Cycling Across America

    Chet Basher, a 70-year-old Special Forces Vietnam veteran and longtime summer resident of Louse Point Road in Springs, is riding his bicycle across America to support the Wounded Warrior Project.

    Mr. Basher, who owns a residential construction and remodeling company in Sparta, N.J., took up cycling about 15 years ago. Before his current trek, his longest cycling trip was about 700 miles through the Rocky Mountains.

Mr. Basher began the cross-country journey on May 12 in Los Angeles, with a group called Cross Roads Cycling. They expect to cover 3,415 miles before finishing in Boston on Friday, June 29.

    The 23 cyclists in the group stop each night to rest at a motel or hotel. A support team transports their gear and can pick up an ill or injured rider.

Mr. Basher’s son, Devon, said from New Jersey this week that his father was “the oldest one on the ride, and he sounds pretty good.” Chet Basher was in Ohio at the time. “I’m probably going to meet him in Vermont,” his son said.   

The elder Mr. Basher has participated in Wounded Warrior Project activities for years, said his son. He has “donated his time and had people stay at his house; he’s driven folks around from one place to another. He’s done lots of things to help.”

The Wounded Warrior Project, originally formed to provide basic necessities such as clean clothes and shaving gear to wounded veterans returning from combat, continues to grow. The program now offers academic and job training support, advice on benefits, stress recovery support, adaptive sports programs, and more.

Mr. Basher’s journey can be followed online at ChetBikeUSAforWoundedWarrior.blogspot.com.