Ride 2 Recovery Honor Ride Is the Focus of Bike Expo in Irvine on Saturday, August 3rd

IRVINE, Calif. - June 28, 2013 - PRLog -- Our veterans have been fighting for freedom around the world.  Some of them are coming home with physical and/or emotional issues that need some healing.  The founders of Ride 2 Recovery have found that cycling is a superb way to help our heroes heal.  

You may have seen the story about Ride 2 Recovery on 60 minutes or CNN.  According to Linda Glassel, National Director - Honor Ride Series, "The mission of R2R is to improve the health and wellness of injured veterans by providing a life changing experience that can impact their lives forever.  Through our Project Hero programs, we provide outdoor cycling programs and indoor spinning recovering labs at 35 VA hospitals and military installations across the country."

"There will be two rides that day," according to Glassel.  "We will have a 25 mile easy ride that anyone from 5 - 95 can ride in.  No one will be left behind.  For those who want to get a bit more of a workout, we will have a 60 mile ride that will include touring through a section of the Orange County Great Park, the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.  Both rides will include monitors, SAG vehicles, rest/aid stops, and clearly marked routes."

Glassel continues, "We are asking each rider to contribute $35 to participate in the ride, and they will receive a tech shirt, goodie bag, and a chance to ride in the final leg of the Ride 2 Recovery California Challenge from Santa Barbara to Santa Monica Pier.  The final leg will include a police escort down Pacific Coast Highway to the Santa Monica Pier."

You can sign up for the ride by going to Active.com and look for Ride 2 Recovery Irvine.

Bike Expo includes Giant Bicycle Demo Day

The Ride to Recovery will be the main event of the day, but by no means the only activity.  A Road Bike 4U will offer constant opportunities for cyclists who attend.  Giant Bicycles will provide plenty of Demo Bikes that you can take on the Ride 2 Recovery rides if you like, or that you can take out for an hour test ride.  Just bring your own pedals, helmet, and water.  Take a test ride on road bikes such as the Defy Advanced, TCR Advanced, Avail Advanced, TCR W Advanced, or Trinity (for triathletes).  Or enjoy extended test rides throughout the day on Giant’s commuter/hybrid bikes such as the Rapid, Escape (Men's & Women's), Via (Men's & Women's), and the Escape City.

A Road Bike 4U owner, Bruce Marshall, talked about some of the other activities of the day.  "There will be factory reps from top bicycle apparel, component, and accessory suppliers who can give you the inside scoop on performance and what to expect in 2014.  The shop will offer clinics on VO2 Max Endurance Testing, Professional Bicycle Fitting using GURU and Retul, and simple DIY maintenance."  Marshall noted, "Last year these clinics had overflow crowds, so you want to get your seat early."

At approximately 1:30 all attention will turn to a fun-filled hour of door prizes, free stuff, and a drawing for thousands of dollars worth of bike gear.  The top prize will be a $2,650 value Giant Defy Composite Road Bike!  All proceeds of the drawing will go directly to Ride 2 Recovery.  The winning ticket for the Giant Defy need not be present to win.  However, there will be dozens of additional prizes including many valued at over $100.  All other prizes require the winner to be present.   If you enter online, you will not need physical tickets.  See instructions on A Road Bike 4U’s website.  You can also purchase tickets at the shop.

Details of the event are unfolding every day as more prizes are added to the drawing, more bike gear companies sign up to show their wares, and other events are added.  Marshall makes this suggestion, "We keep the bicycle community informed through our website at http://ARoadBike4U.com, our blog at RoadBikeOC, and through Facebook, Twitter, and eMail.  We hope you will choose the method that works best for you and get up to date info on the day’s events."

All activities of the Ride 2 Recovery and Expo will take place at A Road Bike 4U, at the NE corner of Main St and Red Hill Ave in Irvine.  Please use the Main St entrance.  You can also call for more information at 949-752-2080.