The Journey Begins

Welcome to my Underground Railroad Bike Tour Blog. As I begin this blog I am 67 days from the beginning of my 2000+ mile ride from Mobile, AL to Owen Sound, Canada.

This blog is devoted to my journey over the next four months to train for and ride the length of the nation along the Adventure Cycling Association’s Underground Railroad Route. I have been long-distance biking for many years, but this will be the first trip I have planned for a fundraising purpose. The purpose is to raise money for minority scholarships at Lipscomb University, where I have worked for nine years.

My goal for this ride is to raise $30,000. (To give online, click here.) I am very thankful to Lipscomb University for giving me the opportunity to use my gifts and sense of adventure to undertake this trip and attempt to raise money for minority scholarships.

Me and Lipscomb students from Madagascar riding around Nashville. I'm the one in the orange shirt.

These additional scholarship funds will provide hope for minority students who want to attend Lipscomb University but who are unable to cover the financial costs alone. I have lived in the dorm for over nine years with nearly 400 students each semester. I have seen too many students have to move out of the dorm or quit school for a semester or two for financial reasons. It also troubles me to see students graduate with a massive amount of debt. While I would love to help all students receive help toward their educational expenses, I am particularly excited about this trip and tying the Underground Railroad to an opportunity to help students of different ethnic backgrounds.

I’ve been biking for over 13 years now. I bike with family, friends and have introduced several students to the joys of biking. Being able to tie a sport I love together with a chance to provide hope for others and open doors for educational opportunities is very rewarding to me.

I welcome all to follow this blog through the next couple of months of training and then on in to the ride itself as I will be posting from the road during the trip from May 11 through June 17.

If you are interested in giving, click here, or call Lipscomb University at 966-5720.

You can check out the schedule and routes at http://biketour.lipscomb.edu.

If you would like to know more about cross-country biking, check out the Adventure Cycling Association.