Seven youth cyclists from the Paul Anderson Youth Home at Vidalia, Ga., staff volunteers spent Thursday night, July 28, at Auburn on their last stop of a 1,500 mile ride to Boys Town near Omaha. The youth were from Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

Members of the Auburn Community Builders were hosts of a dinner at Arbor Manor Steakhouse & Lounge. Volunteers, supporters and friends of the home, driver, staff of the youth home and community members attended.

“We’re blessed to have the cyclists here,” said Dave Thomas, vice president, Auburn Community Builders.  Rene’ Danley, office manager, Auburn Chamber of Commerce, said that she was contacted in June about Auburn being an overnight stop on the nine-state trip.  “We’re excited to be hosts. I’m in awe of you 100 percent in your expedition and your journey through life. It’s amazing,” Danley said.  The youth said that they cycled in days with temperatures as high as 95˚ through the July heat wave which has affected much of the United States. “It’s been brutal,” one of the youth said.  Several of the youth had messages for those who attended the dinner.  Jake, who graduated from the home in June, recalled his experiences which led him to become addicted to prescription pills at age 14. When he came to the Paul Anderson Youth Home, Jake said it took him time to find the way that everyone at the home lived, through genuine Christianity and love.  “God really came to me. I understood who he was. God showed clarity, peace and understanding. I’ve come a long way,” said Jake, who plans to attend a Christian college.  Sam urged parents to set borderlines for their children at a young age and to become involved with their children. Reef urged parents to listen a lot to their children and to ask questions.  Drew Read, chief executive officer, Paul Anderson Youth Home, said that despite the hot weather, there were no accidents or no major mishaps on the route.  “It’s a long way to Omaha,” he said.

Kyle, operations manager, Paul Anderson Youth Home, said that the boys had the opportunity to see residents of host communities open up and receive them during their stays.  “The communities have been hospitable in terms of food and lodging, and receptive to the message that we’re trying to bring,” Kyle said.  The cyclists pedaled through Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. They stayed at churches, YMCAs, in gymnasiums and with friends. The cyclists visited the Fellowship of Christian Athletes headquarters at Kansas City, Mo. In Auburn, they stayed at New Life Church.  Kyle said that the day the cyclists arrived in Auburn was the best day for riding, because it was overcast, there was a breeze and the temperature was not too bad.  “We’ve ridden in extreme conditions in terms of heat. In Southern Illinois, one of us had a melted tire,” he said.  Kyle, who has worked as a staff member at the home 14-1/2 years, said that it was his fourth bicycle ride.  The cyclists rode from Georgia to Boys Town to promote positive parenting and to honor the first half century of the Paul Anderson Youth Home. The home is a residential facility that provides Christian rehabilitation for young men ages 16-21 who are seeking an alternative to incarceration. The ride’s website, www.payhbikeride.com, included a live progress tracker, profile of each cyclist and ways to contribute to the home.

In 1955, Paul Anderson won the USA National Amateur Athletic Union Weightlifting Championship. Later that year, he broke two world records in a meet at Moscow. Anderson won the gold medal in weightlifting at the 1956 Summer Olympics at Melbourne, Australia. Anderson and his wife, Glenda, later turned their attention to helping humanity.  Read called Paul Anderson “an amazing person.” Paul Anderson died in 1994. Glenda Anderson is still involved with the home. Paul Anderson received numerous honors during his lifetime and posthumously.  Read said that at first, staff at the Paul Anderson Youth Home worked with both boys and girls. Now, the staff works only with boys. He said that Boys Town has inspired the home’s staff in many ways.  “We seek to help families. All youth are looking for something to fill a gap in their lives. We take in youth from all across the United States. We take the knowledge that we learn and are aggressive in helping families. We’re trying to help a parenting movement. More grandparents, aunts and uncles are raising children than ever before. We’re not just honoring our founders, we’re talking about how to make families strong again,” Read said.  He said that the Paul Anderson Youth Home staff offers various resources, including FamilyStrong. Information is available on the home’s website.
“We want parents to make a pledge. The most powerful resource is having teenagers talk about issues facing them. Sometimes parents don’t know how to ask the right questions. If you want to really know what’s going on in your home, you need to change your routine,” Read said.

Thomas said that he and his brother met Anderson in 1975 while attending the Fellowship of Christian Athletes national convention.  “It’s an incredible story. God is good every day. Boys Town is an incredible place,” Thomas said.  Read thanked the Community Builders for being hosts to the cyclists, volunteers, support staff and families.

