Photo from Len Riemersma blog of 30 July
Send your mail this week so he can get it by Aug. 9.
Thanks to all of you that sent him a note or parcel the last time, he so appreciated it.
Ralph Fledderus/Bike Tour
Crossroads Church
3815 S. Dutch Mill Road
Madison, Wisconsin, 53718, USA
Ralph accepting help with one of his flat tires. Photo from the blog of Julia Wissink, 29 July
Ralph at the Denver rally, 26 July.
Ralph called this afternoon after their service and lunch this morning in Denver. They had a great welcome in Denver when they arrived there yesterday. When they got to the highschool the Beerdas were there to greet him with lots of hugs.
He is staying with a lady who offered her air conditioned home for 2 nights, and that is a nice change from sleeping in a tent.
He still sounded very tired and he is glad that the mountains are behind them now. He struggled 2 days with the flu bug that’s going around the group but was still able to cycle every day. He says people tell him all the time what a great job he is doing but he is not so sure of it himself. I hope it will be easier going for them from now on.
He appreciated all the mail that he received Saturday. It is good to hear from family and friends, he said.
The scenery in Denver is unbelievable and a nice change from some of the bare places they have traveled through. It is still very hot in Denver also and the service this morning was outside in the sun. His bottom lip is all cracked from the dryness and no amount of lipsiy helps (he did not sound like he wanted to smile anyway).
So that’s the latest update from Ralph. Please keep praying for him and all the other cyclists that God will give them strength and endurance, and especially keeping them all safe. Posted by Cora
P.S. He is sending some of his stuff back with Peter Beerda because he took to much along and it just becomes a pain to keep track of it all.
Ralph did lots of biking as a boy and as a teen in Diever, Drenthe, The Netherlands.
During his training days for the Sea to Sea Tour, whenever Cora would ask him on rainy days, “Shouldn’t you be out there knowing what it is to bike in the rain?” Ralph would reply, “I don’t need to know what it feels like, I biked many hours in the rain on my way back and forth to school”.
I think as a young man he looks like Mario Lanza, Cora’s favourite opera singer!! posted by Wenda
Well after about a week Ralph finally called tonight. Things are going well he said but the days are getting tougher. Saturday was a bad day but he managed to make it all the way and got in by 5 p.m. but had 2 flat tires that day. Also today he had 2 flat tires and they just pop he says and scare you when that happens. It also makes you feel unsafe on your bike just waiting for it to happen again. He had not had a shower yet because there was only one for 100 men. Such is the joy of camping.
It was good to hear from him although he sounded very tired and was planning to skip the peleton meeting and go to bed early. He enjoyed the church service on Sunday with a lot of great music again. He said his tent is too small for him but hey he only sleeps in it. It was great to see the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City but did not take the time to go inside. Overall the scenery has been beautiful.
He is already looking forward to coming to London so I can meet all his new friends. It was good to talk to him and I told him of all the prayers going up for him here. Cora
From an email by Art Mulder:
On Josh Krabbe’s blog go down to the July 17 entry and he has a video clip of about 20 folks cycling in a line. Ralph comes along waving around the middle.
If anyone is interested in sending a card or a letter or a parcel to Ralph by July 26 in Denver, the time is now. Send it to: Ralph Fledderus/Sea to Sea Bike Tour, Third CRC, 2400 S. Ash Street, Denver, Col. 80222, USA.
In his last picture he looks somewhat haggard. From reading some of the other blogs, I gather these two weeks are pretty hard on everyone. So please keep them all in your prayers.
Ralph in western Idaho (July 14?). Courtesy Adrian Kloet.
So it is Sunday night around 9:30 and I have just finished talking to Ralph. We had a really bad connection because his voice would fade out and in. I think he said he was phoning through a computer? I could hear Gayle in the background saying “send chocolates.”
All is well and he said the food was great and they are all putting on weight.
They attended church this morning and did lots of singing.
The night they had the wind when some tents blew away he was set up in the gym, so no problems with his tent at all. His chair was lost for a week but he found it back broken.
It sounds like Ralph is hanging out with Adrian Kloet from Hamilton (whom we know).
Ralph wants me to thank all of you for your concern and your prayer support and that they can feel it.
I (Cora) have not heard from Ralph this week but hope to hear from him today.
I spent part of the week helping out Marja and Kevin. Marja had her surgery on Tuesday but it was not successful again. A big disappointment for them.
I spent a day with Jane and Henry Brouwer before they left for MI.
Ralph if you are reading this — I had to say hello to you from many people at church this morning who are interested in how things are going for you. They are all praying for your safety.
Many people are following the tour by reading the blogs!
Remember to click the photos to see larger versions and find out who took them.
Adrian Kloet, Ralph (centre) and John VanderSteen on 2 July 2008
Starting dinner on 3 July 2008
The other two photos, of Ralph on a mountain and Ralph fixing a bike, won’t copy so you need to go there and go there to see them.
 | aaltjekaterberg on Mormon Temple, Flat Tires |
 | Wenda Gerryts on London, Hamilton, Niagara and … |
 | Terry Barnes on London, Hamilton, Niagara and … |
 | Al and Roxanne Niebo… on London, Hamilton, Niagara and … |
 | Cora Fledderus on Sunday in Grand Rapids |
