Sea to Sea – Final Day
Day 9 – 44 miles on paved roads and long rolling hills, mostly downhill
We started our last day at a little after 4AM. We left the Managua hotel while it was still dark in order to avoid the heavy traffic in the center of Managua. Support crew vechicles led and followed us and most of us were equipped with bike lights (or if they didn’t…like me…they hid between folks that did)…Television crews followed us all the way to Gran Pacifica, an oceanfront development on the Pacific Beach.
Later that day Channel 8 (a local Nicaraguan channel) did a 3 minute story about our journey. They even included us singing a Spanish praise song on the beach!
) These are some of my dearest friends in Nicaragua.
I wore this blue bandana daily to help my helmet fit better and to avoid hair from flying out of all the little holes in my helmet as I rode. It also doubled as a washcloth on some days. You use what ya got, right!?!
Stats from the trip:
-We raised nearly $200,000 for the victims of Hurricane Felix.
-We rode a little under 400 miles in 8 days
-We had 25 or more flat tires
-We had countless other mechanical problems with bikes
-We received approximately 1,001 cat calls from Nicaraguans all over the country
-We bought a back derailer off of a local’s bike as he rode by us. After we paid him, he happily walked his bike home (wow)
-We lived through many bumps, scrapes, scabs, and bruises
-2 team members required shoulder reconstructive surgery due to bike accidents
-One rider cracked a rib (we think), due to a tumble off a bridge into a river.
-I have 29 great new friends, mostly scattered throughout Nicaragua and Canada
I’ll end the Sea to Sea blog post as we ended each of our days during the journey. We sang and prayed the following song while holding hands and looking at one another:
My friends may you grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior
My friends may you grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ
To God be the glory, now and forever, now and forever, Amen
To God be the glory, now and forever, now and forever, Amen.
The song comes from 2 Peter 3:18.
All in all, this was the most fantastic adventure I have experienced. I believe God was honored and I saw Him working in lives. He revealed Himself to me in new ways and encouraged me through the other believers on the team. Thanks to all who helped make this trip possible!
Jennifer Shane said:
I’m so pumped about your trip! It sounds like it was amazing!!! I would have loved to gone with you guys. I’ll miss seeing ya in April, but there’s always next year!