WILLIAMSTON, Mich. — On this Fourth of July holiday, a group of about 25 bicyclists from across the country made their way to Williamston, all for a good cause.
“Today was one of our medium, shorter days, 82 miles,” said Mark Kinzer. “We raise funds for the Fuller Center for Housing and so far this year, we raised nearly $600,000 towards that cause simply by biking, and career we've raised over three and a half million for the Fuller Center.”
Some bikers have traveled from Oregon and will be going all the way to Maine. Others have joined in and dropped off along the way.
Kinzer joined in the Upper Peninsula. He said he joined because he wanted to start riding his bike for a purpose.
“I decided to join the bike ride because in 2017, I was in a serious automobile accident, and I was told I was never allowed to bike again," Kinzer said. "So now I'm on a tricycle. It's a sport tricycle so I could bike again. My surgeon gave me the okay.”
While some parts might not be so easy.
“The hardest part is usually getting up, lights on at 5 a.m., we have 30 minutes to get our stuff together into the trailer," Kinzer said. "We have 30 minutes from 5:30 to 6 a.m. to eat breakfast. We have devotions and a circle up with what's the day like, what's the route, and then we're off and running by 6:30 or 7 o'clock in the morning.”
And sometimes the roads get tough.
“Upper Peninsula was quite cold and quite windy in some rain and when we got south of the bridge, it began to warm up," Kinzer said. "So it was much more pleasant.”
Kinzer said he's enjoyed the trip.
“The best part for me has been the friendships I get to develop where we have a common cause and we're from all throughout the country,” he said.
And if you see them riding down the road they want you to know:
"That we're out here for a worthy cause the fuller center for housing, to help people that are in need of housing that we take for granted," Kinzer said. "They could wake up without a roof. They could, it could be a handicapped person that cannot get out of their house that needs a wheelchair ramp. So those type of things that were able to help those people have a quality of life.”
On average, the cyclists are riding about 72 miles per day. They say their next stop is Milan, Ohio.
Want to see more local news? Visit the FOX47News Website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Neighborhood News, Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines, and Daily Forecasts.
