Blessed to be Finished

Sorry we did not post yesterday. Because some of the group missed a turn we arrived about two hours late at Messiah College. Everything sort of cascaded from there and we didn’t arrive back at the house until 10:45 PM. I hope to post more in the near future. Thank you for your prayers and support over the past few months. The team raised about $10,800 for our churches in Liberia. We traveled 930 miles in 12 days of riding. Everyone finished well (though sore) and never had to ride in the rain. PTL!

5/28 Day 13

Hello this is David (rude) posting tonight,

              Our path today was a hilly one that started in Clearfield PA and ended in Lewistown PA.  At the start of the ride things were going well everyone was feeling OK and ready to get the day going.  But right out of the gate we had a 10 mile climb then a 8 mile descent.  Then the big climb was in front.  The starting elevation was 1429 ft and the summit elevation was 2207 ft over 4.5 miles! I will never look at the “rolling hills” of PA the same.  I stopped at the summit to talk with Dave for directions and got a little sidetracked at the bottom of the descent but everything worked out in the end (thank The Lord for cell phones).  Need I mention I hit 47 mph on the downhill side.. 52 yesterday and doing that today; wow its a natural roller coaster.  At the top of the next hill we stopped for a little before we headed into State College.  Then just outside town Tom had a flat tire he decided to ride in the van till lunch, which was 4 miles ahead.  After lunch about 5 miles outside State College Tom had another flat on then same rear tire.  After stopping to help him out we (Ralph, Tom, and myself) found a staple that punctured his tire.  Nate and Dan had gone on ahead not knowing the flat tire situation.  Dave by this point had come back with the van and a new tire for Tom I left before the new tire was on.  Further up the road on 322 Nate had spotted a “Motor Vehicles Only” sign this was 15 miles outside Lewistown and 55 miles into the ride. Dave had a work around but it was 26 miles out of the way…..  So we then packed the bikes into the van for 6 miles till we were at the exit off of 322.  Dan and Ralph wanted to do the last 7 miles to the hotel that was graciously provided for us tonight.  Nate did not decide to go on b/c his rear tire was flat and his knee was not doing so well.  Tom and I were gased and rode in the van the rest of the way.  Today was probably the roughest day for me as I felt flat from mile 1 usually I begin to feel better after 20-25 miles but that never happened today.  So the final stats are 55 miles for Nate, Tom and myself; and 62 miles for Dan and Ralph.  With an average speed of 15.1 mph.   

5/27 Day 12

Nate here - We’re getting to the fun part now.. Oh the hills of PA! All of us had a great time with our host families last night. Dan and I stayed with a lovely couple named Bob and Terri. We became “men” while at their house - Bob found out neither of us had shot a gun before. It wasn’t long before we were out back shooting rifles and revolvers - life is good, and our accuracy wasn’t to shabby either

We got on the road around 8:45 and it was just a short jog until we hit route 322. We spent our day on that road, 70 miles of it. It was a very humid and muggy day, and the sweat was flowing as we climbed hill after hill through the mountains. We were able to stay out of the rain all day long too, while the clouds looked omonous at times, they never let loose - what a blessing! There also seemed to be more rises than decents today. There was quite a climb from about mile 67-73, an unrelenting 7%-8% grade for 6 1/2 miles. Needless to say, there was much rejoicing and a well deserved break at the summit. Then there was an exhilarating 3 mile decent in which some of us hit new top speeds, and others just tried to survive and return safe to their wife and kids - David (who is single) hit an impressive 52.1 mph.

We are running out to eat now. I will close this out later tonight. Check back!

—- Back from a nice dinner—- One of the host families from Lakeside E.C., the Palovsky’s, drove down to spend some more time with the group. It was great to see them again, as well as humor them by singing a song. They wrote down lyrics during the hour and a half drive for Dan and I to put a tune to. It was pretty hysterical and Dad said I can’t call him goofy anymore after our ‘performance’. I feel it is also appropriate to give yet one more thank you to the Palovsky’s as they were gracious enough to put the entire team up in a hotel tomorrow night, where otherwise we would have been sleeping 6 people in a 4 man tent.

Back to earlier though, we arrived just after 3pm. We averaged 16.5 mph and went 72 3/4 miles in 4 1/2 hours. We were able to shower in the school that is attached to the church here. No hot water though, so that made for some good laughs as the ‘oooh’s and the ‘ahhhhhs’ and other various squeels came from shivering men.

And that about it for today. We look forward to some more hills tomorrow, expecting to be right around 70 miles again. We just keep praising God for the good weather he has granted us throughout this entire trip - to Him be the glory!

Goodnight all, Nate

5/26 Day 11

Ralph here. We got up this morning to a real threat of severe weather. While gathering at the church about 9:00 AM we were greated with a heavy shower while unloading the cars. David pulled the van/trailer under the church’s drive through and we began to load up the luggage and prepare the bikes. Thankfully the shower lasted only a few minutes but the surrounding sky was quite dark. We headed out about 9:30 and it stayed dry for the rest of the ride - PTL! Today’s ride - 52.11 miles - was the shortest to date, and we arrived at our Knox Grace church about 2:45 PM. We all managed the steep climb in Kennendell which stretched over one mile and averaged a 14% grade. We pulled over at a senic overlook and marveled how far the Allegheny River was below us! By the grace of God!!

