Washington College Foursome's Continent-Crossing Bike Trek Concludes Sunday

Local Bicyclists Invited to Accompany Last Lap to the Atlantic

Chestertown, MD, August 9, 2007 — A quartet of Washington College students and alumni—Jamie Beaber, Katherine Wilson, Brian Gamble and Spencer Case—embarked on an epic trek for a good cause this summer: bicycling across the United States, more than 3,500 miles in nine weeks. That's a lot of pedaling—and it all comes to its conclusion this Sunday, Aug. 19, with a long last lap from Chestertown to Rehoboth Beach, Del.

Attention, local bicyclists: you are cordially invited to join these trans-American travelers on the final day of their continental crossing, and be with them for the victorious dipping of weary feet into the Atlantic Ocean.

The team, which has been dubbed "the Awesome Foursome," has been making the journey as a fund-raiser and awareness-raiser for the American Lung Association, as part of the ALA's "Ride for the Future" campaign. The stalwart cyclists' motto is, "If WE can ride across the country, YOU can quit smoking!"

Chestertown is a long way from Washington State, which is where the Awesome Foursome began the bicycling feat in July. Slated to arrive in Chestertown this Saturday, they will head off Sunday morning for the final 70-mile run to the coast. Any bicyclist interested in accompanying the Sunday "Victory Ride" should gather in the parking lot in front of Washington College's Casey Academic Center at 8:30 a.m. this Sunday. For more details, call 303/513-9946.

Before and during the cross-country journey, the Awesome Foursome got smokers to sign a pledge to kick the habit. Upon completing Ride for the Future, "We want to keep our vision alive by setting up a fund that will allow dedicated students to pursue their adventurous dreams while impacting the world in a positive way," said Case.

"We want not only to ride for a good cause, but also to spread the word of the fine institution to which we belong. We believe that we will show people across the nation that this college can provide circumstances for its students to impact the world."

To learn more about the Foursome's journey, go to http://rideforthefuture.org.