The 63-day, 4,000-mile Trek Demonstrated the American Spirit and Also Helped Others
A team of exceptional athletes, many service men and women injured while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, dipped their front tires and themselves in the Atlantic Ocean Saturday at the conclusion of their cross-country trek. The core team of 17 State Farm Sea to Shining Sea bicycle riders reached their destination after inspiring thousands all along the route which took them over three mountain ranges, across a desert, and through America's heartland and historic birthplace.
In addition to the riders' extraordinary personal achievements, the signatures of supporters who turned out to cheer them along the way generated a $100,000 donation from sponsor State Farm® to Habitat for Humanity, which will fund accessibility features in homes for veterans.
The team departed from the Golden Gate Bridge on May 22 for the inaugural bike trek across America organized by World T.E.A.M. Sports. The goal of Sea to Shining Sea was 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. That goal was achieved.
Air Force Sergeant and rider Marc Esposito, who was discharged from Walter Reed Army Medical Center just one year ago after barely surviving an IED attack, explains, "we started out a group of people hoping to ride across the country. We became a team that realized this ride was much bigger than any of us. We rode to inspire others to get off the couch, get back to therapy and live a life that they love."
The cyclists tested their physical limits daily. Several riders had specially-designed bikes that made it possible for them to participate, some made the trek with prosthetic limbs and others completed the grueling ride while managing the effects of post traumatic stress and severe brain injuries.
They averaged nearly 70 miles per day in weather that ranged from snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the heat that has plagued the Midwest and East for the past few weeks. Saturday's temperature in Virginia Beach was a blistering 101°. Riders conquered 63 cities from San Francisco to Virginia Beach, including Sacramento, Calif.; Denver; Lincoln, Neb.; Bloomington, Ill.; Indianapolis; Columbus, Ohio; Pittsburgh; and Washington, D.C.
Through it all, the riders inspired people, disabled or not, to live active and enriched lives by providing dramatic proof that disabled Americans can lead productive lives and accomplish feats most people only dream about.
Sponsor State Farm, activated its agents and associates all along the route to provide local information, helped with logistics and route planning, and rallied folks to turn out to celebrate the riders along the way.
To see images and video from the entire ride and find out more about what the ride meant to team members, visit s2ssbikeride.org.
About State Farm®
State Farm insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S., is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. State Farm's 17,700 agents and 68,600 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 78.7 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.9 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 34 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canadastatefarm.ca®.
About World T.E.A.M. Sports
World T.E.A.M. Sports is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to creating soul-stirring opportunities for individuals of all abilities through the power of sports. By bringing athletes of all cultures, with and without disabilities together as one TEAM, World T.E.A.M. enables fully inclusive TEAMS to accomplish goals beyond what is thought possible. World T.E.A.M. Sports recognizes sports as the true global commonality and believes that through such activities, the world can grow stronger and unite as powerful communities. World T.E.A.M. Sports is more than an organization, it is a movement to change the way the world perceives athletes.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6372008&lang=en
Contacts:
State Farm
Melissa McKinley, 309-766-0625
melissa.mckinley.qxwl@statefarm.com
or
Weber
Shandwick
Dana Metz, 312-988-2378
dmetz@webershandwick.com
or
Kaplow
PR
Blair Decembrele, 646-747-3531
blaird@kaplowpr.com