Smile Politely

Cross-country bike riders in Champaign Tuesday

From Tom Kacich’s story in today’s News-Gazette:

A group of exceptional bicycle riders, many of whom are wounded Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, will be in Champaign-Urbana this week as part of a 3,696-mile tour.

The riders, whose trek is called Sea to Shining Sea, have undertaken the effort to pay tribute to service men and women and challenge perceptions about how Americans see disabled athletes. Some of the 19 cross-country riders have prosthetic limbs, while others with spinal cord injuries or without legs are using specially designed hand-powered bikes. They are from all branches of the service. Among the riders is Paul Bremer, the former diplomat who oversaw Iraq’s provisional government in 2003 and 2004.

They are scheduled to arrive in Champaign around 2 p.m. Tuesday. A welcoming ceremony will be held between 2 and 3 p.m. at Hessel Park in Champaign.

For more information, go to the website http://www.s2ssbikeride.org.

Thanks to Gary Cziko for passing along the link.

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