Man biking around Michigan to benefit nonprofit
Trending
ALPENA -- With an RV traveling close by, Tim Ward is biking 2,400 miles around Michigan in the span of 25 days to raise awareness on the initiative Trace Michigan by Chance for Life.
Chance for Life is a 25-year-old nonprofit organization that works with nine prisons across Michigan to provide support services inside and outside of the system to prepare inmates for readapting to daily life.
Ward said the President of Chance for Life Tom Adams and Executive Director Jessica Taylor travel to different facilities throughout the state six nights a week to help transform inmates critical thinking and decision-making skills.
They work together to train "the leaders, the core members" of inmates so whenever Adams or Taylor is unavailable, the leaders can teach their fellow inmates the curriculum, Ward said.
The nonprofit is funded out of Adams' own pocket and passion. Although there have been some grants here and there, Ward said Adams uses his own income from his executive search company to run the program.
This is also where Ward's efforts come in. He said his mission with cycling 2,400 miles is to raise money and raise awareness for the organization - which people can donate to the nonprofit by visiting chanceforlifeonline.org/donate.
Ward's 2,400-mile trek is about as far as the distance from Michigan to Los Angeles.
Ward has been biking for seven years and said he wouldn't have been able to do this ride without his training.
"I got really serious about six years ago — I have a cycling coach," Ward said Thursday during a stop in Alpena. "It was (a) way to marry my passion and put it to use for somebody other than just me."
He has had some people join him on his journey so far, but for the most part it is just Ward and Support and Gear Crew Chief Malcolm Campbell on the road. Campbell holds down the fort in the RV and is referred to as a camping expert by Ward.
Campbell said it is often he has to catch up with Ward, who bikes quite fast.
The two started the trek July 10 in Detroit and they expect to be finished Aug. 3 when they return to the city. Ward said he rides Monday through Saturday for a little over seven hours a day and takes Sunday as a rest day.
Ward said he bikes over 100 miles every day with water, food and media interview breaks in between. He said he burns about 3,300 calories during his rides and eats 5,500 calories a day.
Ward demonstrated his jersey has built in pockets to store food with him on his journey.
"You have to keep your energy levels up because otherwise you'll just [be] in a world of hurt and you never want to get there...," Ward said. "That's where having Malcolm in the RV is so helpful because ... it adds a ton of weight to the bike if you have to put a day's worth of food on your bike."
When asked what it is like to travel through Michigan on a bike, he said you take in things you wouldn't have observed if you were to be driving a car.
"It's a beautiful state," he said. "So, it's a fun way to see it."
Although some might think the most challenging part of this experience is biking 2,400 miles, Ward said that was the part he was most prepared for since he bikes every day.
The real challenge came in when they started planning the logistics for the event, he said.
"I got to the point the last few weeks where I just wanted to get done with all of the planning and the logistics and just get on the bike and get to the fun stuff," he said.
Now that the hardest part is over and he is on his cycling adventure, Ward said he is most looking forward to accomplishing the ride and hopefully seeing his and the organization's goals come to fruition with greater awareness and donations.
"And then we can build from there," he said.
This story was produced as part of the Michigan News Group Internship. Zipporah Abarca is working for WCMU this summer at The Alpena News.