Riders Gear Up For Another Long Week On The Road
July 21, 2008—There’s no relief in sight for Sea to Sea riders after what many are calling their toughest day on the tour Saturday.
Week 4 of the nine-week Sea to Sea Bike Tour begins today with a 90-mile, 145-km ride to Duchesne, Utah, the first of four long distance days ranging between 88 and 96 miles. After a one-day reprieve on Friday, July 25 when the riders travel their shortest leg of the tour, they finish with a challenging 80-mile, 129-km ride into Denver Saturday, including a 4,500 climb over Berthoud Pass to reach their highest elevation at 11,300 feet.
Last Saturday’s ride from Willard, Utah, through Salt Lake City and on to Jordanelle State Park was a difficult one at 95 miles (153 km) that included a grueling 6,000 feet of climbing over the last 30 miles.
“This was the killer ride,” writes Tony Schweitzer, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, in his blog. “For the first time I had some serious doubts that I could make it, but make it I did. It wasn’t the distance that made it so difficult, it wasn’t the hills, it was the sequence. If the hills had been first this would have been a piece of cake, a big piece, mind you, but very doable.”
Claire Elgersma, of Grand Rapids, Mich. believes Saturday’s ride may well be the toughest the cyclists face all summer. “If we can do this ride than I think we can do any other day on the tour.”
Elgersma marveled at God’s provision Sunday evening prior to dinner and the tour’s fourth celebration rally when an approaching storm abated, replaced by two rainbows. “We felt that this was God saying to us, ‘I’m here, I’m protecting you, I’m taking care of you.’ And we had sunshine and a beautiful service.”
The Christian Reformed churches in Salt Lake City hosted the tour with a potluck dinner and worship service at the campground where the tour was staying for the weekend.
“It’s awesome, overwhelming to see what your group is doing,” says Duane Flikkema, a member of Mountain Springs CRC who helped host the tour. “We were told we were a real blessing to you guys, but I guess it’s called a reverse blessing because we’ve been really blessed by it and really touched.”
“It is amazing to see how people are touched by what we are doing,” writes John Vanderveen, of Edmonton, Alberta. “The speaker (at the rally) let us know that we can worship together in song, but when we are on the road, sweating and thirsty, we are also worshipping God. All of us have come together to alleviate the cycle of poverty. We are not doing this for ourselves, but for others. I am having a blast along the way, but as more donations pour in and more people become aware of what we are trying to do, God is being made known to more and more people. Please continue to pray that our tour will touch people, and change lives.”
--Sea to Sea Communications