 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
Livestrong Across America Coming Through Beaumont!
by melissa tilley Their journey is not "easy" by any means, but when the six Livestrong Across America cyclists ride into their hometown of Beaumont on July 18 at the midpoint of their 3,300-mile cross-country tour to raise awareness and money for the fight against cancer, they deserve a grand welcome from the community.
Livestrong Across America is a 3,300-mile, 33-day bicycle ride that took off from San Diego, Cal. on July 1 and will end in Washington, D.C. August 3. The tour will raise funds for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The cyclists are Joe Haeggquist, Charlie Dixon, Tom Simon, Britt Gober, Eric Laing and Richard James, all of whom are from Beaumont and all riding for someone they know who has battled cancer.
All Southeast Texans are invited to be present for the team's arrival around noon on Friday, July 18 as they ride in from Highway 105, down Major Drive, and then down Phelan/Calder to the Texas Fire Museum area for a welcome reception. The reception will include refreshments, entertainment and honoring of the riders by several city leaders.
Easys Tapas & Martinis, 2325 Calder in Beaumont, will continue the celebration and rally for the riders and supporters the rest of Friday evening. At 7 p.m., the band SiennaBlu, whose song "Free" has been adopted as the anthem of Livestrong Across America, will perform. The celebration at easys will also give community members the opportunity to meet the riders and exchange stories of how cancer changed their lives.
"We really want to get Beaumont fired up and involved on these days to let these riders know that we're behind them and helping to spread awareness about cancer," said easys owner Karen Ingwersen.
On Saturday, July 19, easys will host a breakfast for everyone who donated $25 or more to Livestrong Across America through the Web site. The team will then depart from easys Tapas & Martinis, escorted by the easy riders cycling team and others, and continue their journey to Washington, D.C.
Haeggquist said the idea for the ride came about after participating in the 2007 Livestrong Challenge in Austin last October and still having the feeling that he wanted to do more. "I just still kept thinking how can I raise more money, what else can I do?" he said.
Haeggquist, who lost his girlfriend to leukemia two days before her 18th birthday, said that while riding across the country in the middle of July might seem like a difficult undertaking, they feel that it is nothing compared to what people fighting cancer go through. "All we have to do is ride our bike every day, and we're healthy and can do that," he said. "People with cancer are dealing with life and death everyday, so that really puts it in perspective for us."
Haeggquist added that the team is looking forward to returning to Beaumont on July 18, even though their time here is short. "This mid-way stop in Beaumont will definitely revitalize us for the rest of the ride," said Haeggquist. "Support from the community means so much to us."
For more information on Livestrong Across America, visit www.livestrongacrossamerica.com.
For info on easys visit, www.easysonline.com.
Featured Editorial Archive
Click on the cards below to meet our Friends!
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
