Cyclist traveling from Detroit to Chicago makes stop in Holland

HOLLAND — Stephen Arthur, a cross-country cyclist from New York City, made a stop in Holland last week as part of a bike ride from Detroit to Chicago as part of a larger project to retrace the steps of his Dutch-Jewish ancestors.

In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Arthur was inspired by two things that would lead to this bike ride.

First, he set the goal of biking 10,000 miles by the end of the year. Despite getting stuck in a winter storm, he completed the goal; his success even landed him a profile piece in the Wall Street Journal, documenting his workouts, diet and winter weather gear.

Second was his discovery of the book "The Forerunners: Dutch Jewry in the North American Diaspora" by Hope College history Professor Dr. Robert P. Sweirenga. The book was recommended to Arthur by a relative and sent him down a deep dive into his unique Dutch-Jewish heritage.

Sweirenga wrote "The Forerunners" after researching the religious makeup of Dutch immigrants. While most immigrants were of the Catholic or Reformed Church, 2 percent of Dutch immigrants were Jewish. Sweirenga then began tracing the few Dutch-Jewish immigrants, finding that they stayed in cities such as New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore and New Orleans, each warranting a chapter in the book.

However, one chapter documents “The Great Lakes Frontier: The Restless Ones.” In this chapter, Arthur learned about the Van Baalens and the Boasbergs, his ancestors. Originally entering the United States from New York City, these two families moved around to cities including Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago. 

Since reading the book and cycling more, Arthur has cycled to the cities where his ancestors lived.

Arthur has also traveled around the world, cycling in parts of Europe and the West Coast of the United States. He has also made connections with distant relatives.

For the latest Detroit-to-Chicago trip, Arthur is using a Swift folding bike, allowing him to fly into Detroit and out from Chicago.

Arthur uses a web service called Warm Showers, which allows cyclists to host or visit other cyclists for a night. He said it is a great way to connect with other cyclists and cut down the cost of booking a hotel.

Despite it being out of the way, Arthur chose to stop by Holland to meet with Sweirenga, the author of the book that changed his life.

On the third day of the trip, he rode 86 miles from Kalamazoo to Holland. He also rode 30 miles from Allegan to Holland with a couple of other cyclists who toured him around the city. The following day, he traveled 72 miles from Holland to Berrien County's St. Joseph, and the day after, he arrived in Indiana.

Arthur said he gets out to bike by 9 a.m. each morning. For this trip, he cycles about 80 miles per day, more than he normally would for a large biking trip, but the Midwest is flatter than other areas.

— Eric Johnson is a reporter for Ottawa News Network. Contact him at newsroom@ottawanewsnetwork.org.