The Nemaha County Herald

Once again we wanted to say thanks to everyone who helped make this ride such a success! To the families who rode with us and followed us, to all those folks back home who watched videos and commented on the website, to all the people who gave, who prayed, who believed. Thank you!

The Road To Omaha

The final chapter in our 50th Anniversary Bike Ride Documentary

We begin the last leg of our journey.

Day 17

The boys did an amazing job. Drew and Kyle also did an amazing job, leading as well as riding. The boys’ attitudes were great throughout the trip. They pushed themselves and rode hard. They accomplished something few people will ever do. This is no little achievement. It was truly an amazing journey and we are incredibly grateful for all the support of family and friends. We are indebted to the many families, churches, civic groups and individuals who hosted us along the way, doing our laundry, shuttling us for showers, feeding us, providing cool rooms for us to sleep, and countless other blessings. It has been an inspiring thing to be a part of, having people so graciously house and feed a bunch of stinky, sweaty bikers that they don’t even know. And of course we are grateful for our sponsors and all those who have given to make this ride possible.

As we stood on the Boys Town campus and Glenda recounted how she and Paul rode onto the campus 50 years ago in the middle of the night, packed the bike in the back of the van and immediately headed straight back for Georgia without fanfare or recognition, I felt the gravity of what we were doing. It was as if we were finishing the same ride they began in 1961. As I glanced around at the people gathered there, Glenda and Stephen, Drew and Kyle, Mac, Sam and Jim, Reef and Chad’s families as well as others, and especially the boys, I was overwhelmed with the beauty of the moment.

Chad, Reef, Jake, Cody, Nathaniel, Mac, Sam, and Dustin. Eight young men who did an amazing thing. It has been an honor to ride along side them, albeit that most of my riding took place in the van. It is a staggering thing to contemplate. These young men carried on the legend of Paul Anderson brilliantly. Nathaniel rode Paul’s bike the last leg of the trip into Boys Town wearing only flip-flops, just like Paul. And just like Paul, he and the other riders began a tremor that will last well beyond what we can see from here. Fifty years later, the fruit of Paul’s original ride stood on the campus of Boys Town. Fifty years from now, God alone can see the fruit of the heart investment of these young men. And make no mistake: they put their hearts into this ride and rarely have I felt more honor than to be a part of this group on this ride. The glory belongs to God, but the honor is ours.

Thanks again to all!

Saturday morning we took a tour of Boys Town and then folded ourselves into the van for the inglorious trek back home. We made it to our stop for the night around 2 a.m. and were up by 7 a.m. this morning. Sam has driven us the whole way, and let me take this opportunity to say he, along with his sidekick Jim, has done something that is nothing less than magical. He has gotten us everywhere safely and timely.

So this is our second day in the van without showers and we have a mere three hours to go. It is a bittersweet end (with a zesty, natural aroma).

We love you. We thank you. For our 100th anniversary, we are thinking about biking to the moon.

OMAHA NEBRASKA!

Do you get that? Do you understand the significance of that statement? Two simple words spoken multiple times by us over the past couple of months – but tonight they carry a weight they’ve lacked up until now.

OMAHA! TOMORROW!!

All this time we’ve been trekking our way along in the blistering heat. Yeah, a heat wave! But today the high was around 81 degrees. Nice. And it was overcast all day. It was like a vacation. And tomorrow, the high is expected to be 86. Nice.

And tomorrow we arrive in Omaha.

Omaha, Nebraska! (Did I mention that?)

So, today was a great day. Nothing real special to mention except that we arrive in Omaha…

TOMORROW!

(Sorry. I’m a little excited, okay?)

Thanks for watching and following along. Expect some more videos coming over the next few days. And pics. But for now, go to sleep and dream dreams of Omaha.

(We’ll see you there tomorrow.)

You’ll notice all the videos I have been unable to post as of late. I will have pics later. (Hey, I can’t do everything.) One thing I didn’t mention in my last post: we did have an injury. Kyle had a non-bike related fall and dislocated his elbow. He has been off the bike for two days but plans to climb back in the saddle again this afternoon.

Please Note: Cody produced this video. Eric did not.

Chapter Two of our bike ride documentary

If you look closely at the opening shot, you can see heat radiating off the trail. Look for it. It’s there.

A snapshot of our rest day

A special message from Drew to his daughter, Sutton.

