Published: August 25, 2008 06:22 pm      

NIAGARA FALLS: Pedaling through the country for a greater good

More than 200 cyclists pass through Falls on a poverty-fighting mission

NIAGARA FALLS — For the last month, Joanna Tipple’s life has been all about peddling.

For six to eight hours each day, the resident of Claverack has been pushing pedals on a bicycle through places like Oregon, Utah and Colorado.

While the scenery on her cross-country trip has been spectacular, it’s the help she and her fellow riders are providing that has made the ups and downs on the road worthwhile.

“It’s more than giving people money,” said Tipple. “It’s about helping them to stop the cycle of poverty.”

Tipple and roughly 200 fellow bicyclists pedaled through Niagara Falls Monday morning after crossing the Rainbow Bridge into the U.S. from Canada. They are part of the Sea to Sea 2008 Bike Tour, a trek organized by Christian Reformed Church that started June 30 in Seattle, crossed the northern U.S. and southern Canada and will wind its way to completion on Saturday in Jersey City, N.J.

The riders goal is to raise awareness and funds for people living in poverty in North America and around the world. Each rider was asked to raise funds for the effort through sponsors. Organizers are hoping to generate $1.5 million that would be distributed to the Christian Reform World Relief Committee, Christian Reformed World Missions, Partners Worldwide and other organizations that support education, job creation and health services programs.

“Around the world, a child dies every three second due to extreme poverty,” said Leanne Talen Geisterfer, a 50-year-old cyclist from Grand Rapids, Mich. “Its takes me about three seconds to complete four pedal strokes; that’s what I’ll be thinking about as I ride.”

Organizers say of the 220 participants, 127 are riding the entire 3,881-mile distance while another 93 are riding for at least a two-week portion of the route.

Tipple started her journey at the beginning of the ride in Seattle. A self-proclaimed recreational bicyclists, she has found herself riding as much as 70 miles per day during the tour. While she admits that she’s eager to return home to her husband, she said the experience not only gave her an up-close look at the beauty of America and Canada, but also a greater appreciation for how much people in both countries are willing to help others. While the riders are doing their part to stamp out poverty, Tipple said they have been supported along the way by hundreds of well-wishers, support staff and corporate sponsors, one of which even bought her a brand-new bike so she’d be better equipped to handle the terrain.

“It’s not about us,” Tipple said. “It’s about something much bigger.”



TO HELP

Donations to individual cyclists or to the tour in general can be made by online at www.SeatoSea.org or by calling 1-888-CRC-BIKE.