College Grads Cycle Cross Country

Alabama Daphne Three college friends are cycling across the country to raise money for a cause. They stopped in Daphne on the way to St. Augustine.

by Chad Petri

Published: Sun, November 01, 2009 - 9:04 pm CST Last Updated: Sun, November 01, 2009 - 9:11 pm CST

DAPHNE, Alabama - With pictures to spare, these college pals are making memories to last a lifetime.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and it's just been really humbling for me,” says Jonathan Engelhardt. Caleb Price, Jonathan and Ryan James are crashing in Daphne tonight, 11/01/09. They're cycling across the country to raise money and awareness for a small clinic in South Africa. Ryan’s also raising money for a mission trip he’s planning there.

“We think we're invincible and we can just push through and a lot of times the hardest thing has been realizing that if I want to ride tomorrow, I need to stop,” says Caleb Price. They thought it would be a great way to raise money and awareness--but weren't expecting so many challenges.

“In San Diego went through a sandstorm to dogs chasing us on the side of the road, it's learning about your limitations and pushing past them,” says Ryan James. The trip started 33 days ago in California. It's a journey they won't forget--or ever try again.

“It makes you kind of just say ‘it would be really good and really nice in front of a TV’ instead of on my bike for an 11 hour day,” says Ryan. They're part of the Association for Baptists for World Evangelism and have been staying with other church members through most of the journey. They say the biggest thing they've learned is trust.

“When you're riding on an interstate and you're getting ready to go through an exit and you've got to trust they guy in back to tell you it's clear, because you don't have the time to look back,” says Caleb. If all goes according to plan, their trip ends November 12th in St. Augustine, Florida. The guys have set up a fairly extensive website chronicling their journey. You can check it out here.

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