Sea to Sea Riders Leave the Rockies

July 30, 2008 --Sea to Sea cyclists have officially put the Rocky Mountains behind them and today are pedaling 93 miles across fairly flat landscape to McCook, Colo. They also enter the Central Time Zone today.

Meanwhile, the tour is starting to take its toll on some riders. Two riders have been injured recently. One rider, Tyler Buitenwerf, of Grand Rapids, Mich., fractured his collarbone on Saturday.

The other rider, Cynthia Aukema, of Chatham, Ont., suffered a concussion and broken pelvis in an accident that occurred on Monday on the trip from Denver to Fort Morgan, Colo.

"The recent accidents are traumatic for the camp … We have had two people who have had accidents that caused them to leave the tour," says Claire Elgersma, tour spokesperson in her blog.  "Everyone has been saddened by these events and know they need to be more careful while riding."

At the same time, though, it is important to know that there are many stories of "God moments" as the tour moves east, she says. Someone reminded her, she says, to keep in mind that this is "the journey of our lives. This is not a race. People need to take time to look around to view the scenery and do not worry about being the first one into camp."

Sponsored by the Christian Reformed Church in North America in partnership with the Reformed Church in America, the tour is taking cyclists across the United States and part of Canada in an effort to raise $1.5 million to fight global poverty.

Although riding through the mountains was rigorous, John Vanderveen, of Edmonton, Alberta, says he is already missing them. "It's quite disheartening when you can look ahead and see the same thing for about 10 billion miles. Especially on a day like today, where there was a headwind all day long,"

As he rides on Wednesday, Joshua Krabbe, of Calgary, Alberta, says he will be thinking and praying about his grandmother who passed away on Monday evening. "Grandma was someone whose influence in my life was one of caring and giving," he writes in his blog.

"I will not be leaving the Sea to Sea bike ride to attend the funeral. Grandma is no longer there to visit, the rest of the family can be visited at a later time," he writes. "My situation this summer is one that does benefit from a sense of continuity and there is a loving community here alongside me at this time."

—CRC Communications

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