March 1, 2017
The first Challenge ride of year has been in the Southeast for the past 6 years. The region is known for its flat terrain and country roads. This year's edition see the warriors go from Jacksonville, Fl., to Atlanta, Ga., nicknamed Beaches to Peaches.
UnitedHealthcare is now in its 8th year as a sponsor of the Challenge Series and the USO has been around for 10 years. These two organizations have been instrumental to the progress and success of the most popular program in the Project Hero organization.
Under beautiful cloudy skies and with cool temperatures, we were sent off from Jacksonville with a great send off by the Jacksonville Fire Dept. Tom Moore from UnitedHealthcare, USO volunteers, local media and our friends from the Jacksonville Police and American Legion Riders.
Unique to today’s Challenge start was our first Morning Reflection. Led by Mike ”Speedy” Arroyo from our Project Hero HUB Los Angeles, a group of about 40 riders joined Mike for a few minutes of community and inspiration before leaving for the day. Mike is riding with the famous Delta Force today and is truly powered by a Higher Power. Our thanks to Mike for getting us off to an inspired start! Mike has been riding with Project Hero since 2015 and it has helped him giveback after his service in the Navy. He and his wife have used this program to help them strengthen their relationship.
Our route today took us through Kingsland GA where we enjoyed a rest stop courtesy of the Kingsland Baptist Church and a fine lunch courtesy of our great supporters from the USO at the Camden Fire Station in Waverly GA before finishing in Brunswick GA.
Tomorrow's ride is 80 miles to the beautiful coastal town of Savannah.
Some links to media coverage follow:
http://www.news4jax.com/commun
