Doug's Cross Country Ride

Doug Markgraf is a great kid, actually young man. I've know the guy since he was 14. This guy stood beside my son while my son was in cancer treatment - my son missed 2 years of high school, and Doug helped him. Doug didn't realize it, but he really helped me, too, while we came very close to losing our son. He rode with me countless times a I drove into Philadelphia to see my son in the hospital. His great attitude kept me from crying on a number of occasions - I can never repay him for the help he gave me and my family.

Doug had trouble of his own - always an avid athlete and psycho road bicycle rider, he was on a ride in Philly with some other bicyclists, and was RUN OVER by a guy in a Dodge Ram pickup. The Dodge guy didn't stop. Doug spent months in a coma, and when he finally came out of it, he had to learn how to speak and walk, all over again. His normally thin, but fit body was just skin and bones.

Doug has always been brilliant, was on the robotics teams in high school, and was attending Drexel University when his accident occured. He finally finished at Drexel, and is now teaching.

All of that said...this is where YOU folks come in - Doug is flying to San Francisco to pick up a new bicycle. He will then RIDE IT across the US, to the New Jersey shore, stopping all along the way, giving speaking presentations about brain injuries and his incredible journey. Please make sure you check out his trip, and certainly give a big horn honk if you seem him on the road this summer. His trip starts June 27th.

His website is dougtrails.wordpress.com.

 

Folks can donate to sponsor Doug on his trip - you get a neat bracelet, by the way.

Gofundme.com/Dougtrails

 

Here's Doug and his bike....

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c236/valleyautomotive/dougtrailsbikegear.jpg

He's on the train headed West now, ending up in San Francisco for his first speaking engagement about traumatic brain injury...

He'll be stopping at lots of truckstops for showers... if you see him, holler and wave...

 

By the way, Doug is surviving on donations and stamina for his ride.. mostly camping, doing a motel every once in awhile for 6 weeks. If you see him at a truckstop, PLEASE offer him a shower credit if you have one to spare.

 

Doug kicked off his trip Monday afternoon... and he's now riding along 80 and close-by highways between Sacramento and Reno.

 

Doug is in Battle Mountain, Nevada! Has already gone through 8 tires!

 

Doug is in Laramie - heading up the BIG hill towards Cheyenne tomorrow!

 

Doug is in Lincoln, NE, over half way - and getting good press, too -

Check out the TV interview:

http://www.knopnews2.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=2110%3Abiking-for-traumatic-brain-injury&Itemid=105

And newspaper article - front page!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.ph...72118205.72474.138997256111771&type=1&theater