First Half of Tour Marked by Extreme Heat

July 31, 2008—The Sea to Sea Bike Tour will pass its midway point across North America today and cyclists and support crew members are still going strong.

When riders reach Bartley, Neb., early Thursday morning on their way from McCook to Minden, they will cross the 1,941-mile mark of the tour, half way to their 3,881 mile-, 6,246 kilometer-crossing of North America this summer.

Hilena Zylstra, of Waterdown, Ont., has mixed feelings about today’s milestone. “I’ve been noticing that the excitement and momentum of the tour is building as we come into some towns,” she says. “It’s been cool to go into some towns and people say they have heard about us in the news and they’re excited that we’re doing this.”

On the other hand, she says her own personal excitement is wearing off. “We’ve gotten into a routine now and there are some days I just don’t feel like cycling.”

She puts some of the blame on the extreme heat the riders have faced in Colorado lately, but which has followed them throughout the first four-and-a-half weeks of the tour. Temperatures were forecast for higher than 100F (38C) a few days this week.

According to Rose Dykstra, a support crew member from Abbotsford, BC, the riders could probably use more nights like they had at Rainbow Park in Wray, Colo., on Tuesday.

After the 86-mile, 138-km ride from Fort Morgan, the tour was treated to an afternoon of fun at a local water park, including two waterslides.

“I tried both of the slides,” says Dykstra, “but I didn’t really like the green one… it was enclosed near the end and I felt a bit claustrophobic. And then suddenly it dropped you in the pool.”

Dykstra is part of a 22-member team of volunteers that serves the tour and its cyclists faithfully day after day. “The first week was grueling with long hours, but after we got organized and separated our time and responsibilities, it’s been much better.”

She says working together and supporting each other as a team of volunteers has been a fun experience. “As a kitchen committee, we’ve tried to follow the same route the riders are taking as much as possible, and we stop at the SAG (support and gear) wagons and spend some time there as well.”

The tour will finish the week—its longest of the tour—in Fremont, Neb., on Saturday. Sunday morning, the riders will split up on their day off and be bussed to Omaha or Lincoln where Christian Reformed churches will host celebration rallies in conjunction with their morning worship services.

—Sea to Sea Communications

www.SeatoSea.org