The Sea to Shining Sea ride is a 4,000 mile bicycle journey from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean by a group of wounded warriors and disabled civilians this May 28-July 28. Hosted by the leading not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, World T.E.A.M. Sports, the ride honors the courage of our military and the strength of the American spirit. Since most of the participating riders are disabled, the ride provides dramatic proof that disabled Americans can lead productive lives and accomplish remarkable athletic feats.
Crossing America's Great Plains. Photograph by Van Brinson.
Though the exact route has yet to be determined, the ride follow a route similar to the 2010 ride. In the summer of 2010, participants of the Sea to Shining Sea ride left San Francisco, passed through Napa, Sacramento and over the rugged Sierra Nevada Mountains into Nevada. Crossing the deserts of Nevada and Utah, the riders then climbed over the high Rocky Mountains in Colorado. The US Olympic Committee hosted the Sea to Shining Sea riders in Colorado Springs before they headed north through the mile high city of Denver and across the Great Plains of Nebraska. After riding though Lincoln, Omaha and Des Moines, the riders visited the Land of Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois. They rode through Indianapolis, Dayton, and Columbus and on to Pittsburgh. In Pennsylvania, the group paid their respects at two historic sites: the 9/11 Memorial at Shanksville and the Civil War battlefields at Gettysburg. The ride concluded with an exuberant celebration in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Plans call for several stage rides across key route areas during which other disabled and able-bodied riders will be encouraged to join the ride to show support for the project. At many major cities that the route crosses, community and media events will be held to publicize the event. The ride stops at American military bases along the way, as well as connecting with local communities of persons who are disabled in towns and cities it travels through.
Funds raised in excess of the ride’s expenses will be applied to other upcoming inclusive athletic events World T.E.A.M. Sports manages for Americans who are disabled, particularly veterans.
Participants Support the Sea to Shining Sea Ride
Stuart Contant.
“Elated! Self-Confident! Camaraderie! Conditioning! These are a few words that come to mind when I reflect the summer of 2010 after riding a hand cycle and upright bicycle on the World T.E.A.M. Sports, Sea to Shining Sea adventure across America. There is absolutely NO way we could have done this without State Farm’s generosity. The support provided by State Farm allowed me the peace of mind highly needed to focus on the abilities left in my body after suffering paraplegia, traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress after my Apache helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Thank you, State Farm and World T.E.A.M. Sports.”
Kevin Sullivan. Photograph by Van Brinson.
- Stuart Contant, US Army (Ret.), 2010 Sea to Shining Sea Ride participant
“The World T.E.A.M. Sports Sea to Shining Sea ride symbolized for me facing the impossible, which many of us on the team could relate to in our lives. As the miles passed, the ‘impossible’ became the ‘very possible’ and the focus switched from changing our lives to changing the lives of others.”
- Kevin Sullivan, US Air Force (Ret.), 2010 Sea to Shining Sea Ride participant
Nicolette Maroulis.
“World T.E.A.M. Sports has given me an opportunity to re-identify myself. People don’t look at me as just an injured veteran anymore. They now see me as the veteran that rode her hand cycle across the country and climbed a mountain in Nepal. These experiences have allowed me to see myself as a stronger more complete person. I am not just surviving after being injured, I am truly living! Thank you World T.E.A.M. Sports!!! I’m ready! What’s next?”
- Nicolette Maroulis, US Navy (Ret.), 2010 Sea to Shining Sea Ride and 2010 Soldiers to the Summit participant
“On May 21, 2010, a small group of cyclists gathered at dusk at the edge of San Francisco Bay. It was cold and blowy, with scattered rain. The wind kicked up flecks of foam in the Bay. The Golden Gate Bridge loomed above in the gray sky. The only note of color was the bright yellow of the foul-weather jackets the riders wore as they leaned into the wind, struggling across the sand toward the water.
Paul Bremer.
“Curious onlookers stopped and noticed that several of the riders were being carried down to water’s edge, while others pushed their hand bikes and recumbents into the frigid foam. The riders provoking this curiosity were taking the first step in a journey of discovery of America, and of the power within themselves.”
- read more of Paul Bremer‘s story, “The 2010 Sea to Shining Sea WTS Ride,” published in the March 2011 edition of the Potomac Pedalers Touring Club Pedal Patter newsletter
Explore our Sea to Shining Sea event website or view videos for more information regarding the 2010 ride, sponsored by State Farm. Additional information regarding the 2012 Sea to Shining Sea ride is coming soon.
“Two Shining Seas” Documentary
Explore the documentary “Two Shining Seas” of the 2010 Sea to Shining Sea ride by Austin Smithard.
Sea to Shining 2010 Sea Video Album
Wounded warriors on the 2010 Sea to Shining Sea ride.
