“Water and sanitation are the building blocks of human life and dignity. Without them, people will forever struggle to move forward with their lives,” so states Blue Planet Ride‘s website – part of the Blue Planet Network. This guest post, brought to you by Samuel Hagler of Ride For Good, details one of Blue Planet’s latest conquests:
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BICYCLE TOURING ACTIVIST PULLS BOB IBEX
For the third year in a row, Rudy van Prooyen is pulling a Bob trailer for a good cause.
SAN DIEGO, CA was Rudy van Prooyen's last check in point. Rudy plans on riding to three coasts across the US. He will be finished in late August.
Rudy is riding for safe water across the world and has partnered with The Blue Planet Network to raise funds for this cause.
The facts are that unlike all of us, over one billion people on this earth have no safe drinking water. Women and children may walk up to 6 hours a day to get water, and even then, it may not be enough, or safe enough to drink. Many drink contaminated water and then get sick. 2.2 million human beings die each year from water borne illnesses. 6,000 people die every day and 240 children die every hour. But there is hope, because the solutions are so simple and collectively we have the power to solve this human crisis that is going on in front of our very own eyes, tragically mostly unnoticed.
Among Rudy's very carefully chosen pieces of equipment is a Bob Ibex cargo trailer. This is the third year that Rudy is using the trailer, and it is just one of the many tools that allows him to be successful in completing his challenging adventure.
Says Rudy, before his tour, knowing that he would face many different challenges:
For me it is important to be flexible and not get overzealous on ideas and aspirations. The sole purpose and mission of the Blue Planet Ride is to raise funds and awareness and bring it to completion across the land without cuts and bruises, everything else is commentary. And when the going does get tough I will just have to dig deep, grind my teeth and think about all those people that lack access to safe drinking water and are struggling and dying daily because of contaminated water sources. That will keep me motivated for sure!
If you would like more information, or to donate, visit Tour de Water. Rudy has hit many obstacles along the way, and will continue to run into hardships on the last leg of his 110-day tour.
Although featured Blue Planet rider Rudy van Prooyen's 110-day tour for a cause is nearing its end, keep an eye on the Blue Planet Ride or Ride For Good‘s tour schedule for for future opportunities to support their cause, or to simply live vicariously through these awesome eco-warriors!
