2,700-mile trip aids veterans

The physical demands of riding a bicycle from Annapolis, Md., to San Diego, Calif., is tough enough.
But coping with a capricious roadway makes the 2,700-mile trek all the tougher, said Daniel Sedberry.
“There’s an optical illusion from the asphalt,” Sedberry, 20, said Monday.
The illusion makes sloping hills seem steeper, said Sedberry, “and they go on forever, with always a bigger one up ahead.”
Sedberry and his bike-mate , Sid Ballard, are second-year cadets from the U.S. Naval Academy. They are traveling cross-country during their four-week leave from the Academy.
The trip was not the Navy’s idea, they stressed. In fact, the Naval Academy has nothing to do with their efforts.
“I just woke up at 2 in the morning one day and said, ‘I want to ride across the country,’” Ballard said.
That impetus led to Ballard’s and Sedberry’s participation in Coast to Coast for Veterans 2010 which raises awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project and the Grateful Nation Foundation, both of which cater to returning veterans injured while serving overseas.
The pair took off from Annapolis May 27 and are scheduled to reach San Diego June 20.
“So far, things are going great,” Sedberry said. “There have been a few hiccups along the way, but we hope to pick up speed once we reach Colorado.”
The cyclists passed through Iola late Monday morning en route to Pratt. They headed out from Pratt today and should reach Ulysses by this evening and Kim, Colo., by Thursday. The plan is to reach Arizona by June 15 and California three days later.
Both Sedberry and Ballard noted that the trip was simply an effort to honor other veterans.
“That’s why it’s so important that we finish,” Sedberry said. “Even if we don’t raise much money, we at least want to raise awareness.”
The “hiccups” Sedberry spoke about likely would have finished most cyclists. Sedberry’s knee began to swell as they crossed the Appalachian Mountains, while Ballard took a tumble in Indiana, which resulted in a couple of torn muscles in his leg and a trip to the emergency room.
“The doctor asked me then if I was going to fly back home,” Ballard said. “He figured my trip was done for sure. But I want to continue this.”
There have been other maladies, such as the occasional flat tire, although the cyclists have caught one break in regard to the infamous Kansas weather.
While temperatures routinely are above 90 degrees with stifling humidity, Monday’s early morning clouds made for a comfortable — albeit, wet — ride from Nevada, Mo., to Iola.
“We had a nice tailwind until it shifted and started hitting us from the side,” Sedberry said.
Assisting the cyclists is Paul Luffel, who has crossed the United States twice on a bicycle, once in 2006 and again earlier this year. Luffel is traveling this time by car with all of the needed equipment to fix flats and prepare meals for the weary riders.
Their daily schedule has become routine.
They awaken at sunrise to a bowl of oatmeal and perhaps a granola bar or two. High-protein snacks along the way — they burn an estimated 9,000 calories each 24 hours — precede supper, usually consisting of rice and pasta.
If they’re fortunate and have a motel, a quick shower is followed by “passing out and waking up to oatmeal again,” Sedberry quipped.
The cross-country trek is the first for both.
“The Naval Academy is pretty grueling but there was nothing to prepare us for this,” Sedberry said. “Our training schedule was so limited that we could only get up to about 50 miles a day.”
Some days, they’ll travel up to 150 miles.
“We built up our leg muscles after the first week,” Sedberry said.
Sedberry comes from a military family and currently calls Boerne, Texas, near San Antonio, home. Ballard is from Owasso, Okla., near Tulsa.
“I saw the sign for (U.S.) 169 on the way into Iola,” Ballard said with a laugh. “I was dreaming how easy it would be just to turn there and head home instead.”
Such thoughts are quickly rejected.
“The best part of the trip is to get to talk about the Wounded Warrior Project,” Sedberry said. “We want to raise awareness for those who are coming home from battle.”
More information about the Wounded Warrior Project is available at www.woundedwarriorproject.org.
The cyclists also accept PayPal donations to help them with expenses. Donors can contact Luffel at [email protected].
Any remaining proceeds will go to the the Wounded Warrior Project.
Their trip can be monitored online at c2c4v.blogspot.com.