Feb. 4, 2009
As the UNC rowing team works toward the start of its spring season on March 21, sophomore Kelsey Grich took a few minutes to look back on the summer of 2008. Grich, from Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., spent two months cycling across the U.S. with the Bike and Build program, which organizes cross-country bicycle trips to benefit affordable housing groups.
TarHeelBlue.com interview by Maya Nachmani, UNC Athletic Communications Student Assistant
TarHeelBlue.com: What inspired you to go on this trip?
Kelsey Grich: One of the girls on the team last year, Maegan Wareham, had mentioned it to the team. I was the only one who was interested, so we signed up together and ended up on the Southern U.S. route. We started in Jacksonville, Fla., on June 11th and ended in San Francisco on August 17th. I had never been too interested in biking before, but didn't have any plans for the summer and thought that it would be a great way to work with Habitat while staying in shape. I had participated in several Habitat builds before and think it's a great organization, so what better way to help out the cause.
THB: How did you raise the money prior to the trip?
Grich: I sent letters to everyone I knew, literally everyone, telling them what I was going to do and that I needed to raise $4,000 in order to participate. Having just recently graduated from high school I was still really close with a lot of families from home and they were more than willing to help the cause.
THB: Did you have to train in order to bike these distances?
Grich: No, I didn't do anything in particular, but I was still working out twice a day with the team, so I guess some people would consider that training. But I had never ridden my bike for over 30 miles in one day prior to the trip (...and now 100 miles in one day is doable).
THB: What was your favorite place you biked to or through?
Grich: New Mexico was SO beautiful. The scenery was incredible - it was by far the best state we rode through. This also may be because it was before we hit the major mountain ranges (before the Rockies, the Sierras, and the Coastals...) Biking to Lake Tahoe was also incredible; I had never been and it was so beautiful. It was also pretty thrilling finally making it to California.
THB: What was your most memorable moment?
Grich: Definitely seeing the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time. It was the first time I had ever seen it, and by the time I reached it, it really hit me that I rode my bike all the way from Jacksonville, Fla., to the Golden Gate.
THB: Were you or your abilities ever challenged?
Grich: Yes, definitely. There was one day - we were in Nevada, which was the worst state to ride through - it seemed as though the mountain passes were never going to end. I hit this one pass, thought I'd made it to the top, and it turned out I still had a couple hundred feet to ascend. It may not sound like a big deal, but it was really tough. It was the hardest riding day for me, and really tested my athletic ability. Not only were my athletic abilities challenged throughout the trip, my mental abilities were too. It was sometimes difficult to get along with 31 other people 24 hours a day for almost 70 days straight. It wasn't easy - everyone had to work to get along at some point or another.
THB: Did you enjoy the biking or the building better?
Grich: The biking - while build days were fun and a great break from biking, I enjoyed the biking better. You don't realize it until you're actually on your bike, but seeing the country on bike is incredible, you really get to see EVERYTHING, and you can stop at anything that looks interesting.
THB: What do you think you have gained from this trip?
Grich: A lot of new friends, all over the country. I've seen parts of the country I have never seen before, and I've learned a great deal about affordable housing.
THB: Do you plan on continuing to contribute to this organization? Or do you plan on doing another Bike & Build trip?
Grich:Yes, I plan on continuing to contribute to this organization in the future. I also plan on doing the trip again, on a different route. It was such a great experience and I would definitely sign up again to do it. Hopefully the summer before my senior year here I will have the opportunity to participate again. I really would like to do the northern route.
THB: Have you ridden a bike since last summer?
Grich: Yes, but not far. I'll ride to class sometimes, around campus, sometimes off campus - but I never go too far. I'm looking into some bike routes around here, but it's a nice change to get on my bike and not feel like I have to ride 100 miles.
THB: What are your plans for the upcoming summer?
Grich: I will be living in Florida for the first time with one of my teammates, Kristi Roblin, and working at Disney as a lifeguard. I will also hopefully be participating in the Coach for College program UNC and Duke do together and going to Vietnam for a couple of weeks.
THB: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Grich: I would recommend this trip to everyone. It was such an amazing experience and I know that everyone who did it would say the same.
