Ride For Freedom (RFF) and Why I Ride- Mike Rieder

“I ride for freedom because life slows down when you live it for big reasons.”

I heard the rubbing. I didn’t want to acknowledge that I heard the rubbing, but then Cole acknowledged the rubbing. I built the bike myself, with the constant supervision of Brian Keegan from Oyster River Cycle and Sport, but still, it was my hands that put together the bike. That being said, I don’t understand the bike I built. It was like building a lego bat-mobile from the direction packet then someone saying, “Let me know how it rides on the highway”. But Cole acknowledged my rubbing brakes, so we had to stop and assess now. 

The sun was confident and we had a beautiful view of a waterfall created by a dam to our side. The breeze was a bit brisk from bouncing off the water but it still felt like a good stop. I flipped my bike upside down, pulled out my Allen wrench set, and fiddled. I didn’t want a car to think we were in distress so I tried to look confident. I flipped my bike back over and tested the brakes. They were completely locked up. I made the problem worse. I flipped my bike upside down and did the whole process again. Fiddled, flipped back over, and tested again. This time they didn’t stop at all! I started to yell. The picturesque waterfall now felt like it was taunting me and the sun did nothing to combat the bitter breeze that was biting at my fingers as they fiddled for the 3rd time. Finally, flipped and tested once again, the brakes were in working condition. Cole and I continued our ride, now 30 minutes behind schedule, and never acknowledged that we both heard a bit of rubbing for the remainder of the ride. 

This is our destiny for 19 days and 1000 miles in July for Ride for Freedom (RFF) when Cole and I will be joined by fellow riders, Aly and Tim. Starting July 5th, 2022 we will leave the Freedom Café and make a loop with our bike, touching Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, and of course New Hampshire (the fun New England states). We will have to deal with bike malfunctions, falling behind on miles, excessive hunger from burning a crazy amount of calories, sleeping in the woods, hating each other for no reason, sore bums, in-climate weather, aching bones and muscles, pulling our delirious selves together to conduct 3 professional interviews, boredom, and a plethora of anxiety inducing thoughts that randomly pop into our minds when traveling like, “did I forget my crocs at last night’s camp site?”. But it’s also going to be a bunch of fun. We will also talk about life, be forced to live in the present, share laughs, be in great cardio shape, and have an experience that is completely unique to us 4.

I think a lot about the question: “What is ride for freedom?”. This question keeps me up late at night and wakes me earlier than my alarm. In logistical terms, RFF is a 1000-mile bike trip starting at the Freedom Café in Durham and making a big loop in New England. During it we will conduct an awareness campaign and connect the dots of other communities and organizations making positive change in the efforts to end human trafficking. RFF is an opportunity to take a community space that we love, like the Freedom Café, and push the reach of the Café further. RFF will include 19 straight days of social media content for the Freedom Café, 3 more thorough interviews with organizations involved with efforts to end human trafficking, and a final day 50-mile ride-along “Homeward Bound” event.

In terms of the bigger metaphor and internal motives, RFF can be seen as an “existential crisis for a cause”. I find life is hard and stressful no matter how you live it. I can’t stop myself from being run by fear and anxiety. I really wish I could, even if that goes against an acceptance mindset, but I can’t. The only thing I can command is what I choose to have stress over. So, I choose to have stress over a 1000-mile bike trip for a cause that is physically debilitating but mentally fruitful. It’s hard to think “I’m not saving enough for a house downpayment,” when you’re chugging up a hill with screaming thighs. Our job for 19 days is to ride bikes. That’s it. But we also get to do it to raise awareness towards ending human trafficking. That’s worth a sore bum from a bike saddle. If I didn’t do this, I’d still have the same amount of stress in my life, just over the fact that I don’t go to the dentist frequently enough.

I’m not a bike mechanic. I’m not an experienced cyclist. I don’t know what it’s like to exercise all day for 19 days straight. I don’t do website design as a hobby. I don’t have much money. And I don’t know the financial ins and outs of doing a fundraiser for a 501c3 non-profit. But, I sure am stubborn and I’ve got a team behind me to help out. We will figure out everything that needs to be done to make Ride for Freedom a success. Big shoutout to my incredible partner, Aly, and my great friends, Cole and Tim, for being the crew of co-riders! Thank you to all the people that have helped make RFF possible so far and future thanks to the many more people that will be helping in the coming months! 

Here’s a link to donate and make RFF financially possible. After $4500, all additional donations go towards the Freedom Café’s educational program: Click Here to Donate

I’ll write again in a month or so with updates. 

-Mike