Sea to Sea 2017 Ends in Halifax
On Tuesday, Aug. 29, nearly 100 cyclists, volunteers, and staff reached the Atlantic shore in Halifax, N.S. For more than 50 riders this was the end of a 10-week, 72-day, 1728-hour bicycle ride that began in Vancouver, B.C., on June 26. Here is a story by Christina de Jong, written as the tour was coming to a close.
Cyclists as young as 12 and as old as 81 are participating in Sea to Sea. Their mission: to raise awareness and funds to fight poverty through ride co-hosts Partners Worldwide and World Renew.
Jonathan Sheler of Partners Worldwide, who joined the Sea to Sea ride in Newberry, Mich., and rode to Sault Ste. Marie, blogged: “Throughout the week, I witnessed the impressive camaraderie of the group. When 100 people are together for 10 weeks straight, conflict is bound to arise, but there was no evidence of that in this group. Riders young and old have built strong relationships, forming a tightly knit community. Even after a grueling day of 100-plus miles, an almost unanimous response would be “Great ride!”
A day in the life of the Sea to Sea ride includes much more than 70-100 miles cycled in any kind of weather. Each rider is a part of a small group.
Each group is in charge of a daily chore: cleaning up after breakfast, cooking and serving dinner, loading the gear truck, cleaning up the campground before departure. The small group ends the day with devotions and time to share the highlights and lowlights from the day.
Ida Kaastra Mutoigo, co-director of World Renew, who joined the ride for two weeks in July, blogged: “What is most rewarding in the Sea to Sea experience as well as our work in World Renew is having people, whether they are cyclists or volunteers or community members or church members or staff, find the refreshment for the soul that only Christ can give. As Psalm 23:1-3 says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.”
Riding together
Luke Theule from World Renew’s donor relations team joined the ride in August for a week, riding from Quebec to Charlottetown, P.E.I. One evening he shared with the cyclists how Sea to Sea operates in a way like World Renew in its community development work.
Like World Renew, Sea to Sea takes a community, or a peloton (a group of riders), and takes them from Vancouver to Halifax. It doesn't give people rides but helps map out the route, offer some water and energy bars, and stays next to riders for the entire journey, said Theule.
Sea to Sea has stages because it is a long journey; World Renew has stages such as agriculture, village savings and loan programs, and health education because the road to a sustainable, resilient community takes years.
The easiest way to ride and ensure that you finish the journey, said Theule, is to ride directly behind someone for a time so that they protect you from the wind—and then you take their place. This process is called drafting and helps riders conserve energy.
In a sense, Sea to Sea riders are also drafting for vulnerable people around the world. And because those people travel in their own peloton and will finish their journey, one day they will in turn have the strength and capacity to draft for someone else, Theule said.
Clarence Doornbos
This year the Sea to Sea community mourned deeply the death of Clarence Doornbos, who was struck by a vehicle while training in West Michigan in preparation for a leg of Sea to Sea. His cycling companion Claire Elgersma also sustained injuries. Clarence’s son, Jeffrey Doornbos, wrote on July 27: “Today my dad would have joined the Sea to Sea tour in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, for a two and a half week leg. I want to thank all of those who have donated in his name. And thank you to everyone at Sea to Sea and World Renew for your amazing support. It's an amazing cause. He rides along with you all in spirit.”
What is most evident about all who have participated in Sea to Sea is their dedication to the cause they are rallying behind.
Sheler, in his blog post, describes how every rider has taken time away from their family, friends, home, community. They have given up their comfortable bed for an air mattress in a tent or school; they have taken time off from work and school. And now together they have raised more than $1.6 million to fight global poverty!