So here is how things have been since we last met. Hot. Hot with a little bit of sizzling heat and a whole lot of hotness on the side. (Did anyone hear about the heatwave?) But the goodnews is we caught a break a couple days back. A cold front moved in and brought the temp down to around 93. No, that isn’t a joke.

We spent two days on the Katy Trail, which is an old rail road line that has been turned into a biking/hiking trail. It was hot and dusty and brutal on the bikes (it’s made more for mountain bikes than cruisers). There was lots of shade but also a ton of hot, white gravel. Nathaniel had a particularly difficult time on Katy as he had a crash on the first leg of the first day when another rider (not one of ours) ran into him (no injuries), he blew a flat later on in the ride and fell behind then he crashed again due to gravel when he was beating the pedals in order to catch up (this time he got a little scraped but nothing bad). During that crash he blew another tire. Then next day of riding on the Katy, Nathaniel missed a stop and rode an extra ten miles or so while the rest of us simmered in the van.

But all’s well that ends well, and the Katy Trail ended. Yesterday the guys biked through some beautiful country side in Missouri and aside from blistering heat and Dustin crashing due to a disgruntled dog, all went well enough. But did I mention it’s hot?

We’ve had some great lodging this week. We spent two nights at YMCA’s along the way. At the first Y, the AC was so cold some of us shivered. It was bliss. At the second, we had access to a pool. Heaven. Last night we stayed at First UMC in Excelsior Spring, MO. They fed us supper last night and breakfast this morning. Plus, we got to sleep in. (I think Jim slept until the late hour of 5:30 a.m. or so! Would ya look at that!?) Today we go to FCA headquarters in Kansas City for a meeting so we will not get on the bikes until after 1.

Each day we get closer and closer to Omaha. July 11 seems like years ago, not a mere 2.5 weeks. The riders are still doing amazing. The van smells like an aberration bordering on the immoral, however. But it is what it is.

Keep the comments coming on the website. Keep following along. It’s good to know we aren’t out on the roads on our own!

I have several videos I am trying to post. One of those, a video that is merely five mintues long, has been uploading for over an hour. Due to that lack of efficiency on the part of my temporary web service provider (McDonald’s for those who want to know), there is no guarantee you will even get to see that little beaut before I have to pack up and head out for Kansas City and the hot, desperate road beyond. But know this: there is nothing in the world I want more right now than for you to see what we are doing (exept maybe my own bed with my own bathroom in my own house and about a month of no faces other than my own to look at without even the slightest hint of the scent of biker sweat… but only maybe). Uh-oh. They are here to get me, so I must be off.

What’d I tell you. You don’t even get to see one video. I beg your pardon. (Blame McDonald’s.)

Six teen cyclists and their accompanying staff stop off at the YMCA of Callaway County for a respite from the heat. The bikers will travel across nine states, 1,500 miles, from Vidalia, Ga., to Omaha, Neb., to complete the Paul Anderson Cycling Challenge. The challenge raises money and awareness for the Paul Anderson Youth Home — a program for at-risk youth.

The Fulton Sun

The ride commemorates one made 50 years ago by Olympic gold medalist, world champion weightlifter and Guinness Book of World Records holder Paul Anderson, who biked from Vidalia, Ga. to Father Flanagan’s Boys Town in Omaha, Neb. to raise awareness — and funding — for his vision: providing an alternative to jail time for young men, and a resource to nurture and encourage their families as well.

Along the way, he met Truett Cathy, founder and chairman of Chick-fil-A, who told Anderson he looked like an elephant on a bicycle. Cathy became the foundation’s first contributor, and a life-long friend.

A half-century later, Anderson’s program is still working. He not only built alternative homes for otherwise incarcerated young men, but that very first home in Vidalia, Ga., continues to shape and launch young men back into society with 90 percent of graduates never seeing the inside of a jail cell again.

The six young men — Chad, Dustin, Mac, Nathaniel, Reef and Sam — began their journey on July 12 and expect to reach Omaha on July 29.

Finishing the cross-country journey is just one of their goals. They hope to make parents more aware of the struggles they face every day through a campaign called FamilyStrong, which challenges parents to “make parent a verb.”

“This ride will be a test of strength and yet, a true honor. The young men who participate in this feat will never forget the moment that they reach Omaha,” said Drew Read, chief operating officer of Paul Anderson Ministries. “As they follow the path of a man who has changed their lives forever and the lives of thousands of others, they will learn perseverance, discipline, teamwork and endurance.”

