Riding From Sea to Shining Sea
A bicycle ride honoring our injured veterans… Coming back from military tours of duty can be difficult for many veterans. This is especially true for those who've been wounded, so one group decided it wanted to "honor the courage of our service men and women, recognize the strength of the American spirit and challenge perceptions of how we view athletes." To do so, the group, World T.E.A.M. Sports (T.E.A.M. standing for "The Exceptional Athlete Matters), decided to put together a bike ride across the country, one that includes wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
… that began in San Francisco on May 22 ... Sea to Shining Sea (presented by State Farm) began, with 18 riders of all ages, ranging from their early 20s to their late 60s. As the Zanesville Times Recorder notes, each of the riders either have an injury or a disability, and there are some able-bodied riders accompanying them on the 4,000-mile cross-country journey. Along the way, there have been some areas where other disabled and able-bodied riders were encouraged to head out and show support by joining in the ride (as actor/comedian Robin Williams did in the above photo). To reach their destination on time, the riders need to average a little more than 63 miles a day.
… and finishes on July 24 in Virginia Beach. Assuming they keep up that pace, they'll reach Virginia Beach, Va., on Saturday, July 24. As mentioned before, there are areas for riders to join in, and two of those opportunities remain, in Washington, D.C. and in Norfolk, Va., so if you're interested in showing your support, check out how here. And along with raising awareness, the race is also about raising money for both Soldiers' Angels (a support organization for military veterans and their families) and World T.E.A.M. Sports (a group that teams able-bodied athletes with disabled athletes so both can achieve goals that might not otherwise be possible). Donations can be made here.
Read more Good Sports.
Photo of Robin Williams with veterans by Austin Smithard via Sea to Shining Sea.
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