I have been mesmerized by the leadership abilities of the leaders of the organizations we have met. And I have been absolutely blown away by the leadership demonstrated by Ethan, Jay, and Addison while in Europe this trip. The four of us have made this a memorable event and have hopefully set a solid foundation for the continuation of this event. 

Thank You Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS)

On August 8th, we rode from Glisy, France into Sarcelles, France. Sacelles is a suburb of Paris. The ride was 75 miles long, and we woke up extra early (5am) to ensure it was completed in time. Luckily we finished all 75 miles and rode into lodging with no problems. It felt great to complete the full day and push ourselves in an effort to honor those with disabilities, even if the headwinds and steep hills did their best to halt us. After the long day, the team relaxed at the hotel before heading to sleep.
During the afternoon after our ride the team had time to reflect on the trip and take care of some housekeeping procedures such as uploading pictures and sending off the final donation amounts. The most prevalent topic of our discussion was how lucky and blessed we were to be serving people with disabilities on this trip. We had just donated our official amount to Wheels for Wellbeing. The amount totaled 750 Pounds which is about the same as 1,200 US Dollars. The fact that we are able to make such a large monetary contribution, on top of volunteering our time, blows my mind.
Of course, all of the help from our donors made this event possible. However, one single donation has made our trip as great as it is. Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) donated $5,000 to our team to help ensure the success of this event. Without them, the donations would have been closer to 300 Pounds (500 Dollars). From our discussions with the four groups we have met thus far, 750 Pounds will go a long way in helping their activities expand. For example, most adaptive cycles can cost anywhere from 500 - 1,250 pounds. That means our single donation can help the group expand their operations to serve more people with disabilities. We owe our success to Asia Broadcast Satellite, and we cannot thank them enough for their support.
-Hunter Sprague

Calais to Glisy

Today the team rode from Calais, France into a small town called Glisy. The ride was once again cut short due to the hills and head wind we have encountered every single day since the beginning of the trip in Glasgow. At this point, the team has joked, we should pray for a headwind for the remainder of the trip so that we can see we had at least an 8 MPH headwind every day for two straight weeks. We've also joked by saying that we have basically climbed a mountain every day with all of the hill climbs! In all seriousness, though, the fact that our rides have been cut short on nearly a daily basis has been very frustrating. As the founder and project manager, as well as cyclist, I tend to get very frustrated whenever the day doesn't go exactly as planned. Lucky for me, I have the support of my teammates to remind me that even though we may not complete every mile, we are riding as hard and as far as we can given our time limits. We also make sure that our priority is arriving to our friendship visits on time and spending the most amount of our limited time with those groups. Even though we aren't 100% on our mileage count, we are 100% on effort, and I am very proud to be riding along with the rest of the team. I am even more honored to work with them at friendship visits. Tomorrow we have 11 hours to complete 75 miles, and the team is heading to bed early to ensure we complete every last inch of that ride. Wish us luck, and thanks for the support thus far as we head further into Europe and just past the half way point of Awareness Europe Presented by Asia Broadcast Satellite.
-Hunter

In France

After a much needed day off in London, the team woke up early to begin their ride to Dover, where we would catch a ferry across the English Channel and into our third country of the trip, France.  The early morning ride was nice.  There were a few small hills, but for the most part, the roads were great and the wind was at our back.  We rode as hard as we could to reach Dover by noon because we knew the ferry crossing would be quite difficult.  After arriving to the Port of Dover, we dropped off our car, and with all of our luggage and bikes walked to to the boarding area.  On our walk, we were told to "follow the red line," which was the bike route to the boarding area.  Normally, cyclists actually ride this two mile path and hop in the boarding area with the cars.  However, since we had luggage to carry, we had to walk this long stretch, carrying our bags and bikes, while cars, buses, and semi-trucks were whizzing past us!  It was definitely not the most pleasant of experiences, but we moved as fast as we could, and reached the ferry boarding zone just in time to make the desired departure time.  We left our bikes and bags in the cargo area with the buses and semi-trucks (we knew no one would be down there to see/mess with them) and moved above deck.

The ferry trip was nice!  It was a huge luxury ferry, or so it seemed to us, with a food court and shops. We spread out, relaxed, and stank the place up (we hadn't showered since our ride).  I took a brief nap, while the other guys walked around or read during the hour and a half journey.  De-boarding the ferry was just as much of a hassle as boarding it.  We had to wait for everybody else was off, before we could begin the trek to the terminal.  We even saw the rows and rows of cars waiting for us to get off, which took longer than normal because we were walking.  It was a little bit awkward to say the least.  As we started to near the exit from the ferry zone, we realized that we had no idea which way to go to get back to the terminal.  And since we were the last ones off the ferry, there was no one to ask for directions! And they probably didn't even speak English!  To make matters worse, it was about 5:15 and the car rental place closed at 6:00.  So we stopped on a grassy area, near a busy roundabout.  After consulting the iPhone maps app, Hunter hopped on his bike and headed in what we hoped was the correct direction, while Jay and I waited with the stuff.  He met up with Ethan soon after and they made their way to pick up the new rental car.  Jay and I saw them not too long after 6:00 and we headed to the youth hostel where we would be staying that evening.  It was nice- very similar to a suite style residence hall.  We grabbed dinner, finished up a few things to do to prepare for the ride the next day, and hit the hay.  

