Womblebikes across America in41days

Benjamin Womble

Benjamin Womble finished his 3,000-mile bike tour from Georgia to California with a feeling of accomplishment, 14 new friends, the same two wheels he started with, and one broken arm. Nothing - not even an injury - was going to stop this avid outdoorsman from crossing the finish line at the Santa Monica Pier.

"Ben was extremely strong on the bike. He reminded us of professional cyclists with his natural posture and bright jerseys," said Elise Henson, trip leader. "The evening he was at the hospital, everyone's concern was palpable. We knew the trip would not be as much fun if Ben was unable to keep riding. We all celebrated his decision to continue with the trip and were astounded at his ability to ride just as well with his bright blue cast as he did without one."

Womble started training for the Overland American Challenge six weeks prior to his June 22 departure to Savannah, the starting point of the tour. After riding three to four times per week on the Silver Comet Trail in Cedartown, he built up his daily mileage to 50. He also trained with 50 pounds of extra weight on his bike since participants were required to carry all clothing and gear themselves.

"Before I started, I thought the Rockies would be the hardest part of the route, but the Mojave Desert was definitely the toughest. One day it was 122 degrees and we traveled 115 miles," said Womble. "There were 12 kids and two leaders in our group, Team Glory Glory. We were like one huge family by the end of the trip. These guys will be my friends for life. We all rode together, with one leader in front and one in back, single file on busy streets and doubled up in less-crowded areas. But in the desert, we sometimes rode four across; there was nothing for 60-mile stretches."

Basic camping skills were required for the adventure. Participants cooked their own food by campfire and spent the night in tents when they were not staying at one of several churches across the country that opened their doors to the weary travelers. An Eagle Scout, Womble was prepared for the challenge. It wasn't until Day 26 that he met his match.

"We were coming down out of the Rockies, cruising about 40 miles per hour, and I went into a hairpin turn going too fast," Womble recalled. "I flipped upside-down and slammed into a guard rail. After a trip to the hospital, it didn't take long for me to decide that I would continue. I was already in New Mexico by then and only had 1,000 miles to go. I wasn't about to quit."

Because he had broken his right arm, and the right hand controls the rear brake, his bike had to be reconfigured in order to finish out the trek. The cables were switched so that his left hand could control the rear brake. For the remainder of the journey, Womble would steer and brake with one hand.

When the young cyclists reached Santa Monica 16 days later, it seemed only fitting that they would finish the trip the same way they had started out - by dipping the wheel of their bike into the ocean, this time the Pacific instead of the Atlantic.

"Reaching the Pacific was the best. I got a huge adrenalin rush coming into Santa Monica," he said. "It's hard to put into words. Our group started shouting and counting down the streets as we got closer. After we rode onto the pier, we grabbed our wheel and ran for the ocean. It was awesome."

And besides leaving him with a huge sense of accomplishment, the crosscountry bike tour inspired Womble to put service beyond self. Before he ever left for Savannah, his parents had pledged to sponsor him at $1 per mile. Upon his return, Womble donated his entire earnings, a total of $3,033, to the American Cancer Society to help find a cure for the disease that affected the lives of both his father and grandfather.

"Every day was full of challenges - huge thunderstorms, sweltering heat, broken chains and broken arms - but we rose to meet these challenges with poise and grace and ended each day as a tighter-knit team," said Henson. "Over our six-week journey, we discovered the hospitality and eccentricities of small-town America … The generosity of strangers was truly inspiring and a part of the trip that we will all remember. We rode through the rolling hills of the South, the cornfields of Mississippi, the gorgeous scenery of the Rockies, and the heat of the desert. These experiences gave us the opportunity to gain new perspectives on our country, our group, and our own talents and potential."

Benjamin is the son of Mickey and DeeDee Womble of Cedartown and the grandson of Johnny and Inez Womble of Colquitt.