Moving ahead

After a nice weekend and much needed rest in Denver, dad was excited to head out on the next leg of the tour. His cold is almost gone and his knee feels great. His bike was fixed for free at a local bicycle shop in town, so all is going well.

He said, though, that one rider (Cynthia) fell on Monday and broke her pelvis after trying to dodge something in the roadway and is now in a Colorado hospital. How disappointing this must be for her. She is in our prayers and we hope for quick healing.

Now...if only he'd send some photos! :)

An upsetting spill

Dad made it to Denver yesterday, but not without injury. Soon after they got into Denver, dad took a spill. A bike in front of him was slowing down and dad's front tire ran into the other person's back tire and down he went. He apparently scraped up his knee pretty bad. His bike was damaged in the process as well. Like last Thursday's Shifting Gears devotional states, "Despite your best efforts to avoid it, you will fall." It also states, "When it happens, your beloved bike will be scratched, your body will pick up some road rash and your pride will be wounded." But we are assured that God will "lift up the fallen, no matter what kind of fall it is." We are thankful he wasn't injured more. I heard another rider broke his collar bone in several places and is off the tour. Let's continue to pray for safety of all the cyclists.

This weekend he is staying with some old friends in Denver, Jack and Jane VanZytveld. This will give him a chance to get over his head cold and give his knee a rest. He's also taking his bike into a local bike shop to get the front wheel repaired. He was glad to received a few letters and care packages this week. The next mail stop is in Madison, WI on August 9. You can send mail to:

Roger Feenstra/Sea to Sea Bike Tour
Crossroads Church
3815 S. Dutch Mill Road
Madison, WI 53718

'Till next time...

A personal record

Sorry it's been so long between updates. I got a chance to talk to dad a couple nights ago. He said biking through the mountains has been extremely tiring, but is going as well as can be expected. So far, he's been able to finish every mile. He's currently suffering from a head cold, but we all know that won't slow him down. In fact, he hit a personal best for speed. He hit 42 miles per hour on one of the descents.

I asked him how hard it is for the geologist in him to bike past the rock formations and not stop to take pictures or give lessons on sedimentary rock layers. He said he's so focused on getting through, he's actually passing by some of it. I wonder if the heat is getting to him...I didn't think it was possible to NOT stop at an educational rock moment.

Anyway, he's spending the weekend at our old stomping grounds. We lived in Denver during the 80's and my brothers and I were once Denver Christian Crusaders.

We ask for your continued prayers for dad and all the other bicyclists as they are finishing their "climb" to Denver and beginning their descent towards Grand Rapids. Hopefully, I'll receive some more pictures to post soon. Stay tuned!

A tough day

Well, after 19 days of biking, dad finally had not one, but TWO flat tires on Friday caused by some wire on the roadway. They have a very difficult day today - 95 miles with the last 20 miles of it climbing almost 6,000 feet. Tomorrow is Sunday so they have a day off from biking with a celebration rally in Salt Lake City.

I found a news article from Thursday that shows dad in the video clip.

http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2008/07/17/news/local_state/140539.txt

'Till next time...

More Sea to Sea in the News

Dad called during a banana break right in the middle of Highway 84. It's not everyday you can stand along side a highway and make a phone call. He said things are going well. They have a couple of long, tough days ahead of them.

Here's another news story about Sea to Sea.

http://www.kmvt.com/news/local/25522854.html?video=YHI&t=a

Some recent news:

Arnie Issette (from my church - Fellowship Church in Big Rapids) tore his achilles tendon and was forced to quit the race. He will be flying home to Michigan to see if surgery is necessary. We were sorry to hear the news about Arnie and hope he has a quick recovery. In an earlier phone call to the church, he said this ride was a "life-changing experience".

Other news heard through the grapevine:

A porta-potty fell off the truck right in the middle of the road. I'd hate to be the one to clean that one up.

The food trailer came unhitched and was caught by the safety chains. Uh oh!

Stay tuned for more updates.

Photos

Dad finally sent me some photos. Enjoy!

Going well...

Well, we've heard from dad on and off, but he has nothing big to report. He says the trip is going very well. He hasn't encountered any difficulties so far. This weekend, they are in Boise, ID. It's nice to get a day of rest after 65 miles of steady climbing yesterday. It really tired him out. He's going to try to get some pictures to me today so hopefully I can post them soon.

Throughout the trip, there are places the bicyclists can receive mail. I would love to see him get some mail along the way. The next mail stop is Denver, CO on July 26. The mail MUST get there by the 26th because there is no guarantee it will be sent to the next stop. You can send him mail at:

Roger Feenstra / Sea to Sea Bike Tour
Third Christian Reformed Church
2400 S. Ash St.
Denver, CO 80222

Sea to Sea on the News in Kennewick

Here's a link to a news story on the Kennewick, WA television news station about the Sea to Sea tour. No sightings of dad, but it's a good story.

http://www.kvewtogo.com/?mgid=3695

Peddling in the Rain

We heard from dad this morning at 10:00 (7:00 Washington time) just before he headed out for the day. He said everything is going well. Yesterday, it rained for part of the day and he ended up soaked from head to toe. The last couple days have been relatively "easy", with approximately 45 miles per day, which was a nice break after the few long tiring days at the beginning. He said they ran through an area near Sunnyside where there is a thorny plant that caused a lot of flat tires. There were 21 flats yesterday as a result. At the end of yesterday's ride, they were able to watch the 4th of July fireworks in Sunnyside.

So far, he's fallen twice. Unfortunately, they weren't glamourous falls, as he was standing still both times! It's hard to unhook your feet quickly as you're on your way down. A few people had a good laugh when he unhooked one foot, but leaned the opposite direction and lost his balance. He's got a scraped up leg and arm, but nothing serious.

He said the local CRC churches who have been hosting and feeding them have been fantastic and he actually thinks he might be gaining weight from all the great food! We told him to make sure to upload some pictures to post. He said they're having problems with satellite connection, but will try to get some pictures to us as soon as he can.

Until next time...

Well, according to dad, yesterday was a grueling day. He made it up the mountain and is now on his way down. After a bit of hesitance using his brakes, he decided to follow the others flying by him and caught himself going over 40 miles an hour on the way down. He said it was, "exhilarating". The top of the mountain was covered with snow, but the bottom met him with 100 degree temperatures and no rain.

He said things are going very well. So far, the only mishap was that his bike was knocked over while resting against a post and the mirror broke. He stopped to purchase another mirror, however, this new mirror attaches to his glasses. I'll have to get a picture of that one!

Don't forget to visit the Sea to Sea website. Each day a different biker carries a GPS and there is a map from Google Earth that shows their positioning every 15 minutes. It's worth checking out. http://www.crcna.org/pages/sea_track.cfm

Stay tuned!

Tire dipping

I just got some pictures and a video emailed to me from Victor. Here is the tire dipping ceremony and the start of the tour. I'll keep posting with any updates I have. I heard through the grapevine that there were a few accidents and a trip to the emergency room on Day 1...no news from Dad, though. No news is hopefully good news!