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Wednesday, July 19, 2006 |
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Coast-to-coast bike trip makes stop in Bigfork Posted: Wednesday, Jul 19, 2006 - 12:46:37 pm PDT By MIKE RICHESON Bigfork Eagle
After more than 3,000 miles and seven weeks in the saddle, the Habitat for Humanity Bicycle Challenge cross country team rolled into Bigfork on Monday. For the first time in its 12-year history, the Habitat team came to this area. This is due in part to Bigfork native Bente Grinde, a 19-year-old freshman at Yale University, who is one of the 26-member team riding the North course that will finish in Seattle on July 29. The central team will complete its journey in Portland, Ore., and the southern team will trek to San Francisco."I met some people at Yale who had done it, and they really liked it," Grinde said. "I've always wanted to bike across the country, and it sounded like a great adventure." About half of the riders on her team are from Yale as well. The fund-raiser, which started at Yale, brings in money to the New Haven, Conn., chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Each rider must raise at least $4,000 to participate. Corporate sponsors cover most of the overhead costs, and churches along the route host the group. Once the riders were about halfway through with their fund-raising, they were issued bicycles from Specialized. The bike company sold the bikes to the group at cost. Each day the cyclists ride between 80 and 90 miles, but occasionally reach 120 miles. "We all start out the same time each morning, around 7 a.m., and have a lunch stop at 10 a.m.," Grinde said. "People trickle in to lunch and we regroup. We try to get to our destination by 4 p.m." The sights and sounds along the way have made the work worthwhile. "Last week we biked through the Tetons and Yellowstone park," Grinde said. "That was amazing. We've taken detours in the [support] van to Niagara Falls and Glacier Park. We had a day off in Chicago and people went to museums and a baseball game. We've done a lot of stuff. "It's hard to find sleep without feeling like you're missing out on something. You sacrifice a lot of sleep and privacy, but it's an amazing experience. No one is excited for it to end." The group has been fortunate this year, with minor scrapes along the way. One girl broke her leg in an accident in Michigan, but everyone else has stayed safe and healthy. Grinde said she will come back to the Flathead when the trip is over and try to find a job before she leaves again to resume her studies at Yale.
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