Riders Blog

A curious shift occurred as Co-Cycle made its way through the Midwest. We have begun to articulate what exactly it is we’re learning—we’re asking more in-depth questions as we meet more co-ops; we are beginning to make connections between different models, whether consumer or worker owned; and, on the flip side, more people are asking us in-depth questions about our model, process, and how we began and what we’ve learned. Our identity is still forming, but, as compared to the first half of the tour, Co-Cycle is beginning to grasp the impact and importance of its own mission.

The Midwest has a strong history of cooperatives, beginning with Scandinavian immigrant farmer co-ops. At this point we have visited over 50 cooperatives, so it makes sense that we are beginning to really get a sense of what it takes to be a cooperative, and to see the many different manifestations of cooperative principles: from credit unions, bakeries, bike shops, mental health care clinics, engineering and manufacturing centers, to coffee roasters and bicycle delivery services—we have stumbled upon a whole alternative economy made up entirely of cooperatives, who, guided by Principle 6 (cooperation among cooperatives), strive to support each other by buying each other’s services and products.

The past few weeks have been peppered with many busy but tremendous occasions: from seeing all these cooperatives in one space together in multiple towns and cities as they connect and organize; having the pleasure of presenting the United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives’ endorsement of legislation to increase the lending cap of credit unions to 27.5% to the Credit Union National Association; and consequently, Mayor Soglin of Madison declaring August 6-10^th ‘Co-Cycle Week’ in Madison. All of this this has given us a sense of success—indeed, it is already so much more than we could have imagined when we were planning and organizing throughout the fall and winter. We are giving co-ops an occasion to talk to each other, organize together, and strengthen themselves, each other, and therefore the overall movement. This is perhaps best exemplified in Madison, where we witnessed the signing of articles to make MadWorc, previously merely a network of cooperatives in Madison, into an actual cooperative of cooperatives.

I can’t help but to think of the future: what will Co-Cycle look like when this tour is over in less than 3 weeks? What will we do with all the networks we have built? What will we do with all the knowledge and skills we’ve acquired? How will we continue to educate, network and contribute to the cooperative movement? And, how do we continue to think critically so that we can maximize the cooperative model’s potential for social justice for all groups of people? We’ve had too few discussions about race, gender, and sexuality in the cooperative movement as it exists now, even though many of us are so oriented towards these critical questions and discussions regarding systems of power and oppression. It is my personal goal to keep Co-Cycle an organization geared towards critical thinking and problem solving, which includes showing the potential for cooperatives as a business model that can empower people of color, immigrants, women, and LGBT/queer communities.

We have seen so many examples of how co-ops (particularly worker co-ops) have empowered individuals, and in extension, entire communities during times of struggle. The therapists of Center Point Counseling Services in Viroqua, WI, resigned from a conventional agency after the clinic failed to break even. The group then formed a worker-owned cooperative, revitalizing the love they had for their profession and serving their community, whether clients are insured or not. Union Cab in Madison, WI, a worker co-op since 1979, has been a long-time champion for worker rights, and, via taxi cab parades, showed its support for protests last year over Governor Walker’s decision to eliminate collective bargaining rights as a part of the budget repair bill. Just Coffee Cooperative in Madison, WI, seeks to support coffee farmers in Central and South America by creating their own standards of Fair Trade coffee so that those small farmers can make a profit and afford certification—and in an attempt to increase their transparency, Just Coffee’s products have a label at the bottom of the bag which can be used to track where exactly the coffee was grown, who grew it, when it was roasted, and how much of the money you pay for each bag of coffee goes directly to the farmer.

A year ago I didn’t know what a cooperative was. Now, after the nine weeks of touring cooperatives across the continental United States, I know firsthand that cooperatives empower people’s lives. In this historical moment of social unrest and fluctuating forms of economic oppression, I’m beginning to see a possibility, a hope, of really making things better: by eliminating the cost of upper management and organizing into worker-owned collectives and cooperatives, where the employees write the rules, vote on every decision, decide the wages, and actually have a stake in their business, care about the work they do, and serve their community at the same time. In response to the recent economic crisis and the Occupy movement that followed, I suggest a shift towards a worker cooperative economy as a viable solution.