Through the research compiled at Paul Anderson Ministries, the PAYH staff is able to follow the dangerous trends on the horizon for today’s youth and young adults. The website http://www.familystrong.com cites frightening statistics: Children spend an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes using some form of media daily; 90,000 juveniles are arrested each day; 50 percent of all sexually active youth will have an STD by the age of 25. These trends, including drug use and addiction, pornography, rage, violence, sex and relationships, have created a generation that is crying out for parents who know the importance of making parent a verb.

Learn More

For more information on Paul Anderson Ministries or the Paul Anderson Youth Home, go to http://www.payh.org.

Times-Gazette

This is for all you video blog folks who are needy for something, anything.

Okay, so here’s the deal. Up until yesterday it seemed that at the end of every day the powers would say that was the toughest day. And once again, Day 11 proved to be harder than any day before it.

It was so hot, bike tires literally melted on the asphalt. There was direct sunlight all day with no shade. A large portion of the ride was on a road covered with a thin layer of gravel – little gravel pedals that were flung up from the road to pelt the riders. And the hills were gruesome. The land was beautiful, but its beauty was pulled into oblivion by just how horrendous the riding was. And once again, the riders did great. They continue to diligently stay hydrated and fueled. But Day 11 was certainly the hardest ride so far.

To counter Day 11, we have Day 12. Few hills. Nice open roads. It was hot, true. But the distance was a mere 47 miles today. According to Mac Jordan, it was cyclist heaven. I am certain the boys appreciated the respite. And to make things even better, tomorrow is a rest day. (By the way, I rode today – and no. I did not think it was heaven so I am clearly not a cyclist.)

Last night we stayed with Phil Nordstrom, pastor Christ Community Church, and his family. They also fed us spaghetti, watermelon and home-made cookies at their church. Jake and Cody shared their testimony with the youth group and Drew gave his spiel about why we are doing what we are doing. (All the boys say they’ve heard it enough to give the talk themselves, verbatim.)

So we rest tonight and tomorrow and in the St. Louis area. We rest.

(Tonight I will try to upload some pics from the last couple of days. I was “boss” yesterday and therefore had too many responsibilities to make videos – and before you think I’m kidding, ask any rider about my boss skils – and today I rode the entire leg – granted, it was only 47 miles, but still. How far did you ride today? So I have no videos to post. You’ll have to deal.)

Jake, who graduated a month or so back, shares his story.

Do not watch this video. It isn’t worth the effort.

Having said that: we have about 80 miles to travel today and the heat index should peak around 115. We have stops scheduled every 20 miles or so to keep the riders hydrated and fueled up. The boys and staff are doing an amazing job of pushing themselves and they are also keeping themselves fueled and hydrated. There are lots of turns in today’s route and we’ve lost our support vehicles.

So here’s how you can help: pray for safety in the heat and that everyone makes every turn. We now ride in groups so no one rider can ride alone.

Cody is riding today as well.

Wifi has been tough to find so all I can post now is text. I have several videos and pictures to upload and will provide a fuller report on the last couple of days soon. One tracker seems to be down. No one is in Dover.

Miles Today: 42 (except Reef, who took a slight wrong turn and traveled more than 60)

The ride was cut short today because Reef passed the rest stop unseen and undeterred. After a few hours and a full-scale manhunt, he showed up at the Houston County Courthouse in Erin. That’s where the rest of us had been waiting for him until an hour or so before.

Tonight we are being hosted by a lovely family with a lovely house and a view to die for. It has been a truly remarkable experience witnessing all the folks – churches and individuals – who have rallied behind us to help us with the journey. The support has been tremendous.

I gave you incorrect information on yesterday’s blog. Tomorrow is the long ride: 110 miles. So you all should pray about that. But these guys are beasts! And they are doing an amazing job! So on we go. We would have broke the 500 mile mark today had we biked the entire route. But those measly miles we missed today will be covered tomorrow.

Remember to tell your friends to sign up to win a free bike and follow our progress. And buy a t-shirt for goodness sake.

Glenda and Drew, along with long-time partner S. Truett Cathy and Joe Dyer, tell the history of the the Paul Anderson Cycling Challenge.

This day represents the toughest climbs predicted for the entire trip. Watch and marvel! (Well, the truth is the video doesn’t really show how steep it was but you get the idea.)

Anyway, here is a recap of our mileage over the last several days.

