DAY 6 "I'm OK With Not Going Further" Around mile 30 yesterday, Julissa's knees started hurting.

Both of them. Before the ride, we'd packed knee supports in the van, hoping we wouldn't need them. Terry adjusted her seat. It helped some, but not enough. By mile 25, Julissa said she was done for the day. And honestly? There was nothing to argue with. Then something surprised me. Little Kevin decided he needed a break too. Up to that point, he'd ridden every single mile of this tour. No shortcuts. No easy days. No complaints. So when he said he needed to stop, I paid attention. Joshua kept riding. Seven more miles. Then, on his own, he decided it was time to stop too. Nobody told him to. He just knew. I've said it before: we're not just building strong cyclists. We're helping young people discover who they are, expand what they believe is possible, and learn to trust their own voice. Sometimes that voice says, "I can do more." Sometimes it says, "I'm not going further today." Both matter. I'll be honest. Part of me still wants to see all three of them ride every mile of this tour. That part of me had to sit down yesterday too. Because what happened wasn't failure. It was growth. Three young people listened to their bodies, spoke up, and trusted the adults around them to listen. That's worth celebrating. It's easy to cheer for a kid who pushes through something hard. It's just as important to celebrate a kid who recognizes when pushing through isn't the right answer. We're six days into this journey now. Tomorrow is "only" 47 miles. At the start of the trip, that sounded huge. Now everyone calls it a light day. And these three are crushing it. Every day they've stretched what they thought was possible. Every day they've done something they weren't sure they could do. We'll see what Julissa's knees tell us tomorrow. That's a question for tomorrow. For today, I'm proud of all three of them. Your support makes moments like this possible—the gear when it's needed, the flexibility to stop, and the trusted adults who pull over and listen when a young person speaks up. Help us keep showing up for kids on and off the bike.