2018 World T.E.A.M. Annual Review 2018 World T.E.A.M. Annual Review | Page 10

ABOVE >>
Adaptive athletes celebrate at the
conclusion of Face of America Gettysburg.
RIGHT TOP >>
Athletes with Team Strength & Honor ride
a tandem bicycle on a foggy Maryland
morning at Face of America Gettysburg.
RIGHT BOTTOM >>
A quick selfie for social media before
starting Face of America Gettysburg on
the streets of Arlington, Virginia.
6
In its 16th year, the inclusive cycling
challenge featured more than 500
athletes from across North America,
Puerto Rico, and Europe. Of these,
nearly 90 were adaptive military
veterans who have served in wars and
conflicts since the 1960s. The remaining
athletes were civilians and veterans
of all ages and backgrounds, coming
together to support and honor these
adaptive athletes who have sacrificed
so much in their lives.
Only the morning before, the athletes
had set off from chilly starting lines
in Arlington, Virginia and Valley
Forge, Pennsylvania. More than 110
miles of pedaling lay before them
as they departed, a two-day journey
through sometimes hilly terrain that
would test their physical fitness and
their dedication to completing a
commitment to both themselves, and
to their sponsors, who contributed to
the success of the program through
personal fundraising campaigns.
The two routes joined together at a
rural volunteer fire station late Sunday
morning just north of the Maryland
state line. From this meeting point, the
two groups would ride as one through
the historic and solemn Civil War
battlefields of Gettysburg, through the
WORLD T . E . A . M . ANNUAL RE VIEW 2018