135 riders are biking from sea to sea as they raise money and awareness for those living in poverty.

"The purpose of the ride is to raise funds to help end the cycle of poverty," said Jasper Hoogendam, one of the Canadians participating in the ride known as Sea to Sea. "That would be for projects in Canada, USA, and overseas."

And they are doing a great job raising those funds. They are almost $10,000 away from hitting their $1,500,000 goal.

"It's incredible," Hoogendam said. "But we won't stop there, just like we won't stop riding after we hit our goal."

An educator, Hoogendam suffered a brain injury two and a half years ago and has recovered to be able to do this ride.

"Lord willing, [I will] be doing it the whole way."

Sea to Sea doesn't deliver the service but has partnered with Partners Worldwide and World Renew, who work at getting people out of poverty. World Renew works in 35 countries with 800,000 to 1,000,000 people worldwide.

The Director of World Renew in Canada, Ida Kaastra-Mutoigo, is also riding this year. It was important for her to be a part of it this year.

"As I'm sitting with my saddle being a little bit uncomfortable, I'm thinking about those folks and thinking about what they have to do to overcome poverty," Kaastra-Mutoigo said. She says many people in poverty need to bike everywhere, so she wanted to experience a bit of that.

The riders are motivated by their faith as they make their way across the country.

"We feel called [by God] to do justice and love mercy," Kaastra-Mutoigo said. "When we have so much, we really feel motivated to share the resources we have."

Hoogendam echoed those thoughts, saying that we need to do this.

"For every four pedal strokes, one person dies as a result of poverty," he said. "I could stop pedaling, but that doesn't change the picture. But if I keep pedaling, I can make a difference."

The Sea to Sea cyclists will arrive in Winnipeg on Saturday afternoon. The group will be staying at Calvin Christian Collegiate until Monday morning before they kick off what could be called the second half of their journey.