1. PDF of the Bike Trip 2010 Information Booklet. Click on the image to open it full screen. Mouse to the top of the screen to reveal a menu that will let you print the document.

You can also read all of this info in this post: Bike Trip 2010 – Information

2. PDF of the presentation slides from the February 11th meeting. Click on the image to view it in full screen mode.

3. Bike Trip 2010 Registration Form (also included in the Information Booklet)

4. Link to the 2009 Bike Trip Blog: saltcobiketrip.wordpress.com

Welcome to Bike Trip 2010!

We look forward to this dynamic week together of challenge, learning, sport and conditioning. No traditional camp can offer you what our Cycling/Adventure camp can. The next few pages cover the logistics of what is involved in Salt Co.’s unique and strategic approach to Student Ministry and Cycling.

Different types of events have different purposes for our group. Some are geared towards building community, increasing our focus on missions, outreach to non-church students, fun and excitement, leadership training, etc. The Bike Trip is one event directly targeted for the teen and his/her personal development, yet has value to each of the aforementioned areas. It is the best tool we use for character development and personal growth. Due to our location in north-central Indiana, we’re in an ideal geographic location to be able to do a Bike Trip. Following are some more specific thoughts about why we go.

The Basics

WHO: All students currently completing 8th through 12th grade.

WHEN: Sunday, June 13 to Sunday, June 20, 2010

WHAT & WHERE: We will be biking about 300-350 miles over the course of 6 days. We will head east across Indiana and into Ohio. We will end the week either white-water rafting, or with a fun-filled day at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. We will drive back home on Saturday, June 19. You will be expected to join us for church on Sunday, June 20.

COST: $250 per person. For each subsequent person per family, the price drops by $50. (2nd person is $200, 3rd is $150, etc.) There is a possibility of a slightly higher price to go rafting. Info will come soon.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE:
Sunday, April 11: FINAL Commitment & $50 deposit
Sunday, May 9: $100 mid-payment due
Saturday, June 5: $100 balance due

PRACTICE RIDE DATES:
1st Ride: May 1 • 19 miles (8 AM to Noon — Bike Inspection & Meeting @ 8 AM)
2nd Ride: May 8 • 33 miles (8 AM to 1 PM)
3rd Ride: May 22 • 55 miles (8 AM to 2:30 PM)
4th Ride: June 5 • 55 miles (8 AM to 3:00 PM — Final Details Meeting for All Parents @ 8 AM)
NOTE: You must make 3 of the 4 practice rides.

Why We Go…

1. Spiritual Growth and Renewal

The primary reason we do bike trips is for the spiritual growth and renewal of students. If you were to total up all the spiritual exposure a young person receives at church activities in a year it averages around 150 hours. Compare that to a week of 168 hours with no breaks or spiritual breakdowns in between and you can imagine the potential impact of a week together.

There are a variety of ways that this is accomplished throughout the week. Each day the group has a verse or verses of Scripture they memorize while biking. Every morning we have individual hang times with God (quiet times) and a group devotional. In the evenings we have a singing, sharing, and preaching/teaching time. This year we’ll again have small groups throughout the week. They will pray together and encourage one another along the way. Many teens make significant commitments and significant connections with others during our week together.

2. Physical Fitness

Regular exercise among teens in our culture is generally the exception rather than the rule. In our effort to provide holistic ministry (spirit, mind, body), the physical fitness aspect of the bike trip cannot be underestimated. Students will make great gains in their fitness both in training for the trip and on the trip itself. The tools students gain personally in learning to bike and push themselves often result in making biking a lifelong habit. The investment is not for a week, but for a lifetime.

3. Emotional/Personal Growth

There are a myriad of life principles to be learned on a bike trip. Among a few of these are:

• Learning to handle stress. (In your own strength or God’s?)
• Attitude determines altitude. (The height of achievement is determined by the attitude that drives you.)
• Learning to tough it out. (Sometimes biking is tough, so “pray & pace” but never quit.)
• Learning teamwork. (Don’t live to beat others, live to encourage, strengthen and serve in order to meet the goal together.)