Co-Cycle has less than three weeks left, though we have much left to do. We are in the process of implementing a formal method for conducting meetings and consensus decision making; I am personally writing a proposal for what Co-Cycle will look like over the next year or so, to be discussed with the entire team in the very near future; we still have many ideas for workshops to help educate ourselves and each other; and, in conjunction with the To The Moon film crew, we have to decide on a method of feedback for production and editing stages of the documentary. Stay tuned as we finish up the tour and make our way back to Amherst!

Written by Riko Fluchel

Co-cycle has become an intensive training in cooperative living for the team.  We are, in a very real and intense way, creating our own collective.  We are constantly striving to find a balance between creating processes and structure to function productively and efficiently with enough flexibility to not feel stifled.  Because we all live together so closely we are not only going through a physically demanding process, but an emotional one as well.  We are all developing skills in role rotation (cooking, cleaning, route planning), meeting facilitation, collective decision making, and group communication.  Among the most interesting developments that are a direct result from this experience are the similarities that we find when speaking with members of the cooperatives we visit.  At the same time, we are bringing our developing knowledge and experiences to the co-ops in a new a fascinating way..

We are realizing our mission of “educating ourselves” to be one of the most valuable assets of this project.  Many of us are discovering budding interests and excitement about developing our own cooperatives, working with cooperative organizations, and creating educational tools on cooperatives.  Those of us who have been involved with cooperatives previous to the tour are finding this tour to be more informative and intensive than any other formal cooperative experiences.  We are excited to bring the many new tools we are developing back to living and working situations.

We are beginning conversations about the potential longevity of the Co-cycle Project and what would be involved in more formally establishing Co-cycle as a cooperative that leads tours annually.  These conversations include discussions of creating a collaborative process to create bylaws and strategic plans to incorporate as a cooperative organization.

July 1, 2012; 6:00pm; Lolo Pass, Montana

It’s hard to believe we are already in Montana. It’s hard to believe we’ve been on this trip for a month now. Things feel so distant but also so close. Friends and family back at home. The beginning of our journey on the Golden Gate Bridge. The prospects and opportunities that await my arrival on the eastern coast. Everything is distant. Everything is close. I can’t believe how little I’ve processed. Sometimes when I begin to process things it feels like I’m waking up. Right now it feels like I’m waking up. Biking through Idaho on the Lachsa River was one of the most incredible scenes I’ve ben a part of. Reaching the top of Lolo Pass (lovingly nicknamed YOLO Pass) felt infinite. Idaho and Montana and scenes of sunlight slicing through slender trees and distant snow-draped mountain tops and words of encouragement chalking our path felt infinite. But this trip will not be infinite. This consistent company of comrades may not be infinite. This ever-changing scenery of this land of liberty will not be infinite. There are things to preserve and there are things to let go of. I am drawn to attachment and nostalgia and missing things before I have a reason to miss them. I am drawn to movement and change and inconsistency. I am drawn to feeling infinite. YOLO.

July 4th, 2012; 10:31pm; Missoula, MT

It is the Fourth of July in Missoula and we biked from dinner to our residency for the night on dimly-lit roads with fireworks popping on all sides of us and the moon glowing huge over the mountains. So much of that bike ride reminded me of home in very different but very apparent ways. The perfect night chill and poor choice in weather-appropriate clothing were Santa Barbara and leaving Old Town Tavern in a sundress and flip flops. The feeling of disjointedness within myself– not feeling like my brain and mouth were connecting in a way that I could communicate with others– not being in tune with my own hunger and thirst– the sad twinge-y physical reaction I get in my chest when experiencing something beautiful– these are feelings that I am familiar with. Being surrounded by fireworks– straight above, to my left, right, ahead, and behind felt like I was literally and physically immersed in Missoula culture. This reminded me of family and friends and block parties and the 4th on Mt. Diablo watching fireworks from a distance explode and dissipate all over the east bay. But this didn’t feel distant. It felt enveloping and scary and safe all at the same time. It felt like a subtle longing for a sense of stability and an overwhelming appreciation for the moment. It felt like home.

