October 20, 2001
Dear Reader, it's been three years since I put this site on the Internet. Participating in the 1998 Big Ride was one of the most amazing experiences I've had. The Ride was repeated in 1999 and 2000 but discontinued in 2001. Apparently it was never particularly successful at raising funds and, from what I understand, actually lost money in 1999. I'm leaving this site in place because I still think it's sort of fun and and may be of interest to anyone thinking about riding a bicycle across the United States. It's a sad thing the Big Ride was not a financial or public relations success since it was a positive, life changing experience for most of the participants. For anyone considering putting together another such event let me recommend the following: the participants agree to pay their own way as well as having fund-raising goals. This takes any possibility of financial failure out of the picture. Enjoy what's here and may it provide inspiration to you! Robert Farwell

October 15, 1998

Dear Reader,

As a rider in last year's Big Ride I invite you to participate in the 1999 American Lung Association's "Big Ride Across America." I am keeping this site on the web to encourage you to participate either as a rider, crew member, volunteer or as a donor. Why the American Lung Association? I have family members who have suffered and continue to suffer with breathing difficulties and lung disease. Our daughter was diagnosed with asthma after a frightening evening during which my wife and I watched her continue to lose breathing ability and finally become nearly unable to breathe at all. My uncle, Robert Woody, struggles daily with emphysema.
Try this experiment. Find a cocktail straw or coffee stirrer. Hold your breath for sixty seconds then take the straw and breathe through it. The people whom you will be helping experience this with every breath. It's not just a hardship, it's life threatening.
The American Lung Association is the nation's oldest volunteer health association. With a nationwide family of over 200 offices and hundreds of thousands of volunteers, it fights lung disease every day by supporting life-saving research for cures and better treatments, public education, patient services programs and ways to protect our lungs from environmental hazards.
In June 1999, 1000 bicyclists will meet in Seattle, WA and begin the ride across the United States ending about 47 days later in Washington, DC. That's 3000 miles in 6 1/2 weeks - on average a bit more than sixty miles a day. The ride should attract a lot of attention and publicity for the American Lung Association.
Please be as generous with your donation as possible and please purchase items from this web site and encourage others to do so as well. possible. Your pledges and purchases will help people in communities across the United States breathe easier day after day. Please take a few moments to think about the commitment I've made. We'll be working hard to raise pledges and riders will be training intensively for many months. It will take planning and perseverance. Participants be riding their bikes 3000 miles over 6 1/2 weeks to help people breathe easier. Please join me in in my commitment.
If you want to know more about the Ride please call. I'd love to hear from you. And, if you have any fundraising ideas or anyone you could refer me to, I would greatly appreciate hearing about them.

Warm Regards,

Robert Farwell