Cyclists prepare for 1,600 mile ride

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - A group of six students that range from ages 14-23 are cycling all the way to Corvallis, Oregon for the Humanitas Race.

"This is not an average thing that a 17-year-old and three or four 14-year-olds are going to do either," Cycling coach Stephen Williamson said. "So, felt like it was going to be a great opportunity to put it all together as one big package."

Callum Read, 17, organized the ride. At one point he wasn't sure if he was going to make the trip.

"I had actually broken my leg before that, and so that put my training off again. Then after I finally recovered from that, I actually got hit by a car and then was out for another six to eight weeks. So I have actually only been riding three to four weeks for this ride," Read said.

The reason behind the 1,600 mile trek is inspiring to any athlete. The Cottonwood Coyotes don't have any athletic funding for their riders, so the riders decided to start a fundraiser for their trip to Oregon in hopes of keeping their program alive.

"That's when Callum and I started talking about how this can become a yearly process... and we can always support some cause," Lynn Barr said.

"What the money is going to be used for is for kids here that aren't necessarily able to go out and buy a road bike," Read said. "We would help them out and give them like a scholarship to go out and give them a road bike."

More information on the trek is available on the organization's website.