Written by Katrina Ceguera

 

 

 

Taken by Xander Weaver-Scull

7/5/12
Brookings, OR–Mosier, OR

Last we wrote Co-cycle was just leaving Brookings, Oregon. Please excuse our long blog silence! You’re probably wondering what happens when fifteen people are making their way across the country on bikes and in cars that would keep them from writing everyday? To give you an idea I’ve included below most of an email, very lightly edited, that I wrote to my own family on June 22 (they said it was okay!)




“I’m writing to you from the top of a mountain in the Colombia River Gorge in Oregon. We stayed at Gabe’s house in Portland and then rode out of the city to his family’s house in Mosier. Every day of riding has been beautiful in different ways, really, really, beautiful – this day of biking made my insides feel nourished. The land is so incredibly green, and as we rode up a few crazy hills and down super smooth descents (the kind that are like sailing, instead of scary handle bar gripping ones) there were only a few cars, and a low stone wall with arches and moss followed the roads framing the river gorge behind it. It felt like being in a postcard of Scotland.




ALSO, when I was in Portland I had to drop some dough for new wheel (bike lingo: my wheel had to be ‘trued’, meaning the balance was out of wack because of the spokes) which turned out to be so worth it because when I got back on it I could feel how balanced it was immediately, it was so easy to ride without my hands for the first time! Such a good feeling. I’m learning so much about bikes! (and I’m getting supah strong too:)




Today was our first real rest day. These last 20 days (holy crap it’s been three weeks) have been super intense, and I can’t always apologize for my communicating habits so instead I’ll explain! : What this group is doing is actually incredible. Every day we’re organizing fifteen people to bike long distances – eating enough food, setting up camp, cleaning, bike maintenance, emotional support, physical preparation and strength building. We’re in a different place almost every night – finding food sources, interacting with hosts, camping, showering, packing our little trailer (you have no idea the trials we’ve experienced with packing, we called ourselves Co-Pack for a week or so because it felt like that was all we EVER did), and just generally keeping track of things. We’re keeping people updated by blogging, twittering, facebooking, emailing to fundraise, we’re planning our routes as we go along, keeping in touch with our sponsors, getting in contact with coops in the different areas we visit and organizing events in those places, as well as educating ourselves about what coops ARE. On top of that, there’s this whole documentary element happening which has been SO interesting to think and talk about and has added a fascinating, and (I think) an ultimately positive twist to the group dynamics.




Having a day to rest has been PIVOTAL to get out some energy, dance and move around in non-bikey ways, but also to finally have time to have some group discussions about how to organize ourselves. It’s felt really important the last couple of weeks to allow myself to be completely immersed in this group, and I still feel that way, but I can also feel that we just came to our first turning point as a group and have settled somewhat – that is to say, it’s also really important to me to stay in touch with all of you on a regular basis as much as possible and I feel more capable of doing that at this point. (Having said that, we’re heading out in the morning on route to Missoula and we’ll be in very rural areas for the next ten days or so, but we’ll figure it out)




I can’t even tell you how excited I am to be part of something that I’m helping CREATE. It’s so hard, and there are moments that just feel totally incomprehensible, but I’ve said this to a few people – what’s really amazing is that I actively like every person in this group – I don’t know why that feels surprising, but it is! And it makes everything feel possible. I think I’m getting sleepy and sappy.”




updates, developments, evolutions, and stories from the last ten days to come shortly!

Written by Aliza Persing

6/9 Day 8
Arcata, CA- Orick, CA

After exploring some Arcata night life we woke up to fresh eggs provided by our wonderful couch surfing host Suzanne. We started our day with a tour of a second North Coast Co-op in Arcata. In Orick we were greeted by goats, chickens, roosters, rabbits, cats, a dog, and Steve, our host for the night.

