Getting to Know the Riders

Now that all the riders have arrived in San Francisco we've been begun to develop relationships and create team chemistry. This is very important for us a group because that trust and camaraderie will help carry both the riders and support staff through the difficult journey ahead. Among the sixteen riders, there are two blind riders who will ride tandem bikes with a "pilot." Other disabilities include missing limbs, paraplegia, TBI (traumatic brain injury), PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), and cancer. Many of the riders are retired from the military, but some are still in active duty and all five branches of the military are represented.

I had the privilege of getting to know one of the riders over dinner the other night. He is a retired Marine who served four tours in Okinawa and one in Iraq. He retired after his tour in Iraq, but struggled with mental illnesses that haunted him and made it very difficult to sleep. As a result he turned to alcohol because it was the only way he could sleep at night. Eventually he hit rock bottom and admitted himself into a VA hospital for rehab. Once he got out, a friend bought him everything he needed to start cycling and forced him to start riding. Ultimately cycling came to take the place of alcoholism in his life, and he has found freedom and rest in riding every day. Hearing his story opened my eyes to what so many veterans go through on a daily basis as a result of their time in the service. I'm excited to get to know all of the riders on a more personal basis and hear their stories.

Vietnam vet, Bill, is an amputee who will be riding a hand cycle along the route