The Big Ride Project

I remember following the 2024 US Presidential election results watching years of social progress disappear. A country that claims to lead democracy in the world, had cast its lot in with the forces that would undo the long march towards transgender and reproductive rights, racial justice, and environmental stewardship.So I decided to do something.Something that allowed me to resist through the skills I have, limited as they are.Something big.In the summer of 2025, I will cycle from my small corner of the world, Houghton MI, to Chicago IL, and back. This route through rural and urban spaces across three states is over 900 miles of cycling.On this route, I will talk to people. Not just anyone though, those special people who **work for institutions that have a stake in their communities or regions to animate justice and stewardship through their efforts. I will collect their stories, and layer it with my own experiences covering the spaces where I was born and raised, from the snowy expanses of the UP to the urban centers of Chicago.The journey has two goals:
1. I will raise funds for causes that uphold our country and the world's needs as they experience political attack; and
2. These stories will become the foundations for a book that will present values as they stand in an era of hostile right-wing populism through the lens of my personal journey across a politically divided chunk of the American Midwest.I hope you will join me for my big ride!

Allow me to answer some questions you may have...How is this project being supported?
I am deeply grateful to Michigan Technological University's Research Excellence Fund the Institute for Policy, Ethics, and Culture (IPEC) for supporting this book project!How are you qualified to do this?
To be honest, I sometimes doubt myself. Despite having published many academic articles, I have never written a book. Despite racing bikes, I've never done anything resembling an ultra endurance event. Call it youthful ambition, call it a foolhardiness enabled by blissful ignorance, call it whatever you wish, but ultimately the first steps to completing anything of magnitude is to commit to itWhat if you are unable to finish the ride?
There is a chance that my equipment may fail. Or my body may break. Or an emergency may call me away from my trek. I will follow this path as long as I can, and with luck and preparation, I will complete the journey and learn from those I seek along the way. But sometimes the world has other plans! We can only prepare as best we can.How can I support the project?
Please give to one of the causes that this project supports!Can I follow you on your ride?
Yes! I will post regularly on the project's Facebook and BlueSky accounts during the journey. Please follow me there!

American psychologist Walter R. Fisher once described humans as "homo narrans", or "storytelling human." Stories are how we learn about our world, but also how we bring sense and meaning to that world. Each of us are full of stories, complete with characters, plot, conflict, victories, defeats.In the days following the 2024 election, I struggled to find some sense of the day. How could Americans see hope in this? How had the advocates for progress and justice seem to lose so much in so little time?I was not alone in my confusion. As I trudged through the spaces where people like me frequented, I sensed frustration and exhaustion that stuck to people like water on a rainy day. I also sensed internal conflict, as if the ties that bind us together as a force for a better world were rendered unknown to us and each other, or lost altogether.If you listened to pundits following the election, this side was fragmented. Fractured. Divided.From this moment was borne a mission to regain that vision: to find the values that bind people across the missions and visions that would form the opposition to the regime and its adherents.What are the hopes, dreams, and aspirations for a better future that the opposition hold, driving us to action? How are they distinct? How are they the same?How can they unify?These values are built upon experiences and histories, memories that bring meaning and drive action in their lives today.Memories that are recounted as stories.[The Outcome]

I am Rich Canevez, a native of Houghton, MI, returned to my hometown to research and teach at Michigan Technological University's Department of Humanities.I am an assistant professor of Communication, Culture, and Media, and the Social Media and Society Research Lead at the Institute for Policy Ethics and Culture. I teach and research topics in communication, activism/resistance/opposition, politics, and technology.I started cycling seriously about 2 years ago, moving on from a lifetime as a hockey player. At first it was merely an outlet for energy and fitness (plus, as a bit of a sports tech nerd, there was as much to appreciate and ogle in cycling as there was in hockey). As it evolved, I realized that it was also an opportunity to make a difference.I have lived previous lives as a cognitive scientist, software engineer, and tech entrepreneur. I played hockey in both the USA and Canada, fought in martial arts tournaments in the USA and Japan, have studied with Indigenous communities in the USA, Canada, and Peru.I am privileged to have had these experiences shape a worldview of the tools and technologies that can convince us of their potential to usher in a more just world, while hiding how injustice and oppression continues to exist and fester in our societies.I am a father to a wonderful daughter, a dog-dad to a wonderful pup, and a husband to a wonderful partner.There is no more important time in my life as now to put whatever tools I have, however limited they may be, to be a part of building knowledge for a better future.

For the Right to Read
The Michigan Library Association supports libraries, library professionals, and advocates throughout the state of Michigan in supporting libraries and their mission. If you choose to support the MLA through this project, your contributions will be dedicate to MI Right to Read, a grassroots effort organized by the MLA to help libraries fight book bans through legislative action.Click here to go to the GoFundMe page!

For Ukraine
Razom for Ukraine supports democracy and prosperity in Ukraine, particularly as the country strains against the russian full-scale invasion in in 2022. While the US has offered substantial support over the last two years, the time for citizens like you and me to step up our support is now. If you choose to support Razom through this project, your contributions will go directly to supporting their programs and helping them accomplish their mission to ensure Ukraine's survival and capacity to thrive.Click here to go to the GoFundMe page!

For Reproductive Rights
Planned Parenthood of Michigan supports reproductive rights, abortion rights, transgender-affirming care, and other essential services throughout the state of Michigan. If you choose to support Planned Parenthood through this project, your contributions will go directly to Planned Parenthood of Michigan to help them accomplish their mission in spite of the political rhetoric and threats increasingly common in today's political environment.Click here to go to the GoFundMe page!

For Climate Action
Earthjustice is a nonprofit environmental law organization that has a history of standing up for our environment against corporations and hostile governmental regimes. If you choose to support this cause through this project, your contributions will go towards their programs that includes sustainability, clean energy, and wildlife protections litigation.Click here to go to the GoFundMe page!