Cycling for Peace

There’s often much to admire in people who are passionate, even zealous about a cause (particularly if the cause is one that we agree with or, at least, can feel sympathy towards).

So, I watched with some amazement over the last four months as Michaela, our Parish Secretary, transformed herself in order to demonstrate her support for the cause of peace and justice in Palestine. She started with giving up her twenty-a-day cigarette habit (- a habit that she had enjoyed for the last 27 years). Then she took up cycling again, riding along the coast road for miles each day, bundled up in a fur-lined snowboarding jacket, in temperatures that barely rose above zero. One day she strained her back so that she could not stand up, and had to rest for a week. Then, there was the hill training...

Today, Michaela should have arrived in Nazareth, on her way to join The Peace Cycle ride. It involves riding about 30 kilometres per day, in company, on a route that goes through the West Bank, visiting Ramallah and Bethlehem, before arriving in Jerusalem on 16^th May. The aim of the cycle run is to raise awareness of the situation in Palestine and Israel.

It’s been a tough slog preparing for the event, and I don’t imagine the ride itself will be easy or comfortable. So, we’ll be praying that Michaela stays safe, successfully completes the route – and returns with some amazing stories!