SAN DIEGO
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As far as bike-athons go, this is about as long as things can get.
Walter Phillips' 21-day, 3,000-mile bike ride took him from St. Augustine, Fla., to Mission Bay and, so far, has raised about $50,000 for San Diego Youth & Community Services. Phillips, executive director of the nonprofit that aids at-risk children, said he hopes to pass the $100,000 mark.
Phillips' route was not the one a long-distance truck driver would take. He opted instead for obscure roads that took him through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. During his travels through the back roads, Phillips said he learned there are more dead animals on the road than you notice while driving a car, that the South is a pretty place and that there are many kind people across America.
“I was taken with how friendly people in the country are,” he said.
In Kountze, Texas (population 2,115), Phillips and his support crew sought permission to park overnight in the lot of a First Methodist Church. Members of the church youth group happened to be there and took an interest in Phillips' mission. With the help of their pastor, the children in Kountze raised more than $200.
“These are kids in a little town in Texas who want to help kids in San Diego,” he said. “That was really inspiring to me.”
San Diego Youth & Community Services helped about 10,000 youths at its 16 locations last year, Phillips said. The group, formed 38 years ago, provides myriad services for youth who struggle with abuse, drugs, pregnancy, homelessness and other problems.
The agency helps people “between zero and 25,” Phillips said.
Phillips is no stranger to taking on difficult physical challenges – he has competed in three Ironman Triathlon events – but he said it was the struggles of downtrodden young people in San Diego that prompted him to cycle across the country.
“I like bike riding, but I would never decide to ride 3,000 miles if it wasn't for a cause like this,” said Phillips, who turned 49 during the trek.
Serious training for the endeavor began in January. Phillips, who normally rides up to 150 miles per week, increased the distance to 300 to 400 miles per week.
Although he was ready for the cross-country ride, it wasn't easy. Climbing up the Continental Divide in New Mexico was particularly taxing. David Sattler, Phillips' brother-in-law and a professional photographer, dropped in for two days to document the ride, just as Phillips started the arduous climb. Sattler said Phillips had a 4,000-to 5,000-foot elevation gain over about 140 miles.
“I'm incredibly impressed with Walter's fortitude, his determination and his physical strength,” Sattler said. “This was an arduous, difficult trek across the country. It amazes me that someone can ride that quickly across the 3,000 miles.”
Sattler said he also was impressed with the way people acted during the ride.
“I was very touched by how Walt's trek moved people, and how they were willing to help out,” Sattler said. “As large as the U.S. is, we live in a community and we're here for each other.”
The Continental Divide wasn't the only tough spot on the tour. Phillips ran into 40 mph head winds around the Arizona-California border.
When he arrived May 22 at De Anza Cove with a police escort and a cheering crowd, Phillips said he mainly felt relief that he had finished.
“There were days when I didn't know if I'd make it,” he said. “I was relieved, but I also felt really excited to be back in San Diego.”
Dan Plummer, owner of Wheels on Wheels, a bicycle transport company in Santee, and Scott Hamashige, drove a trailer ahead of Phillips and handled the logistics of the trip. It was their job to scout places to stop for the night, make sure the route was ridable and maintain Phillips' bicycle, a Trek Madone similar to the one ridden by Lance Armstrong. Plummer said he also wondered at times if Phillips could finish.
“There were days I thought he wouldn't make it, but he kept chugging along,” Plummer said.
Maintenance on the bike turned out not to be a problem. Up until the last few days of the ride, Phillips had only one flat tire; he hadfour during the trip.
Though the ride is over, Phillips is still confident he will hit the $100,000 mark for Youth & Community Services.
“If we get 2,000 people giving a penny a mile, we will hit our goal,” he said. “I know there are 2,000 people out there willing to do it.”
For more information on how to donate to San Diego Youth & Community Services, visit sdycs.org or call (619) 221-8600.
Alan Schnepf is a San Diego freelance writer.
