Two new residents of Vashon will be riding in Passport 2 Pain this Saturday. The Almustafa family moved to Seattle from Syria in March 2016. Three weeks ago, the family re-settled on Vashon.
Brothers Huthaifa, 16, and Bassam, 15, have been avid cyclists since they were very young. In early 2017, while the family was living in Tukwila, Huthaifa learned about the Major Taylor Project(MTP), a program of the Cascade Bicycle Club. Named after American cyclist Marshall “Major” Taylor, who became the first African-American to win an international sports title in 1899, the Major Taylor Project empowers youth from diverse communities through bicycling. In MTP after-school clubs, students establish healthy habits, build relationships, gain confidence and discover their ability to affect positive change.
Huthaifa and Bassam began riding with the Major Taylor Project, and one of their club leaders told them about the Seattle to Portland ride. They began training after school and on Saturdays, and in mid-July they rode more than 200 miles in the largest multi-day bicycle event in the Northwest.
“We rode with the fast group. It took us about 13 to 14 hours in total,” Huthaifa said.
He said it was a good experience, except for being very hot.
“We got sunburn, because we left early in the morning, and nobody thought about the sunscreen,” he said.
After moving to Vashon, a friend told Huthaifa and Bassam about Passport 2 Pain, and after learning more they are keen to participate. P2P offers an extraordinary cycling challenge with three levels of vertical climb. Despite the intensity of the ride (10,000 vertical feet to climb in the 80-mile ‘Idiot’ course), P2P organizers pride themselves on making the experience feel like a party on wheels. Event staffers and volunteers regale riders at each of the 18 checkpoints. Wearing outlandish costumes and providing comedic relief, they stand at the ready to collect clothing, stamp passports and provide refreshments. Whether riders complete the Idiot, the Weasel (50 miles and 8,000 feet of elevation gain) or the Weenie (30 miles and 3,000 feet of elevation), they can all count on a fun-filled party waiting for them at the finish line and an over-the-top pile of BBQ to devour.
P2P was started as a fundraiser by the Vashon Island Rowing Club (VIRC), a non-profit organization that supports more than 100 island youth and adults each year by offering a competitive rowing program. The funds raised by P2P support the VIRC in purchasing new equipment, offering financial aid to many young rowers, and making improvements to their facility and boats.
Huthaifa and Bassam will join in and ride the P2P as ‘idiots’, tackling the 80 miles and 10,000 vertical feet.
Passport to Pain
The annual bike ride fundraiser will take place Saturday. Registration is $100. Riders will leave the Jensen Point boat house between 7:30 and 8 a.m.
For more information and to register, visit passport2pain.org
