These SPS Cyclists rode 3,835 miles in 47 days for Ride 2 Recovery

By Tim Goodwin - Aug 4, 2015 | 0 comments

The riders get some congratulations.

After riding almost 4,000 miles, you bet they were going to take some funny pictures.

You can say the riders were pretty excited to pedal their way down Rectory Road last week.

The SPS Cyclists got a hero’s welcome upon their return to the St. Paul’s campus last Monday.

It’s probably safe to say we’ve all ridden a bike. Whether it be as a kid to the local park, in college to get around campus or merely as a form of exercise.

Although most of us probably can’t and never will be able to raise our hands when the question of ‘have you ever ridden your bike across the United States?’ comes up. We find it hard to believe that group is very large. But after last Tuesday, you can add seven students from St. Paul’s School to the list.

It took 47 days to ride the 3,835 miles from Anacortes, Wash. to Portsmouth, but Jade Thomas, Jacob Witt, Reid Noch, Jamie Marshman, Oliver Van Everen, Webster Thompson and Gabby Spurzem took the ceremonial tire dip in the Atlantic Ocean, just one day after a warm welcome to the place they call home during the school year.

“It was amazing. One of the biggest adrenaline rushes,” Thompson said.

An eighth rider, Mary Elmore DeMott, had to stop midway through the ride due to illness.

Sprinting into the ocean waters is somewhat of a tradition for the St. Paul’s students, and really anyone who finishes the cross-country pedal. It marks the end of a long and arduous road with a little bit of fun. And this is just the latest group from the school to complete the journey, a tradition that began in 2004 and is done just about every other year.

Most high school students are spending their summers taking SAT subject tests, working to save money (or just spend it) and enjoying their last bit of time as carefree teenagers.

But not this group. Not only did they dedicate almost all of their summer to pedaling their road bikes up mountains, across state lines and through intense heat, but they did it for a very good cause. Before the trip and along the way, the students were raising funds for Ride 2 Recovery, which helps saves veterans by restoring hope and purpose through cycling.

“For kids this age to do something like this, riding across the country and the mental and physical toll it takes, shows them a sense of what it means to be in the military,” said Ride 2 Recovery Founder John Wordin, who rode with the team the final two days. “It’s really impressive.”

The goal was to reach $100,000 in an effort to match the last cross-country cycling group from SPS, and according to the final blog post from Thomas, that goal was shattered. When all is said and done, because some checks are still coming in, the team will have raised close to $125,000.

“All our programs are funded through donations,” Wordin said. “So this is great for our program.”

The journey began on June 12 in the little town of Anacortes with a 66.5-mile ride ahead of them. Then came the mountains. It was a difficult and daunting start to the trip, but with almost 4,000 miles ahead of you, would it really make much sense to ease into things?

“The most challenging was probably the 20-mile per hour headwinds on the 125-mile days,” Thomas said.

They spanned the entire state of Washington and into Idaho. They traveled through Montana, where three members of the team live, and even crossed into Canada. And as we said in our initial story, you even need a passport when riding your bike across the U.S.-Canadian border.

“I loved watching the kids, seeing what they’ve done and how they’ve grown as a team,” said Karen Collins, Witt’s mom and one of the parents who helped get the trip off the ground.

The ride took them through places like North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. They made another trip into Canada before returning to New York and eventually Vermont – and, of course, New Hampshire.

“When we hit Niagara Falls and looked at a map, we realized we were getting close,” Thompson said.

And what was the best scenery of the journey? Going-To-The-Sun Road in Montana, the only road that crosses Glacier National Park.

It took a little time to get into a groove, but by the time the first week was up they were riding as a group and did so the rest of the way. The days started off manageable, staying below 100 miles all but three days in June. Then on June 30, they began racking up the 100-plus mile days, spanning 10 straight days on the bike with one rest day mixed in.

“Sitting on the seat for so long was the hardest part,” Thompson said. “It was just such a high volume of biking.”

They stayed at campgrounds, churches and host houses and as the trip dragged on, parents sprung for a few extra nights in hotels. There was a vehicle that followed them along the journey that kept extra equipment, camping gear and food.

There were mini gatherings, free pizza and large donation checks along the way – and memories that won’t soon be forgotten.

“We raised so much on the road,” Thomas said. “We weren’t expecting donations ‘cause people gave us food and places to stay, but they wanted to help.”

“So many people were so supportive,” Collins said. “I was just blown away by the support and generosity of complete strangers.”

Thompson won the award (which doesn’t actually exist) for the most bike problems. He estimated at least 12 flat tires and a whole bunch of other issues that made for an interesting trip. Compare that to Spurzem, who didn’t get one flat.

The excitement started to kick in when they saw some familiar scenery from their training rides around Concord. But with some time to kill before being welcomed back to St. Paul’s, the group stopped at Dos Amigos for some tacos, burritos and quesadillas. And who can blame them? We just wish we got an invite.

“In my heart, St. Paul’s was my destination,” Thomas said.

The final day was a mere formality for the group. They had a big contingent riding the final 56 miles with them to the tune of about 45 extra riders, and with that sweet salty air calling their names, the SPS cyclists got to dip their front tires in the Atlantic. They even splashed around a little bit.

“We could all smell the ocean and we just sprinted ahead,” Thomas said.

This group wants to create a board and a plan so riders from the school can do this every summer to help Ride 2 Recovery – and experience what they just went through.

“I expected it to be brutally hard, but it was a lot more fun,” Thompson said.

Now, with the hard work done, the flock, as they called themselves in many blog posts, have disbanded back to their home towns to enjoy the rest of the summer, work on getting rid of those intense farmer’s tans and likely take a little time away from their bikes.

“It was honestly more than what I hoped for,” Thomas said.

To learn more about the journey, visit spscyclists2015.weebly.com.