The first Sea to Sea bike tour ended Saturday in Jersey City. Organizers say they felt biking was a good choice to help them achieve their mission – ending the cycle of poverty around the world. NY1’s Samantha Liebman met them at the finish line and filed the following report.

After nine weeks, the cyclists of the Sea to Sea tour finally got from one sea, the Pacific Ocean in Seattle, to the Atlantic. They ceremoniously dipped their tires, and some, themselves, in the water at Liberty State Park.

About 220 people from all around North America participated, including 70-year-old Reverend Roland Ratmeyer of the United Reformed Church in Clifton.

"There were times when I asked myself, 'Why am I doing this?'” Ratmeyer said. “So I had to remind myself what it was all about."

And the tour, which was sponsored by the Christian Reformed Church and the Reformed Church in America, had a clear purpose.

"The purpose of the tour was to raise awareness of the needs of the poor; to challenge people to get engaged, both locally and globally, and also to raise funds," said Claire Elgersma, one of the tour’s organizers.

Each cyclist who completed the whole 3,881 miles had to raise $10,000 to participate; those riding a part of the tour needed to bring in $4,000. In total, more than $2 million was raised. Some of it was brought in from towns along the way.

"People would see us coming in and they'd say, 'Who are you? What are you doing?' And they wanted to know about us,” Elgersma said. “So it gave us an opportunity to share with the locals what we were all about and to encourage them to get involved in poverty issues."

The tour also accomplished other things, like bringing strangers together and fostering relationships.

"The community here has been wonderful; just how we've all uplifted each other, constantly encouraging each other," said Canadian cyclist Stephanie Webb.

The hope among riders is that the money raised will also give encouragement to those who need it most – the poor. The proceeds will go to various global church organizations for job training and education.

Organizers say there may be another tour in the works, but it may be a few years since it takes a tremendous amount of effort to coordinate the event. For more information, go to SeatoSea.org.