An Adventure Through 14 States

By Yonit Tanenbaum, YQ Media

Aaron D. Neufeld is a true New Yorker. With the exception of his college years, he had rarely, if ever, ventured beyond the state’s borders. So unacquainted was he with Middle America, that “Old McDonald” was the only farmer he’d ever heard of. That all changed after he participated in the annual Bike For Friendship this past summer.

Bike 4 Friendship is an annual 3,500-mile, cross-country bike ride to raise funds for Friendship Circle International, an organization developed and overseen by the Chabad-Lubavitch Shluchim Office that serves children with special needs and their families, with chapters all over the globe. The organization connects children with special needs with teenage volunteers who offer friendship and run social events and programs. The organization also provides the children’s families with much–needed resources and support. The annual Bike 4 Friendship fundraiser has brought a tremendous amount of valuable exposure to Friendship Circle.

At one point during the ride, the seven star cyclists participating in the cross-country ride were forced to stop. Yet another biker’s tire had become flat—one of a total of 92 flat tires counted during the 50-day trip. (They also counted 712 roadkill; yes, they kept track!) They were in the middle of the hot Iowan expanse, with acres upon acres of farmland on either side of the road. Seeking shade, the group pulled over to a farm on the side of the road to rest beneath an apple tree.

While a flat tire is a hassle, at least the cyclists were well equipped to handle the problem. Sponsoring the pumps, patches, pedals and other bike parts to keep them going were the CH Cycles bicycle club and the Origin-8 bike parts company, both indigenous Brooklyn businesses. As CH Cycles founder Yoske Strasberg sees it, his organization and the Friendship Circle share one vital mission: taking care of the community’s health.

The farm that the cyclists chose to rest in was not an ordinary farm, though. It belonged to Farmer Kurt, whom they soon met. Instead of chasing the young religious men off his property, the burly 66-year-old farmer surprised the group by giving them farm-fresh food for their journey; he was moved by the noble cause they were cycling for. Laden with bags of tomatoes and freshly laid eggs from Farmer Kurt’s chicken coop, the cyclists soon replaced the damaged tire and continued their ride.

Though the farmer’s food was much appreciated, Friendship Circle had thought of a way to keep the cyclists fed. To keep the nine riders well stocked on protein, carbs and resulting peak performance, Jack’s Gourmet delivered. The Brooklyn-based provisions company served as one of Bike 4 Friendship’s two official sponsors of foodstuffs, the other being Natural and Kosher, a producer of fine cheeses.

Bikers for Friendship

Many of the bikers, who hailed from across the United States, Australia and Israel, had never been involved with Friendship Circle prior to the bike-a-thon. But as the excitement and enthusiasm increased ahead of the ride, the men began to realize how much their actions were affecting and benefitting others in need.

The ride was not easy. They biked over 200 hours in the blazing heat, up and down mountainous terