Posts Tagged ‘Andrew Hartzell’

I have been away from the blog for a little while now.

We have had some tough days. Like the 110 mile day up hill where I fell over because I couldn’t stand after getting off my bike.

Today we had a major mile stone. We crossed the Continental Divide. From now on the majority of the ride will be down hill! We will just ignore the mountains on the east coast.

Today was our major climb day. It was a real challenge for most of the riders to make it up the 7,000-foot climb. Due to the weather we had to pick all the riders up off the road and move to Tahoe. If not we would have been stuck in Kirkwood with a foot of snow for the next few days.

San Fransisco to Napa. It was an amazing 1st day. I have ridden farther and harder, but I have never been in the saddle this long.

I am grateful to all those that came out to support us, especially to those that fed us. Without them I couldn’t have ridden for more than an hour. 8 hours on a bike today and the whole trip was 12 hours…WOW!

This morning, our riders begin. From San Francisco to Yountville, CA, their first of 64 days will take them 77 miles, out of 4,000 on their way to Virginia Beach. See their various stops along the way, or view their detailed Day-1 route map.

UPDATE (8:46 a.m. PT): Looks like only Chris’ GPS provides real-time location data.

I’m excited that Andrew Hartzell, and Chris Frost and Marc Esposito have GPS devices enabled as they ride. We’ll see how accurate and up-to-the-minute those are. Access Andrew’s GPS, access Chris’ GPS, or access Marc’s GPS.

Good luck riders! Even those of us who aren’t riding with you - we’re with you.

What a great day! It is amazing that this is happening! Not only is ride itself something to be marveled at, but I am truly lucky to be in the company of heroes.

Thank you all for making this happen.

Here is my ride around SF. You can see where I turned around because I forgot my helmet. This is also my 1st ride on my Bruce Gordon.

We all arrived safely in San Francisco last night. I attempted to ride up one of the monster hills here in the city unsuccessfully. After making it 3/4ths of the way up my wheel began to spin out and I tumbled back.

Currently Resides: Alexandria, VA
Birthplace: Pomona, CA
Hometown: Oceanside, CA 
Formerly Stationed: Walter Reed

“I knew that there could be no higher calling then to serve my country”  – Andrew Hartzell

Andrew Hartzell credits a bicycle with making it possible for him to walk again without needing a cane.  That’s one reason he is eager to participate in the Sea to Shining Sea ride.

Andrew was attending graduate school in California in 2006, but felt that he wanted to do something “more noble” with his life.  He chose to join the United States Army to serve his country.  But, soon after joining, he was injured in a training accident that shattered his right femur.

Andrew spent nearly three years at Walter Reed Medical Center, undergoing surgeries and physical therapy to enable him to use his damaged leg.   One of the “therapies” that has helped in his recovery has been cycling.

He didn’t know, at first, if he would be able to ride at all since standing for more than a few minutes was difficult for him and he needed the support of a cane to walk. 

Cycling helped develop the muscles in his leg, allowing him greater mobility as well as greatly reducing the constant pain in his knee.  He is committed to continuing to cycle for years to come because it enables him to walk with relatively little pain.

After Andrew finishes the ride in late July, he’ll approach another exciting life experience. Andrew is getting married on August 21, 2010 – just four weeks after the ride ends.

Donate for Andrew

Track Andrew via GPS

Read Andrew’s blog posts