Oct. 20, 2008 issue
Pennsylvania cyclists ride for a higher purpose
By Ken Beidler For Mennonite Weekly ReviewPage:
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BLOOMING GLEN, Pa. — At 7 on a Saturday morning, a dozen early-rising cyclists gather in a church parking lot to ride through the hills of Bucks and Montgomery counties.
The Glen Riders of Blooming Glen Mennonite Church gather for a Saturday morning ride.
After greeting one another and assembling their bikes and equipment, the Glen Riders bow their heads and pray.
This southeastern Pennsylvania bicycling club — an outreach ministry of Blooming Glen Mennonite Church — began 13 years ago to be a positive influence on the community and to introduce people to the joy and freedom of riding a bicycle.
Their purpose is to promote Christian fun, fellowship, bicycle safety and healthy living.
“Our rolling community balances between riding pretty hard and communicating while on and off the bikes,” said Ken Hochstetler, one of club’s 40 members.
“It’s an updated Anabaptist experience of exercising body and mind, group decision-making and accountability, sharing each others’ burdens and leading communal prayer as we start each ride.”
Half of the participants during the biking season — between the first weekend in April till the end of October — are people from the community.
Sporting blue-and-orange cycling shirts, the group of men and women bike between 25 and 50 miles on Saturdays.
As a way to encourage more participation, the club recently began sponsoring a second ride at 8 a.m., which covers fewer miles at a more relaxed pace.
In addition to weekly group rides around Bucks and Montgomery Counties, club members participate in other bicycling events.
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