My name is Derrick Thiel and I recently graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Studio Art. In college I spent much of my time on the Rivanna Reservoir rowing, in studio making prints and in the science labs as I am hoping to go to medical school at some point.
Bike and Build changed my life. I was a member of the Providence to Seattle trip in 2007. On the third day of cycling, after taking a wrong turn, I had a biking accident and broke my pelvis (don’t worry, you won’t make the mistakes I did). Scared that I might not be able to continue on the trip with my new friends, I called my parents who came and picked me up from a hospital in Connecticut and took me home to Virginia. Eight days later, tired of watching Saved by the Bell re-runs on UPN, I took it upon myself to see if I could ride, and potentially rejoin my teammates. To say that ride was painful is an understatement, but about an hour after setting out, I had biked 10 miles and thought, “If I just do this 8 times in a row, I CAN REJOIN MY TRIP!!!” I convinced my father to drive me out to Dover Ohio, where my team was soon going to be, so I could start up again.
I did just that. Jumping back into biking 80 miles a day with my broken pelvis, was the most trying activity of my life – harder than rowing and Organic Chemistry lab – but it was when I realized that Bike and Builders are a different breed. Caring, understanding, thoughtful, helpful and fun are just few of the words that come to mind when I think about my Bike and Build friends who accepted me, broken pelvis and all, back on our trip. In my spandex biking shorts and Bike and Build jersey and with much encouragement from my team, I cycled with my broken but healing pelvis though the corn fields of Indiana and Illinois, across the Mississippi over the green rolling hills of Iowa, through the plains of Nebraska, up and over the Rockies in Wyoming and Montana and through the lush oasis of Cascade National Park in Washington to Puget Sound in Seattle, all the while eating my weight in ice cream, spreading the word about the need for affordable housing, and building homes with my teammates.
I am back for more. Since completing my trip I have actively recruited people at UVa to do Bike and Build. I’ve put up flyers, hosted interest meetings and otherwise talked to anyone interested about the life changing experience Bike and Build is, not only for the riders, but also those we help along the way. Together, I know our 2010 team can make a big impact on the affordable housing front not only in dollars, but in words and action! I can’t wait to make Bike and Build 2010 a new experience, based on the same principles set forth by such an amazing organization.
