Pedaling more than 5,000 miles from Maryland's Chesapeake Bay to San Diego, bicyclists and bloggers Paul Lebelle and Adam Burkowske are on a mission to share their love of cycling with children of military families, who Adam calls the "forgotten victims of this war." The plan is for Bike Free, their non-profit charity, to get 1,000 bikes and helmets to military kids by Christmas.
Paul and Adam say they are doing this cross-country charity ride because the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the long deployments have taken such a heavy toll on military kids, and they just want to bring them some joy.
Both have been blogging virtually the entire way, and are enjoying meeting military families and others across the country. While they were in Portland, Oregon, Paul wrote on his blog:
While they were in Northern California, Adam wrote on his blog:
When they left Baltimore four months ago, Roy's Restaurant, where they both worked, hosted a send-off dinner for them with 100% of the proceeds going to Bike Free. When they complete their journey in San Diego Oct. 12, the Roy's in La Jolla will give another benefit dinner. Adding to the celebration is the fact that Adam's brother, Tim, who's in the Navy and was serving in Bahrain, will be arriving in San Diego just a few days after Paul and Adam do. "We're really looking forward to San Diego," says Adam. "We will be with family." For further information or to help support their mission, Paul and Adam can be contacted through the Bike Free website.