6/10 Day 9
Orick, CA -Crescent City, CA

The rooster started crowing at 5am, which helped for an early start to our day.  After saying goodbye to Steve, we hopped on our bikes and made our way to Crescent City.  We had two interesting encounter on our way to Crescent City.  One being a giant Paul Bunyan at the Trees of Mystery, who wished us luck on our cross country trip.  The other was the Crescent City- a seven mile climb with a gain of approximately 1300 feet.  Once to the top we had an amazing descent, breaking the speed limit as we peddled around 35 miles per hour.

In Crescent City we made ourselves comfortable at our very generous couchsurfing host’s house.  Helen welcomed the 15 of us into her home along with the two other long-term couchsurfers, Christopher and Michael.  We shared a dinner of pizza and ice cream, relaxed in the whirlpool bathtub, and swapped stories with Helen, Christopher and Michael.

6/11 Day 10
Crescent City, CA – Brookings, OR

Helen woke us up with a delicious pancake breakfast to prepare us for the exciting day of crossing the border into Oregon.  On our way out of Crescent City we stopped at Back Country Bicycles for a meet and greet.  Helen arranged for Adam, a journalist for the Triplicate, to attend the meet and greet… a couple days later we made the front page of the paper! (http://www.triplicate.com/News/Local-News/Cycling-for-co-ops).

We made one more stop at Ocean Air farm to speak with Paul Madeira and learn how the community supported agriculture model that is implemented at the farm compares to other cooperative models we have been studying.  After having lunch at the farm and tasting some of Paul’s delicious feta cheese, we said goodbye to California and made our way to Brookings, Oregon.

We stayed with another wonderful host, Ann, in Brookings and shared a gourmet meal of wild salmon and spaghetti, a bit more decadent than we have been used to.

Written by Carly Richman & Megan Meo

Co-cycle has hit the road! We are one week into our cross-country, bike-powered exploration of cooperatives and we have biked close to 300 miles. It’s been a powerful, intense, exciting, inspiring and emotional journey so far.

After a super fun kick off party in Oakland we headed across the Golden Gate Bridge to Forest knolls in Marin County. On our way we happened upon The Bicycle Works, an awesome bike cooperative in San Anselmo. The next day we headed to Sebastopol and on the way we visited the Redwood Credit Union in Santa Rosa.

Day 3 was certainly an adventure for us. We woke up to wind and rain and made our way to Highway 1, an incredibly windy (both definitions of the word…) road along the coast. The ride was stunning,  beyond each turn we encountered mountains, forests, pastures, rocky cliffs, dancing wildflowers and big waves. At the same time it was tremendously challenging. We had to make our way up a steep, five mile long switchback climb through a very narrow road, often with no shoulder. The winds really picked up and by the end of the climb we found ourselves in the midst of a storm. At the top, more than one of us noted that it was probably the hardest thing we had ever done. With 30 miles behind us, and another 25 to go we decided it was unsafe for us to continue on that day. It was a difficult, but important decision for us to make. We sent five people ahead to our campsite, with all of the gear and the rest of our team waited in a small valley that was sheltered from the wind to be picked up once the gear was dropped off. Ultimately, it turned into a beautiful day and everyone made it safely to camp in Gualala Point.

Day 4 we got back on Highway 1 and headed 55 miles North to Mendocino. Another challenging ride, but a beautiful day. Once in Mendocino some of the team visited Corners of the Mouth Co-op.

Day 5 we decided we needed to establish some solid organizational systems for all of our gear, as well as give our bodies a little rest. We spent the morning re-organizing and fixing up our bikes. Then half the team headed took a rest day and headed straight to camp while the rest of us biked about 20 miles and ended our day early in Fort Bragg, where we were later picked up and driven the rest of the way to camp.

Day 6 we made our way to Albee Creek Campground at Humboldt Redwood State park. On our way we stopped at The Community Credit Union in Garberville, where we we received an incredibly interesting tour, as well as lots of coffee and cookies! And then biked down Avenue of the Giants! It was an incredible ride through the Redwoods; we stopped to climb fallen trees and take lots of photos. And even after 50 miles of riding we were able to finally make it to camp before 5:00 pm! And to bed by 10:00!

