Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride Cycles Through Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland
Injured Service Members Find Healing on Inspirational Journey April 14-18
WASHINGTON, D.C. - - Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) Soldier Ride® will arrive in the Washington, D.C. area on April 14 for a five-day rehabilitative cycling event that travels from Northern Virginia to Maryland. Soldier Ride brings injured service members from across the country together for a long weekend focused on physical health and wellness, camaraderie, and healing. Along with cycling, they will also participate in team building and other physical activities. Some of this year’s participants will be traveling from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for the inspirational journey.
The week-long event begins with a bike fitting where each injured service members is fit with adaptive equipment to meet their specific needs. On Wednesday, the group will cycle 17 miles through the picturesque vistas of the Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, The following day, they will visit Washington, D.C. with a trip to the White House. The ride will pick back up on Friday, for a ride in Annapolis, Md. which includes a trip through the United States Naval Academy. That afternoon will also include an exclusive workout at Under Armour’s Baltimore headquarters. On Saturday, they will head to Marlboro County for a hilly 20-mile ride to wrap up the week.
Veteran Ernie Spycher took park in the ride last year and said Wounded Warrior Project and Soldier Ride helped him readjust to civilian life, “To get out on a bike and do all the different things I've been able to do through Wounded Warrior Project has really shown me that I can get used to the new me and I can really enjoy life again."
During the ride, Wounded Warrior Project provides state-of-the-art cycling equipment to Wounded Warriors at no cost, including adaptive hand cycles, trikes, and bicycles to accommodate various injuries and disabilities, as well as upright road bikes for riders not requiring adaptive equipment.
Soldier Ride staff carefully plan each route, and engage the local community and law enforcement for support.
Soldier Ride is also being supported across the country by U-HAUL, a founding partner of Soldier Ride, and TREK, both proud supporters of WWP.
About Soldier Ride
Soldier Ride® began in 2004 when civilian Chris Carney cycled more than 5,000 miles coast-to-coast in support of WWP. In 2005, Carney again cycled coast-to coast, this time with several combat-wounded veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Soldier Ride has been welcomed at the White House for many years, beginning in 2008 when President Bush called it “the most inspiring athletic event in the country,” and most recently in April 2014 by President Obama where WWP Alumni met privately with him before the event.
Soldier Ride is a physical health & wellness program of WWP, which envisions a generation of wounded veterans well-adjusted in body, receiving the care they need to maximize rehabilitation and live active and healthy lives. Through peer support, adaptive sports, health, nutrition, and recreational activities, WWP helps warriors achieve independence and pursue an excellent quality of life.
More information on Soldier Ride is available at soldierride.org.
About Wounded Warrior Project®
The mission of Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) is to honor and empower Wounded Warriors. WWP’s purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. To get involved and learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.