Why I Ride- Aly Zavestoski
“I ride for freedom because I want to work for a world that empowers and provides for all its workers.”
I have never just gone before. Gone without any real end goal. No time goal. No elevation goal. No destination goal. Not really anyway. Ultimately the goal is to go. And go. And go. Ending exactly where we began. For three weeks this summer, this will be my experience. But it is a chosen experience. A choice to feel the pain of a sore bum from sitting on a bike saddle for 7+ hours a day. A choice to feel the body aches that come from the daily physical work. A choice to feel the mental fatigue that comes with that work. A choice even to participate in these seemingly unpleasant experiences. Those who are trafficked don't get the privilege of making these choices. Victims of exploitation are demanded and forced to participate in inhumane circumstances like unpaid labor and/or sex work, among many other things. They are given no option but to experience the pain and fatigue that comes with being trafficked.
I have to be honest, before 2020, human trafficking was an issue that never crossed my mind. As they say, ignorance is bliss, and I certainly was ignorant and blissful living in my own personal world of consumerism. I wasn't aware that it was happening everywhere, in every industry, and that I was contributing to it. Some of the worst contributing industries to human trafficking produce things I take for granted. Things I consume literally every day; sugar, chocolate, and coffee to name a few, are some of the worst. I’m by no means a perfect consumer, but I’m working on it. At first it felt daunting. I wanted to change overnight, be the model citizen, but quickly realized how futile that empty wish was. Participation in human trafficking goes deeper than I could have ever imagined. So, I had to change my mindset and be proud of the little steps I can take in a day. Things like finding the fair trade symbols at the grocery store and thrifting instead of participating in fast fashion can go a long way even if they don’t feel like much at first. I don't think anyone can say they are a perfect consumer, but it starts with awareness.
Two years ago, when Mike began talking of a (then) 2000 mile bike trip I said, "HAHA, good luck with that. I'll at least follow you in a car". Since then, the idea for this trip has gone through many evolutions. Never in any of those evolutions did I think I, of all people, would be biking 1000 miles, especially considering that just less than a year ago, I didn't have a good working bike. I've also never considered myself an athlete, much less a cyclist (can i even call myself that yet?). And to date, my longest ride in single sitting has been a mere 26 miles. But if I gained just one little snippet of knowledge last year, it's that one of the biggest factors in completing a physical feat of this scale is mental willpower. An essential step in a journey like this is truly believing that you are capable of it.
At the beginning of last year, I had zero plans to complete anything physical other than the occasional jog to rid myself of the guilt of not moving my body enough. But somehow, Mike convinced (he prefers the word persuaded) me that I had the ability to complete a triathlon. And that I did! Not even just a sprint triathlon, a full on olympic length triathlon! And somehow, by the end of the year, I was suddenly committing to biking 1000 miles. I know, it sounds crazy, going from 0 physical feats at the beginning of the year to committing to literally 1000 miles biking by the end of the year. But I know that I have the willpower to mentally commit. Commit to the cause. Commit to the experience. And if it starts with committing, that's certainly something I can do. Even if it just begins to scratch the surface of making a positive impact toward ending human trafficking.
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
- Aly