Courtesy Photo | Philip Schoenig (right), deputy director of Defense Contract Management Agency...... read more read more
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TEWKSBURY, Mass. - Imagine traveling by bicycle through beautiful areas like the California coast and the red-rock towns of Arizona, rolling up and over the Continental Divide, crossing the Oklahoma panhandle and continuing to the countryside of New England.
Philip Schoenig, deputy director of Defense Contract Management Agency Raytheon Tewksbury, imagined it for years, and recently completed the trip as part of America by Bicycle’s Fast America Ride. For 33 days he pedaled more than a hundred miles a day, all for a good cause.
“This has been a goal of mine for many years,” said the retired Army officer, who used the opportunity to raise money and awareness for the nonprofit Wounded Warrior Project. “I chose to ride for the Wounded Warrior Project because I was fortunate enough to have a healthy and rewarding military career. Some of my brothers- and sisters-in-arms were not as fortunate, and together we can all help make a difference for them and their families on their road to recovery.”
Schoenig planned the ride for more than two years, working with his team and supervisor to ensure the office was prepared for his absence. He joined 24 others on the ride, departing from the Pacific Ocean near Costa Mesa, Calif., in late April, passing through 14 states before finishing at the Atlantic Ocean in Massachusetts.
“My fellow employees were following my ride from my blog page and occasionally they would provide words of encouragement on my blog posts,” he said. “When I returned to work, the door to my office had ‘where is Phil today’ and daily printouts of my posts and location were attached to the door so employees could follow.”
More than just a ride, Schoenig said the trip was about being with a diverse group of people from all over the world with the same goal of getting across America on a bicycle.
“That is a lesson reinforced in the working place – have everyone on the same page going for a common goal,” Schoenig said.
The final stats: 3,382 miles; 827,019 pedal rotations; 17 miles per hour average speed; And more than $15,000 raised for the Wounded Warrior Project.
Schoenig said the common threads to being a military officer, DCMA employee or long-distance bicyclist are “preparation and the commitment you make to yourself to be ready for any situation. These apply to any career, project, or educational endeavor.”
| Date Taken: | 08.16.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 08.22.2013 13:50 |
| Story ID: | 112409 |
| Location: | TEWKSBURY, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 178 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Tewksbury deputy takes an 'epic ride', by Patrick Tremblay, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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