The ride crew consists of Em, Verne and Kermit.
Em is the navigator and helmsman. This means she reads the map and steers the bike. Em has loved bikes since she first learned to ride at age 5. She rode BMX freestyle for a number of years and will always be a BMXer at heart. She did her first long tour in 2010. She is a Hoosier by birth, did her undergrad degree at Colorado State, moved to Australia in 2001 and became a citizen there in 2006.
Verne is the commander. He is in charge of the bike and the crew. He sits up front, looks good and barks orders, but doesn’t really do any real work (which is how he came to be known as the Commander in 2010). He likes to do long distances and never thinks Em is pedaling fast enough. He often likes to ride the white line simply because the paint fills in the road cracks a bit, so it’s a smoother line that doesn’t bounce his head around so much.
Kermit is the mental health specialist. Em has always been a huge fan of Jim Henson and the Muppets, so Kermit – always the optimist – is the mood lifter when it all seems too hard.