Day 5: 55 miles
Day 6: 0 miles (it was our day off)
Day 7: 69 miles
Day 8: 67 miles

That puts the total mileage at 436 miles. That only leaves 1,064 miles left. We are right at 1/3 of the way there. So here’s what’s been happening since Day 5.

Day 6 was our free day and we spent it in Chattanooga. New City Fellowship was our host for the night and fed us supper Saturday night as well as breakfast Sunday morning. We spent some time with Joe Dyer who gave Paul the bike he rode to Omaha in 1961. (Paul had gone through six bikes before reaching Chattanooga. Joe gave him one that lasted the rest of the trip. To find out more, watch out for an upcoming video highlighting the history of the bike ride.) Joe treated us to lunch as Ryan’s.

Later that day we swam in Suck Creek. That night Kyle treated everyone to pizza at Lupi’s. Delicious.

We slept that night at NCF and got up Sunday morning ready to bike up to Cowan, TN. This day represented the most challenging climbs of the trip. The riders did great and really enjoyed reaching speeds of 40+ mph on the way down.

In Cowan, PAYH alum Mat Gay’s uncle hosted us at his church. They fed us supper, did our laundry (Lord, thank you for such a gift! And thanks Laurie!), and hung out with us to listen to us talk about who we are and what we’re doing. Several boys told their story. For that matter, all of our boys have been the focus of TV, radio and newspaper interviews throughout the trip.

This morning we were on the road bright and early. Cody and I joined the riders today for the first 40 miles. Around 20 miles later all the riders piled in the van due to inclement weather. That put us a little shorter than our mark for the day, but no one seemed to care much.

Tonight we are staying at Crosspoint Church (or at least I believe that is the name). We are sleeping in their gymnasium. And for those cycling challenge geeks (that means those of you who want to know all the details), here’s a tidbit for you I learned just last night. You know that sound people make when they are sucking the last dregs of soda out of a cup? If you can imagine that sound lasting all night with occasional eruptions of snorts, then you’ll have an idea how Sam snores.

Another thing we should clear up. We have two Sam’s and two Mac’s. Sam the driver is a volunteer (and the slurp snorer). Sam the rider is a boy at PAYH. You can tell him from the other Sam when the camera has to shift toward the ground to see him. He’s a short fella. Driver Sam is easily picked out as the one sitting in the driver’s seat of the van or making fun of Eric. (But since Eric controls the “media,” he has the upper hand.) With the Mac’s, Mac the elder is a volunteer and one of the authors of this yearly biking tradition. The younger Mac is a boy. Mac the elder doesn’t talk to the camera much. Mac the younger is the one always being harassed by Kyle and Drew or who is popping tires on his bike.

Now that that is cleared up… We did have 8 flats today. And there were three rednecks who were really unpleasant to some of our riders, but God bless ‘em.

Tomorrow is going to be a tough ride pushing close to 100 miles. It’s certainly our longest so far. The good news is it should be pretty flat. Pray it’s cooler. It has been cooler as of late, so that’s good.

I will post more pics soon. Stay tuned.

This video was produced by Nathaniel and highlights our various day-off activities. An interesting note: the elderly gentleman in the bike store is Joe Dyer. He gave Paul the bike he rode to Omaha in 1961. Look for more footage of him telling the story in the Paul Anderson Cycling Documentary Part 1: The history, coming soon to an internet connection near you.

Boys from the Paul Anderson Youth home are taking part in a 1,500 mile biking challenge. They’re riding from the home in Georgia to Omaha, Nebraska.

The teens are following the same route as the home founder traveled in 1961. They even visited the same East Ridge bike shop where the founder made a pit stop.

Their annual ride is a fund raising and awareness campaign. But the trek is also transforming the young men.

The boys should finish their trek within three weeks. You can learn more about the journey and follow their progress by visiting www.payhbikeride.com.

WDEF News 12

Today was a rest day. (More on that later.)

Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal

We begin at Bubba and Cindy’s house and move from there to the Silver Comet Trail. Cody and Eric were able to ride along today as well as several parents.

We spent an hour or so with Truett Cathy in his office and had a great time with Bubba and Cindy later that night. In true Chic-fil-A style, we were treated to an amazing lunch at Chic-fil-A headquarters and an amazing dinner at Truett’s Upscale Pizza.

It’s six teens biking more than 1500 miles from Georgia to Nebraska to encourage positive parenting.