The riders entered the beach town of Chincoteague this afternoon with tired bodies and happy hearts, having accomplished a full day of riding that totaled 75 miles on the bikes. Today’s destination, the beautiful coastal town of Chincoteague, VA, is famous for its wildlife – including wild ponies – and this location offered the Wheels for Wells team a relaxing and scenic spot for an evening of rest and rejuvenation. The team swam in the pool, played ladder ball and grilled out in the pavilion at the Blue Heron Inn. A few may have even found time later in the evening to sneak in a Dairy Queen run.
Katie Yori leads the team
Although the conditions were windy, the riders stayed together and encouraged each other through the today’s tough ride. To make the wind more manageable, the cyclists took turns leading the group at the front. At the end of the day, the consensus was that they all enjoyed the view from their bikes as they cruised along beautiful back country roads of Virginia.
While we are so proud of our cyclists and all that they are accomplishing with the ride this week, we also know that our support staff plays a major role in allowing the team to get back on the road safely and efficiently each day. Alaina Anderson is a key team member and a valuable addition to this year’s Wheels for Wells staff. Her role is…well…she’s in charge!
Alaina drives one of the support vehicles and manages the daily route
Officially, she is the “Route Master,” but unofficially she is exactly the person you want when it comes to planning ahead, making important decisions and managing the overall course of action for each day’s activity. Alaina, THANK YOU for all you do!
Brian and Katie Dennstaedt are returners from last year’s support team and once again they are in charge of food and hydration. In addition to playing tetras with the food and ice-packed coolers in their vehicle (Thank you Mannion family for lending WfW your van for the week!), they also plan and prepare for lunch, dinner and snacks for the team each day. One of their primary concerns in ensuring that the cyclists have the proper nutrition nec
Brian & Katie preparing grilled chicken, fish and veggies
essary to complete the challenging workouts set before them each day. The Dennstaedts worked with their business team (Thank you, John and Shirley Dennstaedt and Julia Oravecz!) to have Nutrilite sports nutrition products donated for the riders to use along the trip!
For now, the riders are preparing for a night of rest in the quiet beach town of Chincoteague. Tomorrow another adventure awaits! Tune in then to hear all about the details of Day 4! And check out the rest of the Wheels for Wells website to learn more about the real reason we are on the road – the water crisis. Did you know that a child dies every 15 second on account of a water-related illness? Learn more and find a way to get involved. You may not be interested in riding a bike for 400 miles, but each bit of proactive effort towards the work of ending this crisis literally means the difference between life and death for so many who suffer from it’s consequences. Thank you for considering how you can help!