“We did it!” Hannah Lee Jones reported after finishing the Ndoto Project bike ride from Seattle to San Francisco, Calif.
Whidbey Island residents Hannah and Phillip Jones created the 1,000-mile, 13-day bike ride called “S2SF.” Six riders biked from Seattle to the Golden Gate Bridge to raise money to help a group of young Africans attend college.
After leaving Sept. 3, Jones reported to the Record at the halfway mark in the Redwoods of northern California. Their schedule required them to ride between 60 and 80 miles per day.
“The giant trees are incredible and have been gorgeous to ride through,” she said. “The hills have been a challenge to navigate for all the obvious reasons, but we all have quads of steel now and are having fun.”
This was the inaugural ride for S2SF, which the Joneses hope to turn into an annual event. Before they hopped on their bikes, the team collected donations and sponsorships, with the goal of raising $1,500 each.
The Ndoto Project aspires to raise funds for mentorship, training in life skills, business skills and educational scholarships for Kenyan youths who hold the talent and potential to become leaders of society.
The cyclists recorded a blog and photo journal of the ride at www.s2sf.org/main/blog and also on the project’s Facebook page.
The arrival at the Golden Gate Bridge on Sept. 17 was climactic for Jones.
“We arrived in San Francisco on Saturday afternoon, around 3 p.m. The conditions were perfect. Locals told us that every day that week had been so foggy you could hardly see the bridge, but the day we arrived was sunny and clear,” Jones said.
The team returned home the next day to Seattle and Whidbey Island in their support vehicle.
“To those who supported us, thank you for your words of encouragement and the dollars you’ve given to help support The Ndoto Project’s mission of youth-driven change in Kenya,” Jones said. “And we hope you’ll ride with us in 2012!”
Dates for S2SF 2012 are July 28-Aug.12.
Visit the Ndoto Project’s website at http://ndotoproject.org to register for next year’s ride.
