I helped get this thing off the ground in 2015. It has been and continues to be one of the great joys in my life. So much fun and friendship. We continue to be driven to build relationships, fitness and fun and to provide for the Hungry and Thirsty. If any of that interests you, we would love to have you.

For more, read my blog to kick off JoA 2022.

Matt (Ice) Hantzmon is a native of Charlottesville Virginia; born and raised. He is active in many charitable endeavors around town and with his church, St. Thomas Aquinas. Matt has ridden in every JOA since its inception and looks forward each summer to spending countless hours, over 200 miles, with his closest friends and making new friends. Matt has seen the impact of food and water poverty firsthand during mission trips to Haiti and knows how important clean water is to developing countries. The small amount of suffering we do each summer is well worth the effort to bring clean drinking water and food to those who need it most.

I have ridden the JOA every year since inception and intend to continue the streak for at least another 30 years! The JOA is about banding together with old and new friends to do some real good in this world of ours – both at home and across the globe. We embark on this crazy 208-mile odyssey to challenge ourselves physically and mentally, but most importantly to engage the support (moral and money!) of our family, friends and colleagues to help the hungry and the thirsty. Together, we make a huge difference in literally thousands of lives. Plus, the JOA is just plain fun! Great group of people, amazing support team, plenty of beer, and a terrific party at the end!

Riding in the JOA has become one of the most important things I do. There is a tremendous collective purpose to the group that I find hard to replicate elsewhere. To a person, the group is comprised of people who can laugh at themselves, who realize their good fortune and who seek challenges. The event itself is great but I really enjoy the community that comes from the lead up training rides. And there is a tremendous satisfaction I get seeing peoples’ generous donations go to a great cause. There are very few people who ride the JOA once and don’t come back. Join us. You won’t be sorry.

I ride in the Journey of Awesomeness to meet new friends and see old friends, for the motivation to get my butt in the saddle in the cold, late months of winter early months of Spring and to support a great cause while having a great time.

“Yeti” is my moniker because I rarely show for group training rides. Occasionally others claim they’ve seen me riding the roads of western Albemarle County. Their hastily taken pictures as proof they saw me are always grainy…you get the picture. I love riding, and the JOA has drawn me back into community, reminding me how much I need others to make sense of life. JOA gets me out of my own head and puts me into the lives of others in meaningful ways – not just the lives of the riders, but the lives of people who hunger and thirst.

I've enjoyed cycling and endurance events for several decades and couldn't resist the opportunity to ride with a bunch of great people in our gorgeous Commonwealth whilst raising money to help bring food and clean water to fellow humans. God has richly blessed us and we get to pass it on.

As a reformed road biker who now only rides on dirt, the JoA is the only event that motivates me to strap on some spandex and tight fitting jersey. I genuinely look forward to the training, the ride weekend, and the fellowship. I have participated every year but the first. It has been an incredible adventure each and every ride. Personally so fulfilling and raising money for food and water just makes sense.

Red and I did the PanMass together in 2014. He called me in 2015 and told me he was thinking of bringing a version of it back to VA. It was an obvious cry for help. I knew I had to mobilize and get down to VA and provide proper support or riders would be supplied a Gatorade (at best) at around mile 50. That was the birth of the Support Crew, a JoA staple! My daughters and I look forward to it every year and coming down to VA to meet up with the O’Shea offspring. The new and old relationships and community keep us coming back.

When people ask me why I participate in the JoA, I always answer the same way – it’s the most impactful thing I’ve done as an adult. The entire thing is grounded in building relationships and participating in something that can help change the lives of those who are hungry and thirsty.

I am beyond fortunate to have found the community that is the JOA. Most of us love riding, but it is about so much more. I so look forward to our “training rides” and the two-day event itself. They are the highlights every year!

I’m a West BY GOD Virginian transplanted to Va 33 years ago, I’m a forester who works for a sawmill in the Shenandoah Valley.

I will be a part of your support group. If you have issues with your steed, I will be highly motivated to rectify any problems and get you moving along again. If your steed needs more attention than I can offer, you will be catching a ride with me. I will also offer “free of charge” any psychological help you may need due to the grind you and your steed are about to encounter. I do this because “Red” O’Shea asked me when this thing got started and I’ve been hooked ever since. Looking forward to seeing y’all out there.