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	"Team Oz"
AIDS Ride 2000 to Chicago, July 10-15.		Evening Updates with pictures from the road. Check back daily!
	St. Joan's AIDS Ride 2000 Team

      As is our style and philosophy at St. Joan of Arc to accept all people on life's journey with open arms and open hearts into our fold, so too was the flavor of the St. Joan's AIDS training rides. A rich diversity of expertise, talent, and humor was the result!

      Talk about diversity! People who had gone cross country on bikes to people who hadn't been on a bike since childhood rode within the group together. Experienced AIDS riders, some of whom have ridden on all of the Twin Cities to Chicago rides to date, joined these training rides more to provide moral support than to further their individual training. The biking equipment used ranged from old bikes to state-of-the-art road bikes. But the most noteworthy characteristic of the team was and is the spirit of "Team Oz." The name was chosen at one of the first team get-to-gethers where both crew and riders met to prepare for the AIDS RIDE 2000.

      Our theme comes from the "Wizard of Oz." As a team we agreed that this theme embraced being swept into a new reality and trying to find one’s way home. We also felt helping others seek courage, love (heart), and wisdom (brain) would motivate us, as we thought of the folks we'd be helping/remembering by participating in the AIDS ride. Dorothy and the friends she traveled with to the emerald city were team to the n'th degree! That turned out to be the flavor of our training rides also!(Who said names weren't important!) Our choice seemed to set the tone for our rides.

      Many riders trained indoors prior to being able to safely ride outside in the spring. The St. Joan's training rides started the first week in April with an average of one ride per week and ended the Saturday prior to the AIDS RIDE 2000. The distances covered ranged from 15 miles per trip to almost 100 miles(a few weeks preceding the AIDS RIDE).

      Typically there would be 10-20 riders on any one given day. We'd meet at either St. Joan's or at Minnehaha Park. Our planned departure times were almost always delayed in order to assure all of our tires were properly inflated and our bikes had no mechanical issues. We were fortunate enough to have a bike mechanic, Tom Renner, who volunteered to assist with mechanical breakdowns. He also provided us with a tire changing clinic and helped get folks set up before each ride. We kept him busy! From cracked bike frames to flat tires to stripped screws on bike seats to chains coming off, we were glad Tom was along to assist!

      Which leads into the subject of CREW! On some of our longer rides, toward the end of the training period, we had volunteers who'd follow the group in vans or trucks. They'd provide us with refreshments, water, or a ride should we need to be taken back to St. Joan's or to a bike store. This turned out to be a much appreciated and needed service! From folks getting heat exhaustion or nausea to strained ligaments, the crew that was there to "sag" folks back were much appreciated! They also were kept busy! Thank you to the many dedicated CREW who participated.

      Once on the road, Jim Cassidy would typically lead the pack. At times we might get separated due to a traffic light changing before we could all cross the intersection, but at the first earliest convenience we'd all come together again. The first in the group would stop and wait for the others. On the top of "challenging" hills, the fastest riders would wait and cheer for the slower riders. I remember some of those initial hills for me being real killers. (I needed my seat height raised so it wouldn’t be so much work although I didn't know it at that time!) The cheering of Father Cassidy and my teammates made all the difference in the world to me, helping me stay on my bike and make it up the hill! It brought home the reality that we do need each other’s support and encouragement. It does help!

      Okay, what was it really like being along on these rides? I can only answer for myself, but I can tell you that I had the time of my life! We laughed together at situations outside of our control and at life in general. One one occasion there was a rider who had fallen from her bike outside of an elementary school. By chance, the janitor happened to be outside and offered assistance in washing and bandaging her wound. About 30 minutes later, she came out of the locked school! We weren't too worried as another teammate went into the school with her, but we laughed and joked about that for some time.

      We also had fun stopping at Lund's in the Highland neighborhood, and enjoying some of their free samples. On one occasion Father Cassidy enjoyed more than one sample of quiche. The woman giving out the samples glared at him and asked him if he intended to purchase one. Jim replied, "Oh no I couldn't, I'm too full!" We laughed about that for awhile.

      You must understand, after biking for hours in the sun or wind or rain, one has a different outlook on life. It is perhaps simpler. One is brought into touch with ones mind, body and spirit. The camaraderie shared with fellow riders is etched in my soul. Join us next year if you're up for some spiritual renewal and exhilaration! St. Joan's is a gift we are all so lucky we share, as is our commitment to Grace House.

Edie Kalweit has been a St. Joan of Arcer for 23 years now. Now that her children are grown, there is time to participate more fully in activities taking place at St. Joan's. She very much looks forward to the AIDS ride next week! Team "OZ" will make every attempt to keep St. Joan's informed as they approach Chicago!