When the calendar hits June, most high school students can’t wait for a break.
You know the whole “no more pencils, no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks” kind of thing.
Summer vacations are supposed to mean trips to the beach, sleeping late and maybe, if necessary, working a part-time job to make just enough money so you don’t have to hit up mom and dad for spending cash. Oh, the good old days.
But apparently somebody forgot to tell a group of eight St. Paul’s School students what summers are all about, because instead of doing all the fun stuff you normally think of, they’re taking a cross-country journey. Which, of course, sounds like a great time on the surface, cruising from state to state with some of your closest friends, but this isn’t one of those trips where they’re all going to pile into a VW bus and hit the open road. There will be no vehicles involved in this adventure (except for the ones flying by them) because the only way they’re going to make it from one side of the country to the other is by using a whole lot of leg power. Like riding a road bike kind of leg power.
That’s right, for 48 days the group of seven juniors – Jade Thomas, Jacob Witt, Reid Noch, Jamie Marshman, Oliver Van Everen, Mary Elmore DeMott and Webster Thompson – and one sophomore, Gabby Spurzem, will ride from Anacortes, Wash. to Portsmouth, spanning a route of more than 3,800 miles put together by Adventure Cycling, to raise money for Ride 2 Recovery – a program created in 2008 to help veterans through cycling. It’s the third straight trip, which has been done about every two years since 2004 by a group of SPS students, that Ride 2 Recovery has been the beneficiary of the fundraising effort.
“It’s just a really identifiable cause,” said Thomas, a junior from Missoula, Mont. “Supporting veterans is something people identify with.”
The group began with a goal of reaching $100,000, trying to match that of the last St. Paul’s cyclists to make the cross-country trip, and as of now are about a quarter of the way there. Although the fundraising effort is far from done – and they certainly could use your help.
“We want to donate a ton of money,” said Thomas. “The next two months we need to hit our numbers. We’ve all written numerous letters.”
The journey begins June 12, just days after the school year ends and many of them complete their SAT subject tests, in the Pacific Ocean town with a 66.5-mile ride to Rockport, also in Washington state.
And while day one is a relatively flat ride, the second leg of the trip will not be. That’s when they hit the Rockies and the elevation profile changes dramatically. But that’s just how it goes when you ride a bike across the country – you’re going to see a little bit of everything.
“I’ve never really done any serious biking, but that’s about to change,” said Thompson, a junior from New York City whose brother was on the last trip.
They’ll go through Montana, where Thomas, Spurzem and Van Everen are from, and will even stay a night at Van Everen’s house, before crossing over into Alberta (that’s in Canada in case you thought a new state was recently added) for parts of two days.
“I’m excited for Montana because it’s home and where I fell in love with riding,” Thomas said.
It’s a trip across the northern part of the country, so states like Idaho, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Minnesota are on the list, as well as another journey into Ontario – also in Canada – to go over the top of the Great Lakes. And yes, we checked, you do need a passport even when crossing the border on a bike.
“I think the first two weeks are going to be the most difficult,” Thomas said.
The last few states are Michigan, New York, Vermont and of course, New Hampshire. The final night of the journey will be spent on the campus of St. Paul’s on July 27 before riding the final 60.5 miles to the Atlantic. There will be seven rest days scattered throughout the trip.
“It’s going to be really fun riding with seven of my closest friends across the country,” said Noch, a junior from Naples, Fla. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
In order to put as much of the fundraising money away for Ride 2 Recovery, the students will camp out most nights, while staying at a few hostels and with some community hosts. The longest leg of the trip is on day 23, a scenic 124.5 mile ride through North Dakota from Napoloeon to Leonard. It comes in the midst of a 12-day stretch where each ride is more than 100 miles.
“We’re going to try and finish before the sun goes down,” Thompson said.
And what’s the number one thing to prepare for?
“We just need to get our butt used to the saddle,” Thompson said.
But don’t worry because they’ll have plenty of help along the way. They will be aided by what is called a sag vehicle, where all their food, camping gear and anything else they’ll need will be stored, so all they have to do is focus on riding. Because it’s pretty obvious there will be lots of that to do.
“It’s 100 percent supported,” Thomas said. “We’ll be riding pretty comfy.”
The vehicle will be driven by parents, who, led by Karen Collins (Witt’s mom), have been a big help along the way.
“We’re not nearly responsible enough to pull this off ourselves,” Thompson said.
The planning for the trip began last spring with the help of former participants, but it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. It wasn’t easy finding the right group for the ride – especially after four of the original eight decided it wasn’t for them.
“We had a pretty serious talk in the beginning,” Thomas said.
But it all worked out, and the focus can now shift to the details, fundraising and preparing for the ride (both mentally and physically). Everyone finally has their gear and the group rides started this past weekend. And with less than two months until the start, the countdown begins.
For more info on the trip, Ride 2 Recovery or to donate, visit spscyclists2015.com.
