Mark Sickmiller, pastor of Northside Baptist Church, Calera, has discovered a surefire 24-day weight loss plan: Ride a bicycle for 2,578 miles. The now extra-lean Sickmiller knows from personal experience, even though the event now seems a bit surreal.
“I did it and I can’t imagine that I did it,” said the 38-year-old Michigan native, shaking his head in disbelief.
“I know I can ride a bicycle 15 miles, and I guess it was just that I’d keep connecting 15 mile increments until I made it across the country.”
On April 20 Sickmiller preached in the Easter morning services, then boarded a plane for San Diego, Calif. The next morning, he hopped on his bicycle and took off on a coast-to-coast journey that would take him across eight states. It ended successfully on May 15 in Savannah, Ga.
The trip, according to Sickmiller, had a threefold purpose geared toward his congregation’s ultimate goal of building an orphanage in poverty-stricken Haiti.
“First, it’s a personal challenge,” he said. “Secondly, I have a heart for the people of Haiti. I’ve been there three times in the past year and a half and hope to help make a difference there. Then I wanted to do something in memory of Debbie Glass.”
Glass was a beloved Northside member who died in a car accident in 2000. Known for her work with the children of her church and at Calera Elementary School, Glass was an untiring teacher, helper and friend to countless kids. Her family and friends feel that building an orphanage in her memory will be a fitting tribute.
The project will be funded with money collected through per-mile pledges, which totaled more than $15,000 at ride’s end. To complete the orphanage will require about $20,000. Plans call for Northside members to travel to Haiti this summer and undertake the actual construction.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s Haiti or Costa Rica or anywhere else,” said Glass’ husband, Dale Glass. “Debbie was about kids. That’s what matters.”
Dale Glass, a former police officer, accompanied Sickmiller by car for most of the ride. During their cross-country adventure, the two encountered dust storms, impatient drivers, bicycle-chasing dogs and other hazards. But they also experienced breathtaking scenery from 9,000 feet above sea level to 200 feet below. Sickmiller conceded, however, that appreciating the scenery was a bit difficult when concentrating on a 14-mile climb or pushing to meet a daily mileage goal.
“It was relentless,” he said, “but we accomplished our goal every day. Our biggest day was 139 miles.”
They also encountered “a lot of neat people,” including an honest-to-goodness chain-smoking, range-riding cowboy named Slim and a young mother bicycling across the country with her five kids, ages 12, 10, 8, 4 and 3.
“You meet a lot of characters on a trip like this,” Sickmiller said.
No stranger to long-distance cycling, Sickmiller pedaled to Canada two years ago in a similar fund-raising effort. His most recent ride was longer by far, even though he admitted the San Diego-to-Savannah route is the shortest coast-to-coast route across the United States.
“It went remarkably well,” he said. “I’d say it was a ‘best case scenario.’ We had maybe four days of bad weather the whole time, which was really good, and I only went over the handlebars one time.”
The mishap occurred as Sickmiller was cruising through New Mexico and hit a groove in the road. The bicycle stopped but its rider didn’t.
“I hadn’t wiped out on a bike since I was a kid,” he said. Fortunately, the only injury he suffered was pride-related.
He also reported only three flat tires and one broken spoke — a remarkable repair record for a bicycle, considering the ride.
What did Sickmiller learn from the journey? “Outside of some sore muscles, I found out I’m in halfway decent shape,” he laughed.
And after meeting the physical challenge of a lifetime, what next?
Sickmiller grew serious and then answered simply, “Learn to be content.”
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