Wounded veterans take on extreme bike ride, finding support in unlikely places
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A little over a year ago, Marc Esposito was finishing up his rehabilitation at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., after nearly being killed in an IED accident in Afghanistan.
"I came back from the war disabled, and was leaving Walter Reed in a wheelchair and back brace," Esposito says. "I wasn't able to really do anything. I didn't like it."
Fast forward one year later, Esposito was wrapping up the State Farm Sea to Shining Sea (S2SS), World T.E.A.M. Sports' inaugural 4,000 bike trek across America. This extreme ride took Esposito and 30 other wounded war veterans from coast to coast. And as you may have read in this previous post, not only did these riders face 4,000 miles, the S2SS group had only 11 days to rest throughout the entire journey, experienced triple-digit temperatures in Nevada, climbed more than 3,000 feet over 100 miles in five days in Colorado, cycled for 120-mile stretches at a time, and for some, pedaled by hand.
"If you had told me that this is what I'd be doing this summer, I never would have imagined it," Esposito says.
Actor Robin Williams, right, greets a group of injured veterans during the ride.
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By Tony Avelar, AP Images for State Farm
In addition to funding the entire ride, which wrapped up in July, State Farm's agents were on hand for the entire 63-day ride, serving as community coordinators, providing local information, helping with logistics and route planning, and rallying folks to turn out to celebrate the riders. From actor Robin Williams (see right photo) to Sen. Ben Nelson as they approached Lincoln, Neb., to Gov. Bill Ritter of Colorado as they biked from Colorado Springs to Denver, thousands turned up to cheer them on.
"It was absolutely amazing," Esposito says. "State Farm agents had rallied all of this support during the ride … in random towns … across the country. There would be people outside in their front yards cheering us on. One little girl even had the best tasting chocolate chip cookies ready for us. It made our day."
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And when you're getting ready to climb yet another summit, this support can make all the difference.
"It gave me back hope," Esposito says. "Now I want to give this back to other injured vets … to encourage them to continue taking challenges and to help them feel the same. Riding across country hopefully inspired wounded warriors and all disabled Americans."
Check back tomorrow for continued coverage on how corporate America is making a difference in unexpected ways.
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