Bon Jour,
Addison

London Day 2

Day 2 of London was the team's first day off of the bike. We slept in until 10am and were then taken to a friend of Garfield Smith's. There we were treated to an excellent brunch, including coffee, tea, smoothies, pastries, and smoked salmon bagels. The food was incredible, but the view was even cooler! We were able to see the Ladies Marathon from the apartment balcony. Staying in the same city as the olympics was definitely a surreal experience. It got even better when we left the apartment, and headed down to the gates to watch the runners go by. The energy was electrifying! After watching several groups come by, we were given a tour of London by Garfield and several of his friends. This gave us an opportunity to learn about a new city as well as let us realize just how fortunate we were to be in the Olympic City and such a historic one as well. Although the day had no cycling and no friendship visits, we still had a fantastic time taking in such a breathtaking city. After a long day of walking and taking pictures, the team headed back to Garfield's for some much needed rest as we had to cross into France the next day.
A big thanks to Garfield Smith, Ian and his wife, and Megan for all the sponsored meals while we were in London. You all showed us a great time and allowed us to enjoy such a magnificent city.

London Day 1

Today we rode from Corby into London.  The Smiths had gone above and beyond their duties as hosts by waking us up to a home made breakfast and packed lunches for the long day ahead of us.  It was hard to leave, but we were just as excited to meet with Wheels for Wellbeing at 2:00p.m. at Brockwell Park in London.

The ride was supposed to be around 60 miles but we had to cut it short because of the traffic headache that the olympics had caused.  The team racked up and met with Wheels for Wellbeing which is a adaptive bicycle organization that helps those with developmental and physical disabilities.  The Awareness Europe team set up cones to make a circular track for the participants to follow. The free session lasted for several hours and they had bicycles that helped individuals at all levels experience the joy of cycling. They had a wide range of cycles to use, from hand cycles to tandem cycles.  The session gives everyone an opportunity to display their abilities of cycling. Before the participants arrived, we were allowed to try all of the bikes that they had on display. I especially gained empathy for those who have to use hand cycles.  Hunter and I made the mistake of racing each other around the track with the hand cycles and we were exhausted after two laps.  I am amazed at the endurance and physical demand that hand cycles must meet while riding and the experience gave me a whole new perspective on the skills or paralympic hand cyclists.

After a full day of cycling along the roads and with the kids at Wheels for Wellbeing, we drove and met with Addisons family friend who was located in London.  He treated us to a bbq at a friends house before letting us stay at his flat for much needed rest and relaxation.
-Jay Baumgardner

Abilities

Today was officially the 4th day of Awareness Europe - already time seems to be flashing by and we are having an absolute blast. Today we rode from Gretna Green (A small town in Southwestern Scotland) to Newcastle Upon Tyne in the UK. That meant that today was our first border crossing! After the quick 5 miles to the border we stopped to take pictures (which will be uploaded soon, I promise!) and got back on the bike to make it to Newcastle in time for our friendship visit. Unfortunately, our ride was cut short by some bike malfunctions and we had to rack into Newcastle. After arriving at our sponsored lodging at Newcastle University, we quickly changed into our team t-shirt to go enjoy Visually Impaired Cricket!
The four of us met three members of the Durham Visually Impaired Cricket Club (DVICC) at a metro station near our house. These three gentlemen (who had visual impairments) showed us how to use the metro system in the UK, an impressive feat indeed. After arriving to the cricket club, we were greeted by their coach and began to partake in their practice. The team did their best to explain the rules to four Americans who had grown up with baseball, but even after the extensive rules lesson, there were definitely growing pains throughout practice. The practice was a combination of Ethan, Jay, Addison, and I (Hunter) partaking in drills and helping out with drills. We did our best to help, and really got a sense of empathy while trying to partake in the drills. Trying to hit a ball with a cricket bat with your eyes closed is an extremely tough task. We were the only ones to not ever hit the ball when partaking in batting practice. We then moved onto bowling (pitching) and fielding drills. Now, people with visual impairments were trying to throw the ball in a very specific direction by using noise as their guide. While the players on the cricket team could throw the ball with pin-point accuracy, the four of us once again struggled and definitely brought a lot of laughter to the experienced players of the DVICC. All of us were amazed by the talent and abilities this team had. One of Push's core values is Abilities - encouraging us to focus on the abilities of an individual as opposed to the disabilities of that individual. Today was a perfect example of why that is so important. For most people, the members of the DVICC are people with a visual impairment. Unfortunately, that is the most prevalent part of our thoughts, too. For us, though, the members of the DVICC are incredible cricket players first, and the fact that they have a visual impairment only makes their abilities that much more impressive. It is our hope here on Awareness Europe that our efforts encourage others to look beyond people's disabilities and focus on their abilities. By doing so, chances are, you'll find that someone with a disability most likely has an ability that you don't have, and it will blow you away.
-Hunter Sprague