Riding with warriors

Just another day of riding mountain bikes in the desert . . . help folks find their way, fix a flat here, adjust a pedal there. Only for these three days, I was riding with the Wounded Warriors – 13 young men and 1 woman who endured injuries while serving in the armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. Many had lost an arm or a leg while others dealt with brain trauma, but you would forget these brave ones had any setbacks as they climbed rocky hills, maneuvered technical sections, and blazed the drops. The trail systems of Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa and the Big Bend Ranch State Park mix smooth sailing singletrack with rough challenging creekbeds. Even the dirt roads have their own sections of soul sucking sand that engage you to ‘hike your bike’.

The warriors would not be defeated. They had been invited to ride 100k with former President George W. Bush, and their enthusiasm overcame the obstacles. Add Lance Armstrong to the final day of riding and you have yourself a high publicity event to highlight the organizations that put soldiers on bikes and on a path to recovery – Challenged Athletes Foundation, Ride 2 Recovery, World T.E.A.M. Sports and the Wounded Warrior Project.

Just another day of meeting some great people . . .like Joshua Davis from Arizona who served as a Lance Corporal with the Marines and lived through three close encounters with explosives. On a short break to fix a tire, he told me about his studies to teach middle school kids math and physics since the language part of his brain doesn’t cooperate as well since the accidents. I told him we need more good male role models in the school system and then we dashed down the trail to catch the pack.

Men like Scott Bilyeu of San Antonio, Texas who was a para-rescueman in the U.S. Air Force and suffered brain trauma and several broken bones from a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Even after riding 4,000 miles on the Sea To Shining Sea Team, the Chihuahuan Desert terrain proved challenging to Scott but his determination was unstoppable. I was sweeping the course when for a short while we lost Scott. The group I caught up to had not seen him, but just as I reached for the satellite phone the shine of his helmet glinted through the creosote. “I knew I was off course when I saw more cow tracks then bike tracks,” smiled Scott.

Women like U.S. Army Lieutenant Patty Collins of Fort Hood, Texas. She served several tours in Afghanistan and Iraq and was riding her bike to work when she was hit by a car which led to the loss of her leg below the knee. The accident did not halt her military or cycling career. She has been mountain biking for the last three years, and finds it exhilarating. Her prosthetic sports a cycling shoe that allows her to clip in and out of her pedals. She climbed hills that many of the guys walked. “The only muscles that hurt are the ones I use to smile”, she beamed as we headed out on the third day of riding.

Just another day of riding with committed cyclists . . . Barrett Durst, superintendent of Big Bend Ranch State Park, lad many of the miles and Steve Densmore, a lieutenant for TPWD, swept the tracks. Pam, Lorinda, and Nancy darted about the trails maintaining the bikes and boosting morale. Kevin Urbanzcyk, Sul Ross Geology professor, and Mike Long, state park volunteer and Desert Sports proprietor, shared their expertise and kept the groups moving as President Bush pushed the pace. The incredible support and coordinated production of the event deserves applause – Secret Service, Border Patrol, Brewster County Sheriff’s Department, Terlingua Fire and EMS, Big Bend Ranch State Park, Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa, and the efficient staff of the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

Just another day in the desert . . . I’ll think of these fine warriors when the wind is a blasting furnace and the dust cakes your face. When the sand bogs your front tire and the climbs are a rocky torment. I’ll think of their joy as they ride their bikes in the cool morning dusk on a peaceful day.

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