We began our new mission, “Brake the Cycle of Poverty, This Time Connecticut” after the 7:30 Mass at St. Bridget Church in Manchester. After milling around, taking advantage of the facilities and posing for photos we started off towards Norwich and our first break stop at the Church of St. Mary. As we prepared to start it began to rain, so we moved our daily bible reading under cover followed by a blessing from our pastor, Fr. Stephen Sledesky. We traveled through Hebron on Rote 85 and our spiritual peleton was reminded of our mission and memories of our training rides and last year’s initial Brake the Cycle ride to Washington DC. The all-day rain required the riders to constantly check their brakes especially on the hills. Our support team members were vigilant to the weather and road conditions to anticipate delays. Doug and Cassandra were leading the pack and Charlie, as usual, protected the rear contingent.

We experienced a few flat tires and some cramps on the way to Norwich and the rain seemed to slacken only to pick up again just before our arrival. Fr. Bob Lynch provided great PB&J sandwiches with juices and chips. After the humidity and rain, it was difficult to stand still in wet jerseys in the air-conditioned church basement but it was just a matter of time before all the riders bodies got used to the temperature change. The hospitality was excellent and we left with full bellies to the music and chanting from the Haitian mass upstairs in the church. We were soaked again in departure but filled with the generosity of the Church of St. Mary. With the help of Tim and Terry Smith we left the parking lot and headed for Niantic. We stopped at the St. Vincent de Paul Place, sponsored by St. Mary’s, which provides meals to 100 homeless brothers and sisters three times a week. Tim pointed to the residence of several of his clients right next to the shelter – under the viaduct bridge.

Along the way we met several curious individuals wondering what we were doing. When one young man in New London heard we were riding for poverty awareness, [he] thanked us continuously and applauded each rider as we passed. We also passed an elderly gentleman walking with a large plastic bag filled with bottles and cans. These were visions of Jesus on the road.

While we stopped to repair two flat tires we noticed Casino workers scrambling up a dirt path on their way to work. Our friends in Niantic told us that these workers were required to transport themselves by foot in all weather conditions to their employment. As we discussed the causes of poverty at our poverty presentation in Niantic, the absence of mass transportation brought these workers back to us.

As we descended one of the infrequent downhills (compared to the frequent uphills) John Fortunato decided to take an unplanned, off-road side trip thru some grass and tree groves. Fortunately, he survived with no visible damage but with some torn branches attached to his bike. Oh, the hazards of rain-soaked, no shoulder, downhills. Bob King experienced some severe cramping in Waterford and had to pack-in for the last few miles. A few small defeats on an overwhelmingly successful first day.

We arrived at St. Agnes Church around 4:30 and received wonderful hospitality again but first we needed some personal hygiene care. Some of us went to Rocky Neck State Park for some invigorating cold showers while others went to a hotel room rented for our comfort by one of our team and six riders who enjoyed warm showers. We returned to St. Agnes for an exceptional pasta dinner with salad and ice cream. A perfect compliment to our daily supply of energy bars and Gatorade. We conducted our traditional poverty education workshop and everyone participated. Fr. Archer, St. Agnes pastor and Roland LaCasse, Deacon were very thankful for our visit as we were for their welcome to us.

After the presentation, some of the team visited the Tasty Treat down the street for some additional sustenance while the others prepared their air mattresses and sleeping bags for a night of curious music from the team sleepers.

-- Charlie Chatterton
Vernon, CT