London, Hamilton, Niagara and Off to New Jersey

Ralph in tent city around August 25. Courtesy Jake Prins.

It was a busy weekend but I got to spend quite a bit of time with Ralph. He was in London on Thursday (Aug. 21) and had a warm welcome here. Friday I followed him to Hamilton and watched him ride in at Redeemer with our son Kevin and his family. We stayed at my sister’s house overnight.

Saturday my sister Wenda and I watched the cyclists come in at Beamsville CRC. We had lunch with Ralph and then off he was to St. Catharines. We met cousin Ralph Fledderus and his wife there and that was fun. After visiting with another sister of mine, we picked him up at Beacon Chr. School and spent the evening together.

The weather was awful on Sunday and as we were driving to St. Catharines it started to pour. Being together with so many people under one roof was a pretty crowded affair. There were many people there including all of our kids. They had not seen their dad either for 8 weeks. It sure was a God moment when the sun started to shine right at 4:00 p.m. when the service started. Everyone clapped spontaneously. 

Ralph said it felt like this was the end of the tour. He does not mind however to finish off this week. He lost 20 lbs and looks pretty thin but is in good health. 

Tomorrow I am off to New Jersey to watch them dip their tires in the ocean and to celebrate the end of the tour. Thank you for your prayers for health and strength and endurance. God is good!! (posted by Cora)

Family Catches Up With Ralph

Here are a couple photos of some of Ralph’s family, who greeted him on the escarpment in Stoney Creek.

Photo from Gayle Harrison

A grandson hands out freezies. Photo courtesy Jake Prins. Click the photo to read some kind words Jake Prins wrote.

Here is a photo of Ralph in St. Catharines with his cousin, who also happens to be named Ralph Fledderus.

Ralph Fledderus x 2

(For those who don’t know it, “Fledderus” is a rather rare name. Although there is the exception of Ralph the cyclist’s mother, who married a cousin and therefore had the auspicious name of Fransiena Fledderus Fledderus.) Londoners have long referred to the “other Ralph” both affectionately and euphoniously as “Ralph from Guelph.” (posted by Bill Fledderus)

In London at Last!

Cora supporting Ralph in Ontario

Well it was a great day yesterday for me to finally spend some time with my husband. Wilma (my neighbour) and I went down to Springbank Park and sat by the river and watched all the cyclists go by. We were to meet up with a London group but somehow we couldn’t find them. So just the two of us cheered them on as they passed. Then we drove over to the highschool and were there before Ralph. There were lots of people there to meet and greet everyone. 

We went home around 4 p.m. and Ralph brought all his stuff home to sort it out. He does not need a lot of the things he had brought with him since there is only one week left after this weekend. I did a load of laundry for him, while he took a shower — and I heard this big bang and he had fallen. Not used to his bathtub anymore, I guess. He did not hurt himself, but it seems weird to be in danger on the roads all these weeks and then fall in your own shower when you get home! 

We went back to the highschool for supper and there was so much good food available. Then we attended the peleton meeting and finally went home around 9 p.m. Then the phone rang off the hook when we got home and finally we called it a day.   

So we got to camp by six this morning and people were getting ready to go for the day. (posted by Cora)

Welcome to Canada!

A sunny reunion at the border, 20 August 2008.

I have just returned from welcoming Ralph and all the other cyclists into Ontario at a town called Sombra. It was a great sight to see all the bikers come across the St. Claire river. We could see them across the water waiting for the ferry. There was a great crowd to welcome the cyclists to Canada. I even heard someone sing the national anthem.

They sort  of came across one at a time in the beginning and then in little groups. I had been watching out for Ralph for a while when I started talking to someone else beside me and almost missed him. The other London group had to yell at me, ”Here comes Ralph!” There was lots of hugging and kissing and people around us clapping and laughing. It was so good to see him finally after seven weeks. He looks realy well and buff and fit. 

I can’t wait to see him again tomorrow. God has certainly answered our prayers for safety and strength for each and everyone of them.

Cora and Ralph in the crowd, 20 August 2008.

There was a group there that served refreshments. I don’t know for sure if it was one of the Sarnia churches. I met so many cyclists that Ralph knew and I hope to reaquaint myself again with some of them tomorrow. The weather could not have been better. The sun was shining and people were chatting and laughing. Everyone was so happy to welcome them all to Canada. Did I see a tear in Gayle’s eye?

So it’s London’s turn to spoil them tomorrow. (Posted by Cora)

Sunday in Grand Rapids

Well I just had a long talk with Ralph. He was having supper at Benita and Keith Fredlund’s home. Benita is a friend of our daughter Francine. They lived together in BC while they were both attending UBC. Then they both lived accross the hall from each other while in Toronto.

Ralph near the U.S.-Canada border.

