By Kiera Blessing
The Eagle-Tribune
SANDOWN, N.H. — Anyone who has made the trek from New England to Florida by car knows it can be a taxing journey, but imagine making that trip by bicycle.
Oh, and imagine being 68 years old to boot.
Just last week, Sandown firefighter Jerry Lachance returned from a monthlong biking trip from Pittsburgh, New Hampshire — at the Canadian border — to Key West, Florida.
He rode an estimated 2,300 miles, averaging 100 miles per day and spending his nights at accommodating fire stations to raise money for a program called Ride 2 Recovery, which supports the nation’s veterans.
“My 68-year-old mind said, ‘You can do it!’” Lachance said. “My 68-year-old body said, ‘You’re a nut!’”
The trip was far from what he planned, but introduced Lachance, a Vietnam War combat veteran, to dozens of firefighters and veterans who felt strongly about his mission along the way. Acts of kindness and support met the cyclist in every town he stayed.
“The trip I had planned ended up being a magical mystery tour,” Lachance said. “I could go on for hours ... I have goosebumps thinking about all the things they did for me.”
While he set out with a goal of raising $10,000, Lachance had raised over $21,000 by Wednesday with help from Sandown Fire Capt. Jon Goldman, who organized the fire station stays.
Goldman said he hoped getting other fire stations involved would “generate some steam” in terms of donations, but that he and Lachance got more than they bargained for, including motorcades, escorts, dinners and even a free hotel stay when there wasn’t an available fire station nearby.
“It was way more than anything I could have imagined or asked for,” Goldman said.
Ride 2 Recovery is a cycling-based therapy program that helps veterans, active-duty service members and even first responders find their balance when they return from war or another traumatic event by creating peer-to-peer support networks.
John Wordin, founder and president of Ride 2 Recovery, called Lachance’s undertaking “phenomenal.”
“The way I describe it is, the feeling that you have the first day you ride a bike without training wheels. That feeling that you have — that feeling is what you get out of our program every day. And that’s why a guy like Jerry would ride across the country.”
Lachance returned with dozens of stories of the generosity and support he received on his ride. While stopped in North Carolina, his leg swelled from a bug bite. He’d recover, but needed a day off.
The fire chief in town asked Lachance: “Do you trust me?” He took Lachance’s credit card, license and insurance card and told him to get a good night’s sleep.
The next morning, the chief had a rental car waiting and medication for Lachance’s leg. The cyclist drove his next 100 miles that day, but told the chief he felt like he was gypping the veterans. As Lachance tells it, the chief asked again: “Do you trust me?”
Waiting at Lachance’s next stop were four more cyclists who rode with him for the next 25 miles to make up for the 100 he lost while resting his leg.
The firefighters took Lachance out for fancy meals and also hosted home-style dinners at the station. In Florida alone, firefighters escorted him down 250 miles of busy streets to protect his safety and salute his effort.
“We tied up Miami something fierce at rush hour,” Lachance said.
But throughout the trip, it was the veterans that Lachance said kept him pedaling, even after he suffered second-degree burns from the sun in Florida.
“I wasn’t going to quit, because all I could think was, we’ve got guys in Afghanistan right now where it’s 120 degrees and they’re wearing 50 pounds of gear and combat boots. If I can’t put up with a sunburn, what am I doing for these guys?”
On Sept. 30, 27 days after he took off from Pittsburg, Lachance completed his trip in Key West, right on schedule. He attributed his timing to help from “the angels along the way.”
Last week, the Sandown Fire Department held a welcome-home celebration for the cyclist, who already can’t wait to get back on his bike.
He noted the exceptional weather during an interview Wednesday.
“I wish I were riding right now,” he said.
Copyright 2016 The Eagle-Tribune