Day 3 – Coming together as a team

morning – 25km, afternoon – 58km

At breakfast, I got a chance to talk with Gloria Ge (far left in the photo), our event coordinator, about Accenture Hope Schools. She has been very heavily involved from the beginning, and shared some very touching stories about how the schools have changed students’ lives. Over the 10+ years, she has really gotten to know the children and seen them grow up. One story she shared was about a student who graduated from one of the Hope Schools, and was accepted into a good university. Accenture continued to support him with a partial scholarship, in his 2^nd year, he took on a part-time job so that the money could go to a needier student. Another student will soon graduate from a top university thanks to Accenture Hope Schools, and Accenture is looking to offer him a position when the time comes. The common thread of the stories - that brought Gloria to tears, and make me well up with emotion again as I write about it – was the personal care and attention devoted to seeing each student succeed over the long term. She was very adamant that it’s not enough to provide a building, books & supplies. These students need the encouragement that they can make the uphill battle to a better life. It was so great to get a chance to hear some of these stories that brought to life what this whole fundraising effort & bike trip were all about. And it really highlighted what I admire most about the program: its focus on individuals and long-term results.

Formation of Team A
Day 3 was a big turning point for me. I had muscled my way through the first 2 days, but not without some internal battles of self-defeat. Day 3, I got my head together, and it felt like smooth sailing from there, even at the most challenging legs. Here’s how it happened:

We started the morning ride along the highway to Guazhou, and immediately faced killer headwinds with some rolling hills thrown in. I felt a little disheartened to be starting the day off like that, and I don’t think I was the only one. Thanks to the challenging conditions, a small group of us found ourselves gradually coming together to help stave off the wind. We started to ride in formation like a team, and it made a dramatic difference in terms of energy required, but most importantly for me, it really helped me let go of the mental battle. There was a sudden shift from, ‘I don’t know if I can do this’ to ‘how can I help our team work better’. Once I lost the self-doubt, I was soon taking my turn at the front of the pack on an uphill climb. And it felt great.

The 25km ride ended in the city of Guazhou, famous for sweet melons, which John, the program manager, told me loosely translates to ‘Mellonville’. The kids came pouring out along the road as school let out for lunch, and we were an instant main attraction as we rode through the city.

Challenge you say?
During lunch, there was some rerouting discussion due to time constraints, and but our newly formed team was not about to back down from a challenge. So we quickly swallowed our lunch and started off on the extra 22km which included a few kilometers of uphill climb. Those who opted for the revised route were bussed up the hill and dropped off with around 36km to go. And astoundingly, Hans would start late and bike the entire thing by himself because of a conference call.

We soon discovered we had our work cut out for us as we worked our way uphill against the wind. But I kept in mind the advice of Hans, to adjust my gears and just keep peddling at the same pace. Again, this helped me keep the fear-inspiring aspect of hill at bay, and just make my steady climb. Eventually, we reached the top of the hill, but as the headwind continued, we still needed to stick together.

The road was a beautiful one, as we passed by farms with camel and other livestock. I vividly remember this leg as a time when I felt such a calm in riding with the group that I was able to really enjoy the surrounding. It was a very rural area with little sign of modernity, and one of the riders frequently remarked, “This is the real China.” Before this trip, I had only been to Beijing, and this was world of difference and it gave me a much better context for the lives of the children we are supporting. As a consultant, flying one city to the next, it can be easy to lose perspective. When someone mentioned the average annual salary for the area, I remember spinning around and dumbly asking, “You mean per month??”

We stopped at a tiny restaurant in a small village for some local melon and naturally beer soon appeared – luckily it’s only a little over 3% alcohol. From there, we went on to catch up with the rest of the riders who had opted out at the Suyang Bluffs. And not too long after, came Hans, who took on the challenge, did it alone, and looked none the worse for wear.