| The bicycle riders participating in a nationwide fundraising effort for the International Orthodox Christian Charities visit Price. The five men stopped for a light luncheon Aug. 21 at the Greek Orthodox Church during the nationwide trek. |
Several bicyclists visited Price on Aug. 21, but the men were not making an average tour across Castle Country.
The five rode into town and journeyed to the Greek Orthodox Church, where a crowd of people greeted the group. The riders were representatives of the International Orthodox Christian Charities.
The men spent 25 days riding more than 3500 miles to raise money for the charity.
The bicycle riders started the charity fundraising trek on Aug. 3 from the New Jersey shoreline in Keyport.
The men wound their way across the country, passing through 12 states at an average rate of 165 miles per day.
The members of the group finally reached the Pacific Ocean and ceremonially dipped their bicycle tires into the water Aug. 27 near Point Reyes Station, Calif.
The five men who made the trek were Jim Angelus of Hopewell, N.J.; Constantine Davlantis of Oak Park, Ill.; Konstantin Kanelis of Munich, Germany; Alex Mazarokos of Burbank, Ill.; and Michael Tsakalos of Phoenix, Md.
The money the bicycle riders raised will go toward helping disaster and war victims in places like Palestine and Bosnia. But the ride was for more than just raising the onetime money.
“I’d just like to think that the “Race to Respond” is not over,” said Angelus. “It’s going to continue.”
After spending Tuesday night in Duchesne, the bicyclists arrived in Price a little before noon on Aug. 21 and met with locals at a light luncheon at the church. They also made a short presentation about the group’s fundraising mission.
The bicycle riders’ visit to Price was the group’s only stop at a Greek Orthodox Church in the state. Originally, the group planned to leave the bikes near Castle Gate and come to Price via a support vehicle. But the men decided to ride into Price escorted by Helper’s fire and police departments.
Community members were on hand to greet the men and the group’s entourage, which consisted of their bikes and support vehicles.
The cross country trek had to be done on non-interstate roads, due to the non-motorized vehicle travel restrictions on the interstate highway system.
The “Race to Respond” was the brain child of Angelus, whose wife and two sons accompanied him on the trek across the U.S.