Archive for 2010

From Kevin’s blog:

Below are several television news clips from last weekend. In reverse chronological order, MSNBC talked to Marc on July 5, Fox News interviewed Marc and Kevin July 3, and WICD in Pekin, IL rode along and spoke with Chris and Eric July 3.

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Here’s another view of the riders’ July 4th arrival in Bloomington, IL, featuring interviews with Nicolette, Rory and Kevin:

After the Red Carpet treatment that we received in Bloomington in was time to get back on the road. We have to say thanks to everyone who took time out of their schedules to make our stay an amazing 4th of July experience.

Today was a 51 mile day into Champaign and its apparent that the weather’s getting warmer. Fortunately, the day ended in a well shaded park and then everyone beat feet to the hotel. We had an extremely nice reception outside the hotel with live music.  Of special interest today was meeting Arthur Leenerman at one of the water stops.  Arthur is a survivor of the USS Indianapolis, so it was an honor.

Tomorrow, we depart Illinois for Indiana. We can count down one more state on our trek.

If you haven’t checked out Kevin Sullivan’s blog, you should. It’s packed with great photos like this one – Marc Esposito and Kevin, wearing old Army helmets in front of a restored 1950s era Jeep. (Canton, IL – July 3)

As an employee of State Farm, I want to welcome the riders to Bloomington, Illinois, our hometown. It was great riding through town with them, and the support from the community was great! Read this article from The Pantagraph about their 4th of July arrival, photos below, and here’s a video I put together from today’s event:

Hello All,

Thanks for all the great posts. I have not been good about updating this blog (hmm, this is my first posting), but I will make an effort to get some material down here for the next few weeks.

Thanks to everyone who has come out to see us as we pass through. Meeting the people that make this country great has really made this ride the amazing experience that it is. The people of this nation have rolled out the welcome mats and made us all feel welcome, whether we were there for a lunch, a water stop, or an overnight stay.

I thank you all.

Today’s ride was 85 miles from Ft Madison to Canton, Illinois. Once again, we met great Americans along the way.

Tomorrow we head off from Canton to Pekin on which will be our shortest riding day of the trip (26 miles). Then on the 4th, we are into Bloomington for all the 4th of July events.

Keep praying for us and we look forward to meeting more of you as we head east.

Van

Click the map image to see the 78-mile route for Friday, July 9, which includes Greenfield, IN, Knightstown, IN, Dublin, IN, Richmond, IN and Clayton, OH. The riders will rest on Saturday, July 10 in Dayton, OH.

Follow the riders via Van’s GPS tracker

Click the map image to see the 68-mile route for Thursday, July 8, which includes Crawfordsville, New Ross, Brownsburg, Indianapolis, Philadelphia and Greenfield, IN.

Follow the riders via Van’s GPS tracker

Click the map image to see the 81-mile route for Wednesday, July 7, which includes Champaign, IL, Fithian, IL, Covington, IN and Crawfordsville, IN.

Follow the riders via Van’s GPS tracker

Click the map image to see the 51-mile route for Tuesday, July 6, which includes Bloomington, LeRoy, Farmer City, Mahomet and Champaign, IL.

Follow the riders via Van’s GPS tracker

Click the map image to see the 37-mile route for Sunday, July 4, which includes Pekin, Mackinaw, Danvers, Twin Groves, Normal and Bloomington, IL. The riders will rest in Bloomington, home of State Farm (S2SS sponsor), on Monday, July 5.

Follow the riders via Van’s GPS tracker

Click the map image to see the 26-mile route for Saturday, July 3, which includes Canton, Kingston Mines, Hollis and Pekin, IL.

Follow the riders via Van’s GPS tracker

“Where can I find a Sea to Shining Sea T-shirt?”

We’ve been getting that question a lot, so we’ve built an online store where you can find S2SS shirts, biking jerseys, hats and jackets. You can find them at worldteamgear.com, and remember, all profits benefit World T.E.A.M. Sports events and programs.

Check out this interview with Eric Frazier in Fort Madison, IA:

Sea to Shining Sea attracted some serious media interest over the last week. Twelve stories, which you can see by scrolling to the bottom of the home page, including:

• Video from KETV in Omaha, NE: Coverage of the ride, featuring Eric Frazier (June 25), which was mentioned by MSNBC
• Video from KOLN in Lincoln, NE: An interview with Marc Esposito (June 26)
• Photos from Fort Morgan, CO (June 24 – Fort Morgan Times) and Aurora, NE (June 24 – Grand Island Independent)
• Story from Bloomington, IL, home of S2SS sponsor State Farm, where the riders will arrive on the Fourth of July.

After a long, warm week in the not so flat flatlands of Nebraska, we were all pretty excited about a rest day in Lincoln. A warm welcome from the community, including state senators, a proclamation from the mayor, a tour of Memorial stadium, and a Saltdogs baseball game, made possible with the great support of the kind people of State Farm, were very appreciated. Five weeks in and four to go, this ride has continued to be a very memorable experience. The motivation and determination that is being shared and spread is inspiring to be a part of.

83 miles to Shenandoah, Iowa tomorrow, our 6th state of the ride. Where does the time go? As the days and miles behind us add up, friendships built and growing, it is crazy to think we’re more than halfway and steadily closing in on the Atlantic.

I can never thank everyone enough; all the smiles and cheers in every city and town are so heart-warming and keep the spirits flying high. From amusing to sarcastic, to emotional, every moment of this ride is just a fantastic experience in seeing America for what it is. To be out in the open wind, even if it’s blowing in my face for 10 hours every day, really gives me a chance to see the diversity and realness of what it means to be American, and I am thankful to every single person who has made it possible for me to experience life and freedom in this absolutely amazing way.

Click the map image to see the 74-mile route for Friday, July 2, which includes Fort Madison, IA, La Harpe, IL, Bushnell, IL, Fiatt, IL and Canton, IL.

Follow the riders via Van’s GPS tracker

Click the map image to see the 86-mile route for Wednesday, June 30, which includes Centerville, West Grove County Park, Cantril, Shimek State Park and Fort Madison, IA. The riders will rest Thursday, July 1 in Fort Madison.

Follow the riders via Van’s GPS tracker

Click the map image to see the 73-mile route for Tuesday, June 29, which includes Mt. Ayr, Leon, Corydon Lake, Plano and Centerville, IA.

Follow the riders via Van’s GPS tracker