We experienced the usual work arounds due to unpaved roads - rode some unpaved roads - and believe that the long climb up to Knox Grace may qualify it as the closest E.C. Church to the heavenly realm. Some of our decents today were also quite severe - sometimes on poorly paved roads. We all commented on how tired our arms became because of the necessity to ride the brakes to stay under control. I’m quite proud of the group. They handeled a tough day very well. Grace’s Pastor Rick did a great job arranging housing for the group. We plan to meet at the church tomorrow morning at 8:00 and hope to be on the road again by 8:30. We trust that the thunderstorms will clear out tonight and will only have to contend (hopefully there will be none) with a few showers tomorrow morning and hope to be finished before the possibility of afternoon T-storms sets in. Today’s ride was a little slower due to the climbs but managed an average of 13.1 mph in a riding time of four hours three minutes. Tomorrow’s ride is 72 miles to Clearfield where we are to stay at a CMA church arranged by David Dick from OMS. Thanks David!

5/25 Day 10

Dave the van driver here.  After six days of labor we’re enjoying a well deserved day of rest.  It is GOOD!  We fellowshipped at Lakeside EC Church in Transfer PA this morning.  What a fantastic congregation!  The team shared in both services.  Dan & Nate did music, Ralph shared the Launch Liberia vision, Dave Rude did the application in the first service and Tom Brey the second.  We’re going to enjoy Bar B Que later but for now we’ll just enjoy a time of rest and healing.  Tomorrow morning we leave for Knox, PA.  The ride features our first l_o_n_g climb with 10-14% grades.  Tune in tomorrow to find out how we do.  Until then I think I’ll take a nap.

5/24 Day 09

Hey everybody!  Today would be my (Dan) turn to write the blog for the team.  I am currently reclined on an amazing leather sofa at the Palovsky’s residence.  Tom and Ralph are currently out on the back deck relaxing in the hot tub!  We enjoyed a delicious dinner of Stauffers Lasagna, Cheesy Texas Toast, and Fruit Pizza, which totally reminded me of home.

Today’s ride was only 73 miles long.  We climbed many hills today, however they were longer and less severe of an incline.  It has been our routine to get lost every morning, and today was no exception.  We managed to pass the same house with the group of guys out on the porch three times!  They must of really thought we were quite stupid.  We just kept driving around the stone and pot-holed cul-de-sac, waving to everyone and wishing them good morning.  That knocked our average speed down pretty low, but we still managed to pull out with a 15.7 mph average speed, with 4 hrs and 45 min in the saddle.  Dave was able to join us out on the bikes again today.  His knee did not hurt him at all today, so his time of rest did him much good.

Nothing too eventful happened today.  We were all just pretty excited to be finished our 6th consecutive day of riding.  We are all pretty tired and sore and our muscles really are in need of this Sunday off so that they can rebuild.  A day of rest should do us all some good.  This week alone we have ridden 511 miles!

We did stop for a moment to have Dave take a picture of us as we crossed into Pennsylvania. YEAH!

Nate had some trouble with his knee today.  He said it felt like his right knee was starting to fill with fluid around mile 20, which is not good.  So we got him on the ibuprofen and ice.  He didn’t have any real pain just a strange feeling.  So his left leg got a pretty good workout carrying him through the other 53 miles.  With special care and a day of rest he should be back in good shape to tackle the hills of PA.  My right Achilles tendon has been hurting me for the past three days.  I am hoping that some Ibuprofen, ice and a day of rest will also heal it back up.  So please keep these injuries in your prayers.

Well I’m going to get in the hot tub.  Life is so rough!  We’ll post more tomorrow!

Dan    : )

5/23 Day 08

Good evening - Ralph here! Another day of safe riding completed, PTL! We were a bit slower (I was a lot slower) due to the hills as we moved through Ohio. Our average speed was 15 mph over 4 hours fifteen minutes of riding a total of 64 miles to Akron. Just a few miles out of Greenwich we placed a call to David for a work around. The road on the GPS did not exist and an obvious alternate had a bridge out a mile down the road. We decided a small county road was the best we could do. Only 1/2 mile ahead it turned to stone - big stone. So - Nate and I decided to walk while Dan and Tom tried to pick their way through the rocks. Thankfully it was only about a mile until the pavement reappeared. (By the way, David Rude continued to rest his knee today - he hopes to ride tomorrow.) About midday I needed a bathroom really bad. We missed a turn due to a work around because of another stone road - and ended up in Lodi. While deciding how to get back on track a barber came out of his shop and struck up a conversation. It wasn’t long until I asked permission to use his bathroom. Yes! 

I think that the Canine Network published a bulletin that there were bike riders coming through today. The younger ones were waiting and eager while the older ones just seemed to bark and run along the property line. I watched one give Nathan chase for about 400 yards - at least 24 mph. Nathan claims he was going 27 mph when the dog finally broke off and started trotting toward the field. When he saw me following behind he took a few steps in my direction but then turned and walked into the field. I’m glad the bulletin didn’t indicate that I was the slowest rider in the group.

