The inaugural 1,350-mile, four-week Underground Railroad charity bicycle ride following slaves’ historic path toward freedom will arrive in Collinwood on Thursday, June 9, after an 89-mile ride from Saltillo, MS. They will stay overnight at Collinwood Freewill Baptist Church before resuming their journey early the next morning with a 56-mile ride to Shady Grove, TN. The riders are raising money and awareness for The Fuller Center for Housing’s fight against poverty housing.
Over four weeks, The Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure will roll through six states from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico to the shore of Lake Erie. The journey will include 190 miles on the scenic Natchez Trace Parkway and more than 300 miles of dedicated bike paths in Ohio. Along the way, riders will hop off their bikes for five different build days as they practice what they preach with Fuller Center covenant partners. Riders average more than 63 miles of riding per day and are hosted at most of their overnight stops by churches before they resume their journey early the next morning.
The Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure was founded in 2008 as a way to raise funds for The Fuller Center for Housing’s work of partnering with families in need to help them have simple, decent places to live through home repairs and new home construction — through dozens of Fuller Center covenant partners across the United States and in 20 different countries. In addition to having raised more than $3.8 million (more than $500,000 so far this year alone, a new record) for The Fuller Center’s work through the years, the riders also raise awareness about the nonprofit’s work through speaking engagements, media coverage and simply by talking with people they meet along the way.
The riders come from various locations and all walks of life, and they are always eager to share their stories along the way.
