Sea to Sea 2013 Ends in Staten Island

Participants in this summer’s Sea to Sea bicycle tour ended their 3,900-mile, cross-continental journey late Saturday afternoon by dipping their bike tires into the Atlantic Ocean.

Standing on the shore of Staten Island’s Midland Beach, riders were lined up and down the shore, the site several months ago of where Hurricane Sandy’s winds and water hit full-force.

“What a way to end with all involved at the edge of the water and the dip. Then we got in a circle and had a prayer and sang (a) doxology,” writes cyclist Barb Mellema on her blog.

Sea to Sea cyclists began the tour on Sunday, June 23, at 2 p.m. with a time of worship and prayer at CrossPoint Church Christian Reformed Church in in Chino, Calif.

In between the start and the finish, cyclists rode across different terrains and patterns of weather. For instance, because of intense heat, they needed to spend three days over the July 4 holiday in Phoenix, Ariz.

They made a stop at Synod 2013 and visited historic sites and many churches. They camped on the grounds of schools, in campgrounds and elsewhere.

A handful of riders experienced health challenges along the way. An Ontario pastor, for instance, needed heart surgery when the tour got to Colorado, but he was back on his bike by the end of the trip.

The ride was held to raise money to help fight poverty at home and around the world. World Renew, the Reformed Church in America and Partners Worldwide will receive funding.

So far, the tour has raised more than $1.7 million.

Rev. Douglas MacLeod, a pastor in Grand Rapids, Mich., rode about one-third of the trip, 1,278 miles.

On Saturday, he awoke feeling “a sense of finality, accomplishment, thankfulness and … a pending sense of loss for the richness of community and shared goal which is nearing completion.”

He writes that he won’t “miss the lines for food and bathrooms, sleeping on the ground and having to walk so far for everything when in camp” and that he was looking forward to returning home.

Of one thing he was especially grateful — the chance, however modestly, to help alleviate poverty. He had 150 people donate more than $20,000 to his effort.

“When I think of how much of life is a never-ending struggle and frustration for those enmeshed in poverty, I am glad that I could do something,” he writes.

“I give thanks to God for the blessings of my life as I have a new realization that no one becomes poor by giving.”

Many riders say they rushed across the country, battling weather and weariness and at times wondering if it would ever end.

But then at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday “we had our final meal, followed by a brief presentation of memorable moments, and at 9 p.m. my driver showed up and I had to duck away,” writes cyclist Steve Byl.

“And just like that, the tour is over. 9 weeks. 6,057 km. 6 flat tires. 1 fall. 2 laundry baskets. Desert Heat. Colorado mountains. Iowa rain. Ontario food. Memories for life. And friends for life.”