Rich Cysewski is retiring to Fiji. Soon. Probably as you read this. Intrigued?

Cycling is only the latest milestone in a journey that has led Rich from the mean streets of Chicago to a peaceful island in the South Pacific. Like most epic journeys, both on and off the bicycle, Rich's path has been marked by mistakes, wrong turns, suffering, struggle, and the sweetest joys imaginable.

What intrigued me initially was Rich's response to the theft of his two road bikes. After a recent mountain bike adventure, he returned home to find them gone - a Fuji frame given to him by a friend, and the Mondonico. Yes, the Mondonico. To hear Rich describe this work of art is a singular treat for a bicycle fanatic.

In Northern Italy lies the village of Concorezzo, where these steel frames have been built to order, by hand, since 1929. Rich was able to meet Antonio Mondonico in California, where he was fitted and fussed over to achieve the perfect geometry. Clearly, he appreciated the attention to detail and meticulous craftsmanship. So why, after putting only 200 miles on this baby, would Rich describe the theft as "annoying"? I pondered my own recent purchase of a custom frame and decided that the theft of my Steelman would leave me close to despair.

Rich has learned to keep his life in perspective, and cycling is his second love. His first is a deep and abiding faith, which helps him see the fleeting pleasures of this life as just that - fleeting. This faith restored hope to a man who found himself, at age 25, sitting in a prison cell and asking for help from a God he had heretofore addressed only in the language of the streets. Liberated in a way those in the system could only describe as miraculous, Rich dedicated himself to serving others. Twenty years later, he still joyfully insists that this freedom is available to anyone bound by chains - real and imagined.

Open to serve anywhere, Rich answered the call to minister to the people of Fiji. He quit his job and sold his home, leaving behind the security most of us depend on for our comfort. He'll stay with friends until he gets settled, assisting the local pastor with administrative and teaching duties. He plans to start a small tour business, leading cyclists around the islands. Although Rich led his last Wheelmen ride on September 14, we encouraged him to send his next ride description from Fiji. (If you decide to join him, you will not get mileage credit for the flight!)

His membership in the Wheelmen was brief, but Rich Cysewski leaves us with a glimpse of the freedom that comes from taking risks and leaping into the unknown with gratitude and confidence. What about the beloved bicycle? Rich assures me that a life of service should be balanced by personal joys. He will be riding the roads of Fiji on a brand new Mondonico.

>> back to Sacramento Wheelmen home
>> back to WheelNews page