Fifty years later, lifelong friends 'keep on pedaling'

WORLEY — The year was 1974 — the time before cell phones, internet or GPS. Four men got on their bikes with their 60-pound packs and began a ride that would span 10 months and 8,334 miles, landing the men in the highest capital city of the world: La Paz, Bolivia.  

Sunday marked the 50th anniversary of the start of that adventure for John Cross, Peter Crane, Jim Oines and Jeff Stoops, who are now all in their 70s. The men reunited in Coeur d’Alene last week to celebrate the life-changing journey they had taken together in their 20s.  

“We always knew we wanted to do this reunion ... we’ve talked about it for 50 years,” Cross laughed.  

While the men had long been fascinated with the idea of an extended bicycle trip, the journey held meaning that was bigger than themselves. The group became a “living logo” for the United Mission Appeal for the Lutheran Church — they ultimately raised $34,000 for Lutheran world hunger efforts through their ride.  

“I love the way God brings people together,” Oines told The Press.  

The men were officially sent off from a national convention in Detroit on Oct. 12, 1974. They stopped at 33 different Lutheran churches on their way to the Mexican border for meals and places to stay.  

Once they got to the border in Laredo, Texas, “That’s where the adventure really began,” Crane said.  

The men endured weather extremes, countless bike repairs, illness and even almost had their passports confiscated as they traveled through 11 Latin American countries. The group spent Christmas in Mexico City and built meaningful connections in every city they stopped in.  

“People had heard of us and what we were doing, and looked forward to meeting us,” Crane recalled.  

“The stops were what made the trip,” Cross said. “That was where we got our spiritual food.” 

Crane also recalled that one night, the group was camping out under eucalyptus trees when a man approached them — wielding a shotgun. 

“We started explaining to him what we were doing and why we were doing it, and he leaves and comes back with food and his family,” Crane said. “That sort of thing happened a lot.” 

Then, only 30 miles from their final destination of La Paz, Oines’ bike broke and could not be repaired — but the journey was never about how many miles they rode, it was about finishing together. The last 30 miles of the trip were completed by bus.  

“We decided as a group that we stuck together — the whole way,” Crane said.  

“It just made me feel so good that they were willing to do that,” Oines recalled.  

The men took away much more than money raised from the journey — they learned more about themselves and others than they ever could have imagined.  

“Of course, we’d all get a little upset at each other and have it out from time to time,” Cross said. “But I think we learned a lot about living together and how to get along, and we continue to carry that with us in our marriages and everything else.” 

“If people were to take one thing away from our story, it would be to just keep pedaling,” Crane said. “No matter where you are in life.”

    50 years later: John Cross, Jim Oines, Peter Crane and Jeff Stoops reunite in Coeur d'Alene.
  

    John Cross, Jim Oines, Peter Crane and Jeff Stoops celebrate reaching the Andes mountains in South America, elevated at 15,395 feet.