RD 2: Alexandria, VA

Today all the members of the team met for the first time. One married couple, three other women and ten men. Everyone seemed very friendly and outgoing, which is goodness since we’ll be spending the next seventy-five days together.

During the orientation meeting there were few questions about riding a bike 3,800 miles but a great deal of time was spent in Q&A about the shared cooking responsibilities. I guess I’m not the only one wondering how well I’ll do when my turn comes up in the rotation.

The cooking team is given $300 to spend on dinner and, for the following day, breakfast and lunch. To add to most people’s anxiety, the team is also responsible for planning the menu and getting the groceries. Happily, each team cycles through those duties about once/week.

Tomorrow we’ll see how people actually ride, as we’ll be going around forty miles or so around the DC area and Mt. Vernon. After so much planning and preparation it is hard to believe that the riding part is finally happening.