Texas 4000 Pedals Through Lufkin for the First Time [VIDEO]

Sixty-nine, undergraduate and graduate, students from the University of Texas at Austin brave the rain, sleet, wind, snow, heat and will pedal over 4,500 miles in support of the fight against cancer. Along their journey, riders will volunteer at community events that contribute in the fight against cancer and visit with cancer survivors, patients, caregivers, and family members to make educational presentations about cancer prevention and early detection. They also use this time to offer hope, encouragement and share their personal stories to cancer fighters of all ages and to those who have been affected by the disease. Every encounter is an inspirational story the riders carry with them on their journey and quest to fight cancer.  Wednesday they will be coming through town so be on the look out for bikes!  Hopefully they will stop by the station for an interview.

Riders began their journey in Austin on June 1, 2013 with a 70-mile community bike ride called ATLAS.  From there, the riders headed north, separating into three routes: Rockies, Sierra, and Ozarks as they continue on a ride twice as long as the Tour de France. Previously, riders separated into two routes- Rockies and Sierra-, but a new route –Ozarks- was created to celebrate the organization’s 10thyear anniversary. The Ozarks route will hit almost double the population than the Sierra and Rockies routes combined, staying true to Texas 4000’s mission in spreading hope to as many people as possible. Major cities on the route include College Station, Houston, Little Rock, St. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Minneapolis, Winnipeg, Edmonton, and us here in Lufkin!