4. Group Building

The bike trip gives teens a greater sense of belonging and provides a positive peer pressure that will help them rise above life’s temptations and challenges.

Safety and Fitness

Safety…

The following are for your protection and to ensure a safe and happy trip. By coming on this trip it is understood that you will whole-heartedly obey these rules and have a positive spirit toward them at all times. Failure to follow these rules, will, at the discretion of the staff, be grounds for you to be sent home immediately.

• Always stay with the group you are assigned to that day. When someone in your group falls behind, you must all wait. If one bike breaks down, you must all wait until repairs are made. We work together as a team for support, fellowship and safety – Lone Rangers will not be tolerated!
• Biking groups may not join together during the day. Each group must space themselves a quarter of a mile apart to prevent auto congestion. If you overtake a group, you must pass single-file in draft position and continue to bike in draft position until an appropriate distance is established.
• Always stay on the route. Very detailed maps will be given to everyone for each day. Taking a detour will not be tolerated.
• You must ride in single file on all major roads.
• You must have a positive and immediate response to all Staff requests.
• Your bike must be in perfect touring condition (see guidelines for specifics).

Fitness…

We are continuously reminded how important training and conditioning are. While we will have mandatory practice rides, you are the only one who can prepare for the trip adequately.

• Regular rides, i.e. a minimum of 3 days per week beginning in mid-April. Length of ride is no important at first. By the time of our first practice ride, you should be able to comfortably do a 25 mile ride in 2-3 hours.
• Push ups and sit ups – 3 days/week.
• Stretching – 5 minutes, slowly, without bouncing, every day.
• Aerobics/Jogging – to increase cardiovascular condition.

Additional Guidelines

The following must be complied to with with the same kind of commitment as the rules above.

Kind of Bike You Must Have:

• We STRONGLY recommend using a road bike (10 speed) because of the aerodynamics and weight.
• Cross bikes are acceptable (this bike is for road and gravel).
• Mountain bikes are not recommended (this bike is for off-road). If you are planning to use a mountain bike, it can’t weigh more than 30 lbs. and must have slick high pressure rear tires. Any questions, please contact Pastor Josh, Chad Hoffert, or Mike Marshall. (We HIGHLY recommend you NOT use a mountain bike and reserve the right to refuse your participation if you choose to ride a mountain bike.)

Your Bike Must Have:

• A water bottle.
• A travel bike bag of some kind, and plastic map holder on handle bars.
• A rearview mirror of some kind (bike or helmet).
• Front and rear brakes, in top shape.
• Front and back tires must be brand new or like new.
• One spare tube (to be carried in your bike bag).
• Front and back deraillers, cleaned, oiled, and adjusted.
• Chain is new or in tip-top shape – absolutely no rust.
• A bike helmet.

We Recommend You Have:

• A good tire pump (bike mounted, or CO2 cartridge in your bike bag).
• Biking gloves (this keeps your hands and forearms from becoming numb).
• Biking shorts (Padded shorts to make your ride more comfortable. They’re available in spandex or mountain bike style shorts).

Additional Requirements:

• Modest shorts only. We do allow spandex cycling shorts as they are an asset to effective and comfortable riding. However, we ask all cyclists to bring a light weight pair of loose fitting shorts with you in your bag or jersey to wear over your spandex anytime you are not cycling.
• Girls must wear modest tops at all times. No tank tops or tie-ups will be tolerated.
• Guys must wear a shirt of some kind at all times, with short sleeves, primarily for safety purposes.
• Everyone will be expected to be in bed by 10:00 PM and up by 6:00 AM each day.
• Everyone will be expected to help with cooking setup and cleanup.
• Everyone will be expected to take extra care of the churches we will be staying in.
• Everyone must bring one dozen homemade cookies, one batch of Rice Krispie treats, and one box of granola bars.