Ralph attended church this morning at Church of the Servant and then this afternoon they had the rally. It was held outside and it was pretty hot he said. There were lots of people in attendance.

Yesterday he ran into lots of London people, the Nydams, Wassinks and other former Londoners. It was great to see everyone and it gave him the feeling of being closer to home. Of course the other four cyclists from London are there now also and tomorrow will be their first biking day. Of course Pieter our pastor is an old hand at it now after a whole week of biking. 

For all of you who were wondering today whether they realy are biking through Springbank park, they will enter it at the main entrance to the park. He has no idea what time but it depends how long they will be in Mount Brydges for their lunch. (Posted by Cora)

Ralph Called from Kalamazoo, Mich.

Ralph came into camp in South Haven today after his ride and — surprise, surprise! — he had visitors. My aunt and uncle, Jo and Arie Gritter, were there to meet him and to take him to their home in Kalamazoo for the night. Apparently South Haven is not that far from them. So they took him out for a lovely big dinner with dessert (cheesecake with ice cream) to top it off. How sweet of them to do that. I told him he is so lucky to have married me because he has such nice relatives here. (All of Ralph’s immediate family lives in Holland.)

They have had many stops at different churches with lots of baked goodies. He is doing realy well but he feels he is losing strength in his hands. He is enjoying the cooler weather and so far it has been easy cycling with shorter distances and many stops in between. He likes having Pieter there and they have biked a few days together.

He is looking forward to next Thursday when they will be in London. (Posted by Cora)

Pictures from Pieter Pereboom’s Blog

Ralph’s pastor, Pieter Pereboom, has now joined the tour. Here are couple of pictures from his blog.

Pieter and Ralph in Woodstock, Ill.

Pieter joins Ralph on the tour.

There are more on Pieter’s blog with Ralph in them (for example, lunch break and railroad landscape).

The Latest News from Madison, Wis.!

Ralph and group being prepared for a media moment by Ed Witvoet. Courtesy Marti Du Plessis.

Ralph wants to have me thank all of you for all the mail and parcels he received. He had a huge pile of it he said. It warms his heart to know so many people care about him. It gives him the strength to go on. 

He is doing very well but barely had time to talk to me. He had a full day so far. They worshiped at Ruth and Cal De Witt’s church this morning. So after lunch Cal took Ralph all over the place to show him the wetlands that he is always talking about. He was off to the evening service and after church they will have supper there.

For all of you that were worried about me, the picture with Gayle and Ralph sleeping on the ice was a faked sort of “photo op.” ( I wasn’t worried). 

His bike is holding up really well he said, and so far has not had much problem with saddle sores. He is still riding on the original tires, but not for much longer he says because they are getting pretty worn.

He is looking forward to coming home for one night and to be able to sleep in his own bed. He says that he sleeps well, though, and the Permarest is great (thanks Sue and Bill).

He had run into Pastor Peter already and I could hear him talking in the background.

News from Fremont, Neb.

Here is some of the latest news from Ralph. He sounded much better then last Sunday when he called. He said it was 110 degrees there today, and hot weather is to continue for the next 3 days.

A "real trooper." Photo from Marti Du Plessis.

On Friday he was a sweeper, so that means you leave around 9 a.m. after breakfast has been cleared up. So he biked in the heat of the day and got in around 6 p.m. He said he is still tired but has been sleeping well most nights. Tonight he will be sleeping in the YMCA where it is air-conditioned. They have another tough week ahead with many kms to bike each day (some of them are 180 kms). They were bussed to church this morning and were served lunch there. When they got back to camp the Lutheran church across the street had opened up it’s doors for them and served them snacks and drinks and watermelon. Some of the cyclists will sleep there tonight because it is also air-conditioned. 

He misses all of us (family and friends) and Canadian news, and we miss him. Gayle and John are also doing well he said.

He is confident that he will be able to make the whole trip. He is looking forward to the rest of the London cyclists to join him. 

Thanks again to all the support and prayers that go up for him and the other cyclists.

Ralph is a “Great Guy” and a “Real Trooper”

Photo from the Stehouwers, taken on 29 July.

Marti Du Plessis has met Ralph and says he is “shy and quiet, but a real trooper” in her August 3 posting. (The picture above showing Ralph in a yellow t-shirt is from Marti’s posting.) The reason she calls Ralph a “trooper” is explained in her August 1 posting, which says Ralph is one of the “stronger ones” and that he ”dedicatedly pulled a group of slower riders for 60 miles”!

Visit another blog for a larger version of this picture of Ralph cycling in a red t-shirt. The Stehouwers are riders who just met Ralph and call him a “great guy” in their July 31 posting. If you look closely at the picture, you can see Ralph is cycling with US flag on his saddle. He is also chewing on his tongue in typical Ralph fashion. The tan on his legs seems to have developed when he wore longer shorts. (Posted by Bill Fledderus)