SEEINGAMERICA

While veterans make tre- mendous sacrifices on the battlefield, Tracy and her team are undoubtedly making sacrifices of their own. In addition to spending time away from their families and riding through unfamiliar terrain, team members are paying for their airfare, lodging, and food out of pocket. The estimated cost for each cyclist is $3,000.

To help offset expenses, Tracy has sought donations from individuals and businesses and held several fundraisers. In addition, she has spent countless hours emailing and calling town officials across the country who have invited her team to sleep in churches, schools, and community centers. One special invitation came from leaders of the Navajo Nation, who invited the team to sleep inside chapter houses for several nights following their departure from the Grand Canyon.

“We will sleep in a hotel every third or fourth night because we need to get some good sleep during our rest days,” she says. “But other than that, we’ll be doing indoor camping with cots, sleeping bags, and air mattresses.”

The nine-state route will allow team members to see some of the country’s majestic sights — the beautiful night skies of the Mojave Desert, the picturesque red sandstone formations at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Colo., and the scenic sunflower fields that dot the Kansas landscape. They will also visit the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and enjoy a Fourth of July celebration in

Oxford, Ala.

“One of the coolest parts about this trip will be enjoying the breathtaking sights,” Tracy says. “I look forward to seeing the country from an entirely different perspective.”

She also looks forward to interacting with veterans and their family members along the journey. When the team enters Kingman, Kan., they will meet the mother of a soldier who served three tours in Afghanistan and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The mother and Tracy have become “email buddies.” They will also ride to Fort Benning, a U.S. Army base in Georgia, and receive much-needed massages from a military nurse. Tracy also expects that several wounded soldiers currently stationed there will join her team for a small leg of the ride.

“This has become a fulltime volunteer job, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” she says. “Veterans from around the country have contacted me and asked to meet or join us somewhere along the trip. Having complete strangers contacting you because they want to help has been a beautiful thing to see. Every email and every phone call has been worth it.”

Pedalpower

When she’s not emailing or making phone calls, Tracy spends time on her Stradalli road bike training for the cross-country ride. She averages 225 miles per week, riding the back roads of Lake County. Of course, simulating the uphill climbing she’ll experience in the Rocky Mountains is impossible in Florida, where the highest point is barely above sea level.

That’s why Tracy cycled 13 miles up the 14,115-foot Pikes Peak in Colorado last September. One week later, she competed in the Six Gap Century race in north Georgia, a grueling competition that requires cyclists to