Instead of staying at the church in Akron the Hartshorne family gave us their home to use while they are out of town for Memorial Day weekend. What a blessing! Pastor Scott Carr, his wife and parents as well as Don Vogle (sp) invited the team out for dinner to an Italian restaurant. The chicken parm was the favorite of many. Tom is off with Pastor Scott’s dad at a ball game, Nate and Dan are working on music, I’m blogging, and the Davids are resting.

Tomorrow we ride to Transfer, PA. YEAH - PA!! - about 70 miles. We rearranged the route to avoid Youngstown/Sharon and now will be going north of Warren. Our new route is below. By the way - the East Team began their ride. You can track their progress by clicking Pastor Rick’s link in the left column.

5/22 Day 07

Hi, I’m Dave the van driver.  Today started out as normally as any other on this trip.  Got up.  Had Devotions.  Ate Breakfast.  Helped the team off.  Repacked the van.  Set up the routing computer in the passenger seat and set out in search of the team.  This morning the route took us through a lot of turns in a large residential area.  The team has a GPS that tells them when a turn is coming up but in the van I have to remember the turns as far ahead as possible or pull over and check the computer screen.  The team probably made better time than the van through that section as I had to stop and get my bearings several times.

I try to check the road ahead of the team since the road conditions are not always what we need.  When this happens I try to find a “work around” for the team that doesn’t create any more hardship for them.  Today the route was good and I rode out to the 20 mile point to wait for the team.  While waiting I do the grocery shopping, van maintenance, call ahead to our host for the day to keep them informed of our progress, and continue checking to find hosts for the remaining unscheduled nights. (I prefer sleeping indoors)

Today I got a call from Nathan telling me to prepare and icepack for David Rude.  He had stressed his knee and rode out the day with me.  Somebody to TALK to:).  We continued ahead of the team another 22 miles and found a park with picnic tables and port-a-lets.  Not a bad spot for lunch!  Continued to Greenwich, OH and Unloaded the van at the church…a day in the life of the van driver.  Today the route was only 68.28 miles and the team averaged 14.68 mph, a total of 4hr.39min. elapsed time.

The picture above says it all.  Yea for Greenwich UMC!  Supper, showers AND laundry!  Kudos!!!!

5/21 Day 6

Wednesday ride:

After being refreshed in the whirlpool at the YMCA of Fort Wayne, we had a good night of sleep and were up early for the ride.  We left at 9:30 and got out of town in good time.  God was again good to us today as we were riding east and had NW winds of 10-15 behind us.  After some manuvering and a couple of gravel roads we got to the State of Ohio and Rt. 613.  We rode for about 60 miles on 613 and it was great - good road with about a foot shoulder, litely traveled and few towns along the way.  Believe it or not, I think Ohio is flatter than Indiana.  Our tour of Ohio again showed us farmers working their fields and something curious.  Most farm homes along the rode had a personal lagoon (for swimming), with rock edging and clear blue water.  We saw at least 100 of them. 

Another day of safe travel and no problems.  Aching and fatigue is setting in, but we just pedal on.  Dan broke a spoke 100 yards from our destination and we were able to find a bike shop and a gracious owner who repaired it for free.  Thanks Roger from The Bike Shop in Findlay, OH! Check his web site at the links on the right side of the page. Had a great meal at the Golden Corral (don’t think they made any money on us) and are staying at the Findlay Community Church (former EC Church).  Today we traveled 93.35 miles in 5 hours and 16 minutes of riding time for an average of 17.71 mph.  That makes our three day total this week over 300 miles!!  We are staying ahead of the rain, although it has been cool (started out at 52 degrees and made it up to 65).

We appreciate your prayers.

The Illinois delegate,

Tom Brey

5/20 Day 5

Hello this is David (Rude) posting today:

           Today was a good day the planed route was 85 miles but as it turned out we finished at 94.3 miles! The reason for this is the church that graciously housed us for this night had a street name that was similar to the one the church was on; 9 miles away!!!  Well technology does work but its not always perfect.  For the ride itself it was along smooth roads that road bikes like very much.  The temperatures ranged from 55 deg F at the the start and around 63 deg F at the finish.  This was due to the cloud cover and the sun never made it out from behind it.  The final stats for the days are 94.3 miles at an average speed of 18 - 22 mph.  Two of the riders Dan and Nate, felt the need to make the ride 100 miles for the full century ride.  They are crazy (ohh wait we all are).  Over the past two days we have ridden 215 miles that’s more riding in 48 hours then ne one of us have ever done!! As a saying goes “Your either crazy or Christian”.  The church that took us in for the night happened to have a member that is the director for the local YMCA and he heard about our adventure and provided us with guest passes.   The Hot Tub was especially enjoyed by all.  Dinner was a tasty sweet and sour chicken; a welcomed respite from foods of the Italian delicacy God is so good and provides soo much for His beloved children.