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    Ride 2 Recovery passes through Fort Hood

    Ride 2 Recovery passes through Fort Hood

    Courtesy Photo | Maj. Janet Rose, Company A, WTU, rides with the pack along State Highway 195 in...... read more read more

    FORT HOOD, TX, UNITED STATES

    04.22.2015

    Courtesy Story

    Fort Cavazos Public Affairs Office

    By Daniel Cernero
    III Corps and Fort Hood Public Affairs

    FORT HOOD, Texas -- The Ride 2 Recovery Texas Challenge rolled through this sprawling Central Texas Army installation April 22 with hundreds of Soldiers and civilians lining the route to cheer on the 200-plus riders.

    To start the fourth of the seven-day ride across Texas, the group departed from III Corps Headquarters before continuing some 70-plus miles to Waco.

    "This is our seventh annual visit to the Great Place," John Wordin, creator of Ride 2 Recovery, said during the brief ceremony. "We really appreciate all of you coming out and cheering us on."

    In total, the 2015 Texas Challenge covers more than 500 miles of the Lone Star State, taking riders on a journey from Houston, through College Station to Georgetown, up to Killeen and Fort Hood and later to Waco and Cleburne before reaching Fort Worth.

    Included in that seven-day challenge, from April 19-25, are two century rides -- College Station to Georgetown on Day 2 and the Clay Hunt Honor Ride on the final day.

    Fort Hood's Warrior Transition Unit had a group of nearly 20 riders -- both wounded warriors and cadre -- take part in the hilly Day 3 ride from Georgetown to Killeen.

    Maj. Janet Rose, Company A, WTU, had never ridden more than 20 miles in a single day, but by the end of Day 3, she had already topped 200 miles.

    "Yesterday was a 100-mile day and the day before was an 85-mile day, but today we had hills," she said after arriving in Killen April 21. "I have a whole new appreciation for how rough the road is between Florence and here."

    The bluebonnets, the cows and the lush green grass served as a nice backdrop through the hill country, Rose said, and she had a plan for conquering the intimidating distances.

    "We do 20-25 miles, and then we take a break," she said. "So I just do 20 miles, and then I reset. That's the only way I can do it."

    Hearing other riders' stories throughout the challenge has been a source of inspiration, Rose said.

    "It's so amazing how supportive all of the people are here," she said. "You hear them talking about their history -- their medical history and their military history -- and it's just so inspiring.

    While deployed in 2014, Rose said she used a bicycle to get around base. When she arrived at Fort Hood's WTU because of an illness, she was thrilled to see cycling as one of the recovery options.

    "It's given me some discipline," Rose said. "Coming into a wounded warrior unit after my career of working in the Army, I have to have something more. I can't sit around and be sick. I have to sit around and be well and be disciplined."

    For Spc. Benny Koshy, Company A, WTU, cycling fills a practical void as a running alternative.

    "I have a knee problem to where I can't run," he said, "but with cycling, there's less stress on it."

    Riding for 10 miles works out better for his knee than even two miles walking, he explained.

    Koshy attended the Warrior Trials earlier in the year, and this Ride 2 Recovery event has given him the opportunity to reconnect with some of those Soldiers and veterans.

    "Ten-15 of them, they went to the trials, and now they're here," he said. "It's good to meet them again and share this experience."

    Through this Texas Challenge, Koshy also benefited by learning of a group of cyclists he can get plugged in with, one that meets regularly on the weekends for rides in Killeen and Copperas Cove.

    During the send-off ceremony outside the III Corps Headquarters, Brig. Tim Lai, III Corps and Fort Hood deputy commanding general (United Kingdom), spoke of the Ride 2 Recovery's mission, which Wordin created back in 2008.

    "It was the idea to save lives by restoring hope and purpose," Lai said, "providing a forum for veterans to be able to help veterans."

    Lai said he saw that camaraderie and esprit de corps firsthand at the dinner at the end of the Day 3 ride.

    In talking with other riders, Rose took pride in hearing their description of Texas and Fort Hood.

    "They say that this is the most patriotic state, and the events at Fort Hood are the best in all of Ride 2 Recovery," she said, referencing the cheering crowd and outpouring of support. "I'm so proud that's us [at Fort Hood] that they're talking about."

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 04.22.2015
    Date Posted: 04.24.2015 14:38
    Story ID: 161197
    Location: FORT HOOD, TX, US

    Web Views: 40
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN