Sometimes, it seems as if the Tour de France is actually taking place in the heart of Kansas. The sprawling wheat and sunflower fields on your screen can be misleading. Then, the cyclists taking part in the world’s biggest annual bike race reach the treacherous climbs of the Alps and you know you’re not in Kansas anymore…

My husband has been a cyclist for over a decade – competing in road and gravel races over the years. He’s been a dedicated rider and, as his passion for the sport has grown, his sports-loving wife has come along for the (not literal) ride. 

During the month of July, you’ll usually find our television tuned to the live coverage that is offered during the Tour de France – a 21 day test of the limits of the best road cyclists from around the world. Day after day, the riders and their teams face different terrains and challenges across France, ending in a triumphant scene with the best rider wearing the famous yellow jersey. Our family enjoys the live coverage and recaps of each day’s stage. I cheer and become attached to different riders and teams, rooting for them all the way to Paris.

This summer, like all of the previous ones, I’m astonished by the riders’ ability to face this challenging race day after day. It’s tremendous. But this year, I’ve also been thinking about the Family Promise related lessons I’ve noticed while watching The Tour. 

Lesson 1: Teamwork makes the difference

Before experiencing the world of the Tour de France, I had always thought of cycling as an individual sport. I went to my husband’s races and cheered for him, but he was out on that course alone, digging in and motivating himself along the way. There was no team other than his support team (me and our two kids and sometimes some other family members) who were there to offer transport if something went wrong or food/drink if there was a checkpoint involved. 

The Tour opened my eyes to a completely different side of cycling – teams. This was a hard concept for me to understand at first. There’s only one person standing on the podium in yellow at the end of the race. How is this a team sport? 

But as my experience with following the Tour has grown over the years, so too has my appreciation of the team’s role in getting someone on that podium at the end of the race. 

Every rider has and understands their role. Some are leaders, some are support, some have to pace the larger group, some are in charge of quick changes or pushing their hardest at the beginning so that someone else can save their energy for the finish. 

These professional athletes – who are superior in their sport – mostly have support-type roles, bringing water bottles and food supplies to their team’s rider that has the largest chance of wearing yellow. They put their egos on the line day after day to push that person closer to success. They protect their champion – not because the champion is weak, but because they know that their ride to victory will be easier if they have a team around them to ease the burden and create a barrier to challenges that may trip them up or slow them down. Whether your best skill is as a climber, a sprinter, or a lead-out, you throw yourself into whatever is best for the team and for your champion. 

I see this kind of humble and enthusiastic mindset play out every day at Family Promise. Every volunteer, every staff member, every community partner has one goal – to support the champions of our organization – the families of Family Promise. We each bring our own skillset to the table and we work in tandem to support, encourage, and set our champions up for success. And BOY, do we know how to cheer when our champion reaches the podium in a successful way!  

I’ve seen riders and families try to make it to the finish line alone. It is a lonely road full of hardship and struggle. I have witnessed what it looks like for a world-class rider to have their team around them and how they are catapulted forward by that team. Similarly, the team and community of support that surrounds FPGW families completely changes their trajectory and story of success, clearing the way to victory and lessening the burden along the road.

Find Lesson 2 here.

Beth Schafers serves as the Director of Development and Community Engagement at Family Promise of Greater Wichita. She is passionate about the work of Family Promise, making the Wichita community better for all, and living with no agenda but love. You can reach her at beth@familypromisewichita.org.