Manitoba

The Manitoba District of the CBS organized its first ever Bike for Bibles mountain ride at Riding Mountain National Park on August 1st. An all-day torrential downpour on Friday had guaranteed muddy conditions for the 33 kilometre loop around beautiful Clear Lake.

The narrow winding forested track featuring enough steep climbs, sufficiently abrupt descents and an ever changing terrain brought to the fore the typical traits of mountain bikers: endurance, determination, self-reliance. All of this was accompanied by fervent praying as treacherous conditions produced many slips and falls. Yet no serious abrasions and cuts were experienced.

A total of 11 cyclists participated in the ride and some amazing accomplishments were recorded. Ken and Karla Reader, a husband and wife team, managed to attain their goal of 100 miles (160 kilometres) of mountain biking in one day by completing the loop five times. They commenced their ride at 5:15 am and completed it at 9:00 pm. Not your typical day at the office!

Equally amazing was the feat of Debbie Janzen who, while riding solitary for most of the day, completed 4 loops. This is especially significant because Debbie's longest prior ride had been 40 kilometres on gravel road.

But the feat of the day belongs to 10 year old Janessa Janzen. Accompanied by her father who rode trail patrol for her, she was able to complete the entire loop around the lake. But beyond reaching her fund raising goal and successfully completing her ride, Janessa is also praying for the effective distribution of the Scriptures at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Now that's the Spirit!

Many thanks to our cyclists, donors and our corporate sponsors - Safeway, Sobeys, Superstore for their ample provision of supplies and, especially, Barnaby's Grille for a delicious post ride meal.