Quick Facts
The largest cross-continental bike tour ever
• 220 cyclists registered; 127 of whom are going the full distance. Largest known previous tour is 96 cyclists crossing Canada in 2005 (165 total cyclists involved);
Who Are These Cyclists?
• Most of the riders are affiliated with a congregation in the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) in North America;
• A wide range of cyclists...
- from Portland, Oregon to Winnipeg, Manitoba to Port au Prince, Haiti;
- from 18 to 81 years old;
- from student, to teacher, to carpenter, to corrections officer, to minister, to retiree;
• Male/Female ratio is about 2:1.
Why Are They Riding?
• Many have personal reasons for their participation. Collectively, they are also cycling to:
- Increase awareness concerning the root causes of global poverty;
- Motivate people to become involved in assisting the poor;
- Raise money to fund initiatives aimed at reducing poverty.
Ending the Cycle of Poverty
• Tour proceeds will support new and ongoing programs that break the cycle of poverty for individuals, families and communities around the world;
• Tour partners include the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, Christian Reformed World Missions, and Partners Worldwide. Sea to Sea is also partnering with RCA Global Mission in connection with cyclists from the Reformed Church in America.
• Each cyclists’ fund-raising target is $10,000 (or $4,000 for one leg of the route).
Tour Details
• June 30 – August 30, 2008; 62 days total, 54 riding days;
• 3,881 miles (6,246 kms), daily average is 72 miles (116 kms);
• Starting in Seattle, Washington, ending Jersey City, New Jersey and also traveling through part of Canada;
• Twelve Celebration Rallies staged in cities along the tour route, usually on Sundays.
General News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
More than 200 cyclists ride for the poor
May 1, 2008—The Christian Reformed Church (CRC) is taking its message of hope to the streets by staging the largest bicycling tour to ever cross North America.
More than 200 cyclists are registered to ride in the “Sea to Sea 2008 Bike Tour” that begins next month in Seattle. The tour is a nine-week trek across the United States and part of Canada beginning June 30 in Seattle, Wash., and finishing in Jersey City, N.J. on Aug. 30.
More than 125 of the participants are set to bike the entire 3,881-mile distance while another 90 are participating for at least a two-week portion of the route.
Cycling to end poverty
The tour provides a way to raise awareness and funds for people living in poverty in North America and around the world. Organizers have set a goal of raising $1.5 million to eradicate poverty by partnering with the Reformed Church in America and agencies like the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, Christian Reformed World Missions, and Partners Worldwide funding programs in job creation, education and health services.
“Poverty is a big issue and it takes something big like this tour to draw attention to it,” says Rev. Len Riemersma, a tour organizer from Willard, Ohio. “We serve a big God who is calling us to offer His hope to people in what often seems like hopeless situations.”
A cycling enthusiast, Riemersma is one of three chaplains riding along with the group this summer providing pastoral care while enjoying a challenging adventure.
Also cycling the full distance is Claire Elgersma, who kick-started the planning of the “Sea to Sea 2008 Bike Tour.” She participated in a similar tour hosted by the CRC in 2005 that stretched almost 6,000 miles across Canada over 10 weeks.
“Biking across Canada was an amazing experience for the church and also very life-changing for me,” Elgersma says. “For 71 days, we were exposed to the elements and were totally dependent on God for his protection.”
About this tour, she says: “An event like this is big enough and crazy enough to generate enormous enthusiasm around a cause. This tour is merely a vehicle to challenge groups and individuals to engage in serving the poor all over the world in some way.”
Sea to Sea cyclists have committed to raising $10,000 each, (other cyclists are raising $4,000 each per stage). Donations to individual cyclists or to the tour in general can be made online at www.SeatoSea.org or by calling 1-888-CRC-BIKE.
Two countries
Most of the participants are members of the Christian Reformed Church, a protestant, evangelical denomination with about 275,000 members in 1,000 churches in the United States and Canada. The church’s bi-nationality prompted organizers to design a route that would include traveling through a part of Canada, passing through cities that were not including in the 2005 tour.
The CRC was established in 1857 in Holland, Michigan and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2007. “Sea to Sea 2008 Bike Tour” builds on the celebrations of the past while continuing to look for opportunities to make a positive impact in the world for generations to come.
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Press Conferences
Official Sea to Sea Bike Tour announcement:
Grand Rapids, Mich. — Thursday, June 19 - 11:30 a.m. at Calvin College (Fine Arts Center) in conjunction with Synod, the annual general meeting of the Christian Reformed Church.
Announcement includes greetings to the delegates of synod by Claire Elgersma, chair of the steering committee, and a time of prayer and dedication. Rev. Gerard L. Dykstra, executive director of the CRCNA, and Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, general secretary of the Reformed Church in America, along with a dozen or more Sea to Sea cyclists will be available for photos and interviews.
The following locations indicate where Sea to Sea organizers will hold press conferences and special photo opportunities during the tour. Cyclists will wear their official Sea to Sea cycling jerseys and ride together in one large group.
Seattle — Monday, June 30 – 9 a.m. Golden Gardens Beach (tire-dipping; start)
Denver — Sunday, July 27 — 9 a.m. at Denver Christian High School * NEW
Madison — Saturday, Aug. 9 — 2:30 p.m. at Crossroads Church/Ahuska Park (staging area)
Grand Rapids — Saturday, Aug. 16 — Noon at Calvin College (exact location TBA)
Marine City — Wednesday, Aug. 20 — 10 a.m. at US/Canada border crossing
Hamilton — Friday, Aug. 22 — 2 p.m. at Redeemer University College, Ancaster
Niagara Falls — Monday, Aug. 25 — 9:30 a.m. at Rainbow Bridge border crossing
Jersey City — Saturday, Aug. 30 — 1 p.m. (61-mile day) at Liberty State Park (boat launch)
Additional Sea to Sea events
1) The tour will host 12 celebration rallies in communities along the route.
Seattle — Sunday, June 29 – 6 p.m. at University of Washington, the HUB
Kennewick — Sunday, July 6 — 10:30 a.m. at Columbia Park
Boise — Sunday, July 13 — 10:30 at Julia Davis Park
Salt Lake City — Sunday, July 20 — 5:30 p.m. at Jordanelle State Park, Keetley Pavillion
Denver — Sunday, July 27 — 10 a.m. at Englewood High School Stadium
Omaha — Sunday, Aug. 3 — 10:30 a.m. at Prairie Lane CRC
Sioux Center — Tuesday, Aug. 5 — 7 p.m. at Dordt College, Campus Center
Madison — Sunday, Aug. 10 — 9:30 a.m. at Crossroads Church
Palos Heights — Tuesday, Aug. 12 — 7 p.m. at Trinity Christian College
Grand Rapids — Sunday, Aug. 17 — 3 p.m. at Fifth Third Ballpark, Comstock Park
Niagara Falls — Sunday, Aug. 24 — 4 p.m. at Queenston Heights Park, Queenston
Wyckoff — Saturday, Aug. 30 — 7:30 p.m. at Cedar Hill CRC
2) Cyclists will participate in community outreach projects with local mission agencies in cities along the route.
Tentative details available here.
