Portland, WA – Riders from Team Evergreen finished their journey here on the afternoon of Sunday, July 18. The journey started several months ago when Rod Castillo and Joe Velasquez decided to train and do the 204 mile bicycle ride from Seattle to Portland to raise funds and awareness for the cause of Team Evergreen Washington. A Gawad Kalinga village in the Philippines is their main beneficiary. Both individuals rode with friends on weekends and on commutes during the week over the past few months to prepare for this event.Starting out early on Saturday morning, July 17th, from the E-1 parking lot of the University of Washington in Seattle, the TEW riders, together with 10,000 other cyclists, pedaled for two days (with a rest night) through Washington and northern Oregon to reach their destination – the City of Roses - Portland. The effort raised enough funds to sponsor at least one house in the TEW’s sponsored GK community. That will change the lives of at least 1 family stuck in the mires of poverty – 3 to 5 individuals.
“It was a lot of fun and physical suffering at the same time. There were moments, especially during the climbs when I thought to myself, ‘why are you doing this? Why are you putting this much effort into this event? Nobody’s going to remember this.’ And every time that crossed my mind, the motivation to collect on pledges for TEW to benefit the GK village would flash right in front of me…in other words – added inspiration and motivation. It actually works to propel you just a little bit more.” says Rod.A heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported this effort. Although TEW’s GK village stands to benefit from this, the fact that the riders trained hard and long for that very purpose also benefited them individually. “You don’t have to always do things just for your own pleasure and enjoyment – sometimes, you have to suffer and give of your time for the benefit of others.” It was truly worth it for both riders.
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