Seventh-day Adventist cycling clubs in Colombia have grown to nearly 500 members thanks to a nationwide initiative to promote a healthy lifestyle. Coined “I Want to Live Healthy,” cycling clubs have engaged not only church members to become active in the sport but their friends as well. In a recent nationwide event, 480 cyclists took to the roads in their respective regions on March 19–20, 2023.

Cyclists logged their kilometers through the QVS Colombia group on the Strava app and were able to promote the healthy activity as an Adventist community, organizers said. The church in the southern and northern regions have been working on promoting the initiative, motivating members to organize cycling clubs and include joggers and roller skaters to join together in promoting an active life as well.

“Cycling has become one of the most popular and successful sports in Colombia, not only on a professional level but also in the recreational and amateur field,” said Pastor Leonel Preciado, Health Ministries director for the South Colombian Union, who is a cyclist himself. One of the reasons why the sport has become widely embraced has to do with the geographical features of the country, with mountains and landscapes that offer an ideal challenge for cyclists, as well as the passion and dedication of Colombians for this sport, he explained.

“Hope on Wheels”

“We have motivated our church membership to join the ‘I Want to Live Healthy’ Cycling Club as an official club with statutes and insurance for its cyclists,” said Preciado. Last year, there were cycling routes that called attention to the theme “Hope on Wheels,” he said. “On March 19–20, we fulfilled a very important purpose where we had a strategy to motivate persons to reach 20,000 kilometers, and we were able to reach that in cities and municipal districts, and in communities where dozens went out with their clubs, on their own, or as a family to reach the challenge.”

Preciado added, “The 20,000 kilometers reached in two days was one of the demonstrations that we can unite in doing great things to testify that we have a healthy church with healthy habits and lifestyles.”

The initiative came about from a group of professional cyclists and is supported by both church unions in Colombia.

Pastor Mauricio Buitrago, Health Ministries director for the North Colombian Union, who has been active in cycling regularly in Medellin and other parts of the northern region, said, “Without a doubt, this challenge to reach 20,000 kilometers in two days is an opportunity to demonstrate the passion for cycling and contribute to promoting an active, healthier lifestyle. I hope that this initiative will encourage more persons to join this great adventure on wheels.”

Expanding Throughout the Country

At a national level, there was a great participation of cyclists in Valledupar, in northern Colombia, with more than 100 cyclists who completed their route. A group of cyclists began in 2019, and by the end of the pandemic, the group grew to 120 in Bogotá and 150 in Los Llanos. Many dozens more have joined throughout many smaller regions, and the initiative is expanding more and more in the northern region, church leaders said.

“Our churches throughout the South Colombian Union have been getting to each municipal district, every town and city to involve more children, young people, and families to take part in a sports activity,” said Preciado. “These types of athletic clubs can bring us together [and] help us organize better, [and] with proper insurance, [we] can maintain a healthy lifestyle that allows [us] to witness more.”

The recent activity is one more scheduled this year in anticipation of a cycling tour of about 400 kilometers, from Bogotá to Bucaramanga, said Preciado. “We expect hundreds of cyclists to participate in this long adventure with us. We want to keep motivating our church members, friends, young people, and leaders to, each day, practice some sporting activity because we know it will improve their health, encourage healthy habits, and expand clubs to share Jesus and grow personally, spiritually, and socially.”

The original version of this story was posted on the Inter-American Division website.