By B.C. Manion
Twenty-three-year-old Gina Spinella is on a trek that will take her through the bayou country of Louisiana, across the rangelands of Texas, up the mountains of New Mexico and through the deserts of the southwest.
Along the way, she’ll stop to help with housing projects in local communities, including construction work in areas hit by Hurricane Katrina, in New Orleans.
She’ll also get a chance to see spectacular sights, including the northern rim of the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park in Utah and the Yosemite National Park in California.
Spinella is pedaling across the southern United States as part of a trip organized by Bike & Build, an organization that seeks to raise money and awareness about the need for affordable housing.
The young woman from Lutz began training for the journey in early March.
She was out on the Suncoast Trail on May 15, in her final training day, before heading out to Jacksonville to start her trip.
“I’m definitely nervous. I’m like, ‘Oh, man, what am I going to do when we have the 100-mile days?’” Spinella said, before beginning her morning training run.
When a friend told her about Bike & Build, it piqued her interest.
“The first thing I saw was the adventure,” Spinella said, but it was the chance to make a difference that persuaded her to put her life as a hair stylist on hold, to make the trip.
“I want to be able to say that I did something good in my life,” Spinella said.
The idea of pedaling more than 4,000 miles across the southern United States is daunting, she said.
“I didn’t do cycling before this. It’s completely new, but doing something good and helping families out along the way is kind of a reason to do it,” she said.
She’s looking forward to spending time helping on housing projects, as the cyclists traverse the country.
She’s especially interested in hearing the stories of the people she meets along the way.
She had to raise $4,500 to take part in the bike ride. She did that through a pancake breakfast at Organic Life Coffeehouse & Bakery in Lutz, a car wash at the 7-Eleven at SR 41 and SR 54 in Land O’ Lakes and by receiving contributions from her parents, friends and guests at Mikel’s Salon The Paul Mitchell Experience, where she used to work.
The trip requires substantial commitment, and Spinella, She figured there was no time like the present to take that on. “There’s really no best moment to do it,” she said.
Bike & Build is geared toward engaging 20- to 25-year-olds in a public awareness campaign that tends to garner media attention as cyclists make their way across the country.
“They’re trying to get the younger generation involved,” Spinella said.
The organization provides meals and makes arrangements with churches and community groups across the country to provide accommodations for the cyclists. Sometimes, such as national parks, they’ll sleep in tents at campsites, she said.
“We have to have our own sleeping bag and our own supplies,” she said.
The length of the rides will vary – averaging about 75 miles a day, she said.
“They’re very flexible. I’ve talked to some of my route leaders. They said it’s really laid back. You can really ride at your own pace,” she said.
They also have a support team for riders who need help.
Spinella did most of her training along the Suncoast Trail, averaging 25 miles a day.
When she began training, she said, “I was winded just doing five miles. Now,10 miles, 20 miles, is like nothing to me. Thirty is comfortable. You start going so long you get in a zone. I start to feel tired at 50, but it’s not like I’m completely drained. I’ve definitely seen a difference in my health, overall.”
She does get sore after long rides, she said. She has a simple solution for that: “I just take a hot shower.”
Spinella said affordable housing is an important cause.
Many families struggle to find housing within their financial means in safe neighborhoods.
“With the economy, these days, it’s hard for anybody,” she said. She said she understands, because even when she was working overtime she didn’t earn enough money to move out of her parents’ home.
In addition to physical training for the ride, cyclists also put in sweat equity hours to be sure they can handle tasks at the sites where they’ll be helping to build homes.
“They want us to have some experience on a construction site before we just go,” she said. “I’ve been working with the Hillsborough Habitat for Humanity. They actually built a whole block of houses over by the fairgrounds off (US) 301.”
Before she set off for her journey, Spinella said she knows there will be difficulties.
“During the summer, we’re going to be riding every single day. Right now, I’ve just been slowly working my way into it. It’s been like baby steps. Over the summer, we’re going to go hardcore.
“They say the first two weeks is the hardest to get through, but once you get through that, you start getting used to it.”
She’s excited about tackling those challenges, and she’s eager to help others.
The experience, she expects, will create memories to last a lifetime.
