A means to reach teens

In this kind of heat, one would think the last thing anyone would want to do is take a 118-mile bike ride through the desert, but that’s exactly what eight riders are doing in the “Riding for LifeClimb” campaign, a national quest to teach teens how to climb through life.

Monday morning the eight set out on the first leg of their 3,500-mile journey to Boston where along the way they’ll make stops at schools and community centers, handing out a national bestselling motivational book and sharing their personal stories.

“Biking is the means to an end. And that end is impacting 20,000 teens across the country,” said Jamar Cobb-Dennard, who had to quit work to participate in the two-month journey. Given the difficulty of a cross-country bike ride, surprisingly Cobb-Dennard and his fellow riders aren’t avid cyclists. In fact, he bought his bike two weeks ago and began training in the spring.

But, exemplifying the courage they plan to instill in others, the eight are diving into the challenge headfirst.

“Everyday, everybody second guesses themselves a little bit here and there,” said Katherine Schwager, a rider. “But it’s just staying focused on the goal and doing the small things. It’s like the ride — every pedal is going to get you across the nation.”

Fittingly, LifeClimb’s message was born at the top of a mountain in the mind of the nonprofit’s founder, Carl Drew. While attending a seminar for his company, Vector Marketing, Drew was inspired to realize his dreams, and in turn to give teens the courage to follow theirs. On the top of K2 mountain in Pakistan, the deadliest and second-highest in the world, Drew was living his dream. Now, safely at the bottom and riding across the United States, Drew and his friends will show teens they too can reach the peak, whatever theirs happens to be.

For updates on the group’s progress to Boston, visit www.LifeClimb.org/BikeRide.html.