LOYAL MAN BIKING FOR A GOOD CAUSE
Friday, July 10th, 2009 -- 12:24 PM
A loyal man is getting ready for another extraordinary journey.Tom Kingsbury, 56, is preparing to tour Wisconsin on his specially-made recumbent bicycle, all in an effort to raise money for a Persian Gulf Veterans Tribute at The Highground.
"On July 31, I'll be leaving The Highground to pedal around the state of Wisconsin to raise funds for the Persian Gulf Tribute," Kingsbury told us, "it's known as the Hero's Tribute Ride. I will be pedaling over 1,500 miles in ten days."
He'll average around 160 miles per day.
During the tour, he'll make special stops at several communities that lost residents in the Persian Gulf wars.
"There will be a flag presented to the community; those flags are currently flying over Iraq or Afghanistan. In addition to that, there will be a plaque with all the names of those individuals," he says.
[url=http://thehighground.org/bicycle-tour/documents/Persian_Gulf_Tribute_Ride_Complete_with_no_arrows_with_lighter_lines_on_route.pdf]His journey[/url] will take him all over Wisconsin, with stops as far north as Ashland and as far south as the Illinois border.
Kingsbury and his follow van will be equipped with GPS tracking devices, which will allow people to log on to The Highground?s website and follow his progress.
The idea came to him last year during the annual Highground Bicycle tour. It is inspired by another special tour by the veterans? park founder, Tom Miller.
"It's more than just pedaling the bike," he says, "we're commemorating The Highground's 25th anniversary and it's a recognition to the sacrifice these people have given to the state of Wisconsin and their country."
Long bike trips are nothing new for Kingsbury. Back in 2006, he and a teammate pedaled over 3,000 miles across the United States in the Race Across America.
You can read more at the Highground?s website: www.thehighground.org. We?ll also have much more about this as the journey draws near.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.