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Who Rides Across the U.S on a Bike?
Meet the 2005 Bike-Aid Cross Country Riders!
Nick Bell
Nick is a student at Stanford University and majors in Interdisciplinary Humanities. When asked what about the Bike-Aid experience appeals to him most Nick responded, "For the most part I have seen the world through Caucasian, American suburban, upper-middle class, Jewish, heteronormative eyes: taking note of diversity, but not really considering what the world would look like through other eyes, or what a person in different life circumstances might feel and think. Now I'm beginning to feel the absence of this ability to empathize and understand, as a necessary but missing element of my education in learning to live fully and ethically in communities."
Amber Broch 
Amber recently completed work on her masters of the University of Nevada at Reno, and is--of course--an avid cyclist. Born in Idaho, the Potato State, people often find her dislike of potatoes to be strange! A traveller, one of her most interesting destinations has been Morocco. A bike ride across the country has been a dream for a while now, and aspect of the Bike Aid ride which Amber found appealing was the educational exchange regarding sustainability.
Grant Donnelly
Grant, this year's Group Facilitator, just graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in Environmental Studies. In answering the question why participate in the ride, Grant writes, "I have an intense love for bicycles and would love to travel cross country by powering myself in a sustainable manner instead of the use of petroleum."
James Duncan
James, of Wyoming and Colorado, decided to ride Bike-Aid because he wanted, "to get a 'peace' of the action!" To this end, his bike is adorned with a 2' x 3' peace flag, which sports the all beautiful Mother Earth. James describes one of his personal strengths as the ability to relate well with all people, ranging in age from toddlers to the elderly.
Maggie Ervin
Maggie, the group's media coordinator, found the Bike Aid ride appealing for its "combination of physical challenge, relationship-building, educating, and learning." Her current work, in the Bay Area, involves community building by working with victims of domestic violence and helping hospitals and clinics improve their response to domestic violence. She has also done community work in different areas of Mexico.
Linda Forward
Linda is joining the ride from Philadelphia, PA, where she works as a housing counselor. Linda is one of the group's Education Facilitators. One lesson that Linda has learned in her travels is that you don't find a place on a map, you find it in the hearts of the people that live there. She has worked in Guatemala, enjoys Dr. Seuss, and has taken professional handwriting lessons. To learn more about Linda, check out her website: Linda Rides Again!
Jonathan Graves
Jonathan is also serving as one of the group's Education Facilitators. Jonathan just graduated from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. He also spent part of his undergraduate years in Cairo, Egypt and in New Zealand. Ever since reading the book, "Pedaling Across America," Jonathan has wanted to ride cross-country. He learned about Bike-Aid through his high school photography teacher, a 2000 Bike-Aid alum.
Jonathan Mejia
Jonathan is joining the ride from his home in New York City. Jonathan does a lot of riding, and works in a NYC bike shop. He is also involved with a program called "Recycle-a-Bicycle," a non-profit youth organization which refurbishes donated bicycles. The program also includes a sweat-equity "Earn-a-Bike" program. Jonathan was born in the Dominican Republic.
Simi Miller
Simi was born and brought up in Germany, and has been spending time in San Francisco for the past 5 years. She is currently taking classes at the City College of San Francisco.
Stephen Tchudi
Stephen is a retired English teacher from the University of Nevada in Reno. Stephen first thought of riding his bike across the country when he was 13 in Connecticut. He finds the community-involvement aspect of the Bike Aid ride appealing and is looking forward to this opportunity to "see and know the USA from a pedal perspective." An avid cyclist, Stephen's most recent bike adventure was 3500 miles through France, Italy, and Greece. Check out his beautiful watercolor sketches from along the ride at his website: Stephen's page and his latest article in Reno News and Review!
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