This means that today, Day 7, we actually made it out of camp by 8:30 am, which is our record time so far! We are still getting used to our systems of organization, but we have made major improvements already! The group really makes an amazing team. Everyone is supportive, accepting, respectful, hard working and friendly. We can’t believe it’s only been a week; the intensity of this trip has meant that we have had to build trust in each other very quickly,  and we really have. We work cooperatively, collaboratively and utilize consensus decision making in our daily meetings. Currently we have thirteen riders and two film crew members, making us a team of fifteen. In Portland we will be met with a few new members, but sadly, a few of our current members will head off on different summer adventures.

Written by Co-cycler Marleigh Higgins

Photos by Co-cyclist Guillermo Ortiz

Thanks and gratitude to:

Berkeley Student Food Collective – for setting us up with all our bulk food supplies at a great price

Greg & Monette Meo & Maureen Simpson – for everything, absolutely everything – words can not begin express our gratitude for your dedication to seeing this project take flight

Cathy & Jim Coupe  - for burritos and enchiladas that lasted as our primary sustenance for days

Box Dog Bikes  - for supporting our event in the Bay Area!

Julia & Sandy Weaver-Skull – for their wonderful words, home and delicious meals

Paul & Laura – for their home, beautiful garden and series of delicious, much needed meals and advice

Beth & Jim Benson-Martin – for their three stories of soft carpet and spacious kitchen

Miles completed: 170

Smiles completed: a million

It has been a fun filled, windy, silly, intense, beautiful, adventurous, enlightening first 4 days. As the Co-cycle team begins their cross country adventure we’d like to offer this visual blog post to give you all a little glimpse of our experience thus far.

Keep checking for more rider posts and info on the co-ops we’ve visited and plan on visiting along the way!

Day 1 – Lafayette to Forest Knolls, CA

Day 2 – Forest Knolls to Sebastopol, CA

Day 3 – Sebastopol to Gualala Point Regional Park, CA

Day 4 – Gualala Point to Mendocino, CA

Today Co-cyclers Riko, Megan, Aliza, Marleigh and Katie went for a mini-tour around the Oakland/Berkeley Area. After hopping on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) we biked through the wonderful sunny weather to Nabolom Bakery, Berkeley Student Food Collective, Missing Link Bike Co-op, The Cheese Board Collective, and The Juice Bar Collective.

The mini-crew spent the day visiting businesses  and  spreading word about our Upcoming event this Friday (June 1st) in Mosswood Park, Oakland, CA.

Here’s a picture of us in front of Nabolom in the early morning!

Check out more photos from this week on our twitter @cocycle2012

This Friday we’ll be doing another training ride, from 8-10 am, starting at the Hampshire College bus circle! Come join us for a nice early ride!

On April 6th several members of the co-cycle crew got up bright and early and headed out an a 50mile round-trip ride to Greenfield, MA. The weather was a little brisk, but the sun was shining and we had a great ride. We grabbed a bite to eat at a local brewery restaurant -The People’s Pint – where we had delicious food and spread the word about our summer tour. After lunch we stopped by Green Fields Market for a co-op tour and a great conversation. The day was a really exciting look into what our summer journey will be about and it’s always encouraging to meet people who are just as excited about Co-cycle as we are!

Next ride is scheduled for Tuesday, April 10th, Meeting at 7am at the Hampshire College bus circle – Join us!

At our meeting last night we decided, via a consensus vote, that we will be traveling West to East. Check out our key cities on our provisional route map!

At our latest meeting we created Co-cycle’s mission statement and we’re all very excited to share it with you here: The Co-cycle project is a youth-led, bike-powered tour linking co-operatives across the United States. Through workshops and public events, we encourage the greater communities we travel through to take notice, ask questions, and seek out connections with their own local co-ops. We educate ourselves and each other, generate research on different co-operative models, strengthen regional co-operative networks, and draw attention to co-operatives as economic, social, and ecological alternatives to conventional business models.