About a month ago I wrote about a Georgia firefighter who planned to ride his bicycle cross-country to raise money for the families of the “Charleston 9,” nine South Carolina firefighters who died battling a blaze.
The cyclist, Laddie Williams, finished up the ride over the weekend. He shared the 2,600 road miles between Palm Springs, California, and Charleston with his sidekick, Scott Rousseau of Outspokin' Bicycles. The 120-mile-a-day pace included many obstacles, including an accident with a hit-and-run driver close to home.
Taking turns driving a pace car, the duo slept mostly in fire stations along the route. They raised an estimated $12,000 before reaching their destination. Many of the fire companies along the route held “fill the boot drives” in anticipation of his arrival.
Hit by car
According to his “Ride for the Charleston 9” blog, Williams was knocked from his bicycle by a hit-and-run motorist who brushed him with his side mirror as they were both making right turns. It happened on Highway 53 between Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Gainesville, Georgia.
…”The jerk that hit me just kept going about his day completly unaffected by the fact that he almost ended someones life and a ride that was raising money for other peoples families. Its kind of nuts the way people get when they are driving, normal people get pretty aggresive and do things that they normally would'nt. This guy had a whole bunch of room around me (there was actually a turning lane and a shoulder) but he still felt he was going to harrass me. Oh well I guess some people are just jerks.”
The third generation firefighter is a regular cyclist, winning a cyclo-cross state championship and is a member of Augusta Cross Coalition/La Dolce Vita/Giro cycling team.
In spite of the pair's level of fitness, it sounds like they faced many challenges along the way. Hills, headwinds, nasty traffic all take their toll when you're setting out to cover 100-plus miles every day.
The two were expected to be feted at a dinner honoring their feat in Augusta on Saturday. Williams wrote that he was glad to be home in Augusta with his wife. Williams learned they would be expecting their first child shortly after he set out to begin his bike tour.
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