March 21st, 2009
'Road 2 Recovery' rolling through San Marcos

STAFF REPORT

More than 60 riders, including some Hollywood stars, will ride into San Marcos as part of the “Road 2 Recovery” Texas Challenge. The cyclists are wounded U.S. veterans who have turned to cycling to boost their physical and mental rehabilitation.

“We hope some of the community will come out to the Legion Hall to give the cyclist a San Marcos style welcome,” said Post 144 Commander Tom Tvrdik. “The American Legion Hall is the best place for the public to interact with the riders during their visit to San Marcos.”

Actor Adam Baldwin, known for his roles in “Full Metal Jacket” and NBC’s “Chuck,” will be joined by Mike Vogel, who was in the films “Cloverfield” and “Poseidon,” for the ride.

San Marcos Mayor Susan Narvaiz will welcome the riders. A spaghetti dinner will be prepared by the Legion and its auxiliary for around 100 people. A limited number of tickets will be available for the public to purchase.

The riders, who are coming from San Antonio on a course that winds through Seguin, will continue on to Austin after spending the night. San Marcos is the first of six cities where the riders will stay overnight. Auxiliary members of Post 41, in Lockhart, and post 177 in Luling, will be on hand to pitch in for the dinner as well. The cyclists will be accompanied by a mobile canteen, and motorcycle riders who are members of the Legion as they leave the city.

“Road 2 Recovery” was the idea of John Wordin, who initiated it after he was invited to ride with wounded veterans from the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs facility in California.

“Participating in cycling helps speed up their recovery process,” Wordin said. “There have been a lot of studies done on physical activity, and there are two things that it does. One is it decreases depression. The second thing is that doing a lot of physical activity helps develop your muscles.”

For more information contact Tvrdik at (512) 353-8443, or Auxiliary President Pat Murdock at (512) 353-1943. More information about “Road 2 Recovery” can be found on its website.