Ride to Recovery 2013 Gulf Coast Challenge to Kickoff in New Orleans

For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Ann Wills, Keating Magee,
Mobile: 504-494-3810 | Office: 504-299-7168
awills@keatingmagee.com
Debora M. Spano,
Spano Public Relations,
Mobile: 401-258-3081
dspano@spanopr.com

 Ride to Recovery 2013 Gulf Coast Challenge to Kickoff in New Orleans
Challenge to Kickoff March 3 in New Orleans, LA and end March 8 in Tallahassee, FL

On Sunday, March 3, more than 200 injured veterans and their supporters will begin a 375-mile trek from New Orleans, LA to Tallahassee, FL in the second UnitedHealthcare Ride 2 Recovery (R2R) Gulf Coast Challenge.

Leading the cyclists from the start at the Superdome will be retired Saints Safety Steve Gleason riding a specially built recumbent tandem, affectionately known as The Big Easy. Active duty and retired military members will ride road bikes, hand cycles, recumbents and tandems - many of which have been modified to accommodate injuries. As the riders roll along the Gulf Coast, they will be joined and cheered-on by local politicians, celebrities, school children, businesses, veterans and interested citizens.

I would like to invite you to ride with us for a day or two during this journey. If that is not possible, your help would be appreciated in telling this tremendous story of our injured veterans as they resume lives in the military or civilian world after fighting for our freedom. Here is the schedule for the 2013 Gulf Coast Challenge:

Sun. 3/3 New Orleans to Gulfport, MS
Mon. 3/4 Gulfport to Mobile
Tue. 3/5 Mobile to Orange Beach
Wed. 3/6 Orange Beach to Fort Walton Beach
Thu. 3/7 Fort Walton Beach to Panama City
Fri. 3/8 Panama City to Tallahassee

Ride 2 Recovery, a 501(c) 3, helps injured veterans improve their health and wellness through individual and group cycling. Cycling has proven to be a catalyst in the recovery process by providing a new physical challenge while concurrently helping to cope with the mental challenges. The Ride 2 Recovery long-distance, multi-day events challenge each rider individually to meet personal goals, to ride with others who have similar experiences and to find ways to cope with their "new normal" through cycling and camaraderie.

R2R enables service men and women to ride no matter their disabilities. Most riders are part of the R2R Project HERO program at a Warrior Transition Unit or VA where they are using cycling to aid in their rehabilitation. All four branches of the military regularly send service men and women to R2R Challenges.

There are six UnitedHealthcare Ride 2 Recovery Challenges slated for 2013 each ranging from 325 - 450 miles over six or seven days. An average of 200 cyclists will ride together in a group with each cyclist facing his or her own challenge.

You are welcome to join us on the road - on a bike or in a car - to see how a week on a bike can make a difference in an injured veteran. I hope you can ride with us or at least come to see how R2R positively affects the lives of our returning service men and women.

For more information, please visit http://www.ride2recovery.com/gulf-coast-challenge.html