Final Items…

First Practice Ride – MAY 1 • 8:00 AM
We are asking all teens to attend a special meeting to communicate important bike trip training and safety tips. Safety is one of our top priorities. The group meeting will be held on May 1, beginning at 8:00 AM. We’ll ride from 9:00 AM to not later than 12:00 noon. Bring a snack and be ready to ride!

Forth Practice Ride – JUNE 5 • 8:00 AM
Inevitably, final details need to be communicated and ownership of the vision for our trip is crucial to each student’s enjoyment and profit. Therefore, we are asking all students and parents to be present for a half-hour meeting at 8:00 AM on Saturday, June 5. Please arrive at 7:45 AM that morning!

What to Bring for Practice Rides…

For practice rides, you will need to bring your own food. We will provide drinks and water on those days, but NOT food!

Here’s what to bring each ride:

Ride #1 • May 1, 2010 (8 AM)
Any snack, energy bar, etc. that you’d want to eat while riding or after the ride. We’rd biking about 20 miles this day.

Ride #2 • May 8, 2010 (8 AM)
Bring any snack, energy bar, etc. that you’d want to eat while riding or after the ride. You should also bring a snack, fruit, etc. for cookie break. We’rd biking about 34 miles this day.

Ride #3 • May 22, 2010 (8 AM)
Bring any snack, energy bar, etc. that you’d want to eat while riding or after the ride. You should bring a snack, fruit, etc. for cookie break and you should pack yourself a lunch. We’rd biking about 55 miles this day.

Ride #4 • June 5, 2010 (8 AM)
You should first of all, bring a parent today. Our final parent info meeting is this morning at 8:00. Be there by 7:45 so we can start on time.
You should also bring any snack, energy bar, etc. that you’d want to eat while riding or after the ride. You should bring a snack, fruit, etc. for cookie break and you should pack yourself a lunch. We’re biking about 55 miles this day.

Relive Bike Trip 2009…

2009 Bike Trip Blog: saltcobiketrip.wordpress.com

Bike Trip 2010 – Downloads

Check out this post to download the Bike Trip 2010 Information Booklet, Keynote Presentation, and Registration Form: Bike Trip 2010 – Downloadable Info

We know from Scripture that David was a skilled musician and loved to worship the Lord with his music. Look no further than how many of the biblical Psalms David wrote! (At least 73, probably more.) I’m convinced that part of the reason David’s playing helped to refresh Saul was because the music he played was likely focused upon the Lord. By feeding his mind with the God-focused music of David, Saul’s mind was turned from self to God. As a pastor of mine in college would have said, by focusing on Jesus Saul was able to change his “stinkin’ thinkin’”!

As we finished our study of verses 14-23, we were challenged about what it is that we feed our own minds. What do you watch? What do you listen to on your iPod? All of it feeds your soul, it affects you mentally and spiritually. We were challenged to take just 10 days and listen to nothing but Jesus-honoring music, just to see how it might affect you.

Here’s something else that you might try. For the month of November you can download the audio book of “Desiring God” by John Piper for FREE. It’s a great book, and a challenging one. In fact, most people would probably say it’s too deep to throw at bunch of teenagers. But I’m not most people, I’m all for challenging you to think deeply and biblically (especially as a teenager!). So hear me ahead of time, this book will stretch you. And to be honest the recording of it will probably seem dull or archaic to you… And sometimes you’ll hear a big word and be like, “huh??”… And to get much out of it you’ll probably have to listen to some parts more than once… But if you’re willing to do the hard work of thinking through it, I promise God will use it to draw you closer to him. So if you’re up for the challenge, go download it, throw it on your iPod, pull out your Bible and a journal, and feed your mind and soul with it for the next few weeks!

You can download it here: Desiring God – Free Audio Book

FYI, when you get there it’ll say it costs $16.98, but add it to your cart, sign up for an account, go to check out and use the coupon code DG2009. It’ll ring up for $0.00 and you can download it for free! But hurry, it’s only for the month of November! (If you’ve got an iPod, get the Apple Optimized version.)