In early 2024, Josh Weaver was awarded a Lilly Foundation Teacher Creativity Fellowship grant. The Lilly TCF grant program funds creative renewal projects for educators across Indiana. The grant Josh received was to fund a Summer 2024 project titled: “A British Bicycle Pilgrimage.” This project consisted of three core components: 1) taking a framebuilding class and completing a bicycle build, 2) cycling a Celtic pilgrimage route, 3) competing in a gran fondo cycling race.
Josh took his framebuilding course in July in the area of Ironbridge, Telford, UK. He chose this site because of the reputation and experience of the builders but also because it was located in a UNESCO World Heritage Site considered the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. Josh noted that it was inspiring to build something out of steel in a location with such a deep history of manufacturing.
During the framebuilding class Josh worked one-on-one with a professional framebuilder to build a bicycle from scratch. The class began with taking measurements, discussing design, and making choices on build components–at the beginning of the week, Josh started with a box full of tubes. After some basic practice on mitering and brazing joints, he began the process of cutting tubes and building the frame. By the end of the weeklong residency, he had completed a custom built steel frame that was ready to paint.
While the frame was being painted, Josh began the second part of the project which was cycling through Cornwall following a Celtic pilgrimage route called The Cornish Celtic Way. As a teacher, Josh has often led cycling trips with students; this pilgrimage was an opportunity to combine this favorite pastime with an immersion into Celtic spirituality. Josh notes that Celtic spirituality emphasizes the goodness and beauty of creation and that cycling “slows my pace, connects me to nature, and is environmentally sustainable.” The Cornish pilgrimage took Josh from St. Germans to St. Michael’s Mount, crisscrossing twice the steep hills of the Cornish peninsula while stopping at many Celtic holy sites along the way.
After completing the pilgrimage, Josh returned to Ironbridge to finish assembling the newly painted bicycle frame and build the wheelset. Once assembled, he took the bike to the Isle of Man to ride his new frame in a race. While the Isle of Man is most famous as a home for motorcycle racing, it also boasts iconic cycling and is the home of decorated cyclist Mark Cavendish.
For this last part of the project, Josh planned to compete in the Isle of Man Gran Fondo. This is a professional level qualifying race sanctioned by UCI (cycling’s international governing body) that covers roads across the entire island. From start to finish, the race is 82 miles and involves just over 7200 feet of climbing. Unfortunately, three days before the race, while on a training ride, Josh had a bike crash that left him with a separated right shoulder and a broken bone in his left wrist. While he debated whether this would end his Gran Fondo goal, ultimately Josh decided to compete and finish the race. Josh said, “It hurt and it was difficult but I made the right decision. Despite the pain, cycling on the IOM was a capstone for the trip and the ride of a lifetime.”
After this summer project, Josh returned to the classroom with a cast on his wrist and stories to tell. He hopes that his experience will show students that–as individuals with the support of others–we are capable of doing really difficult things and pushing ourselves beyond what we expect. As they hear stories about his trip, he also hopes students will be inspired to think deeply about faith, spirituality, environmental sustainability, and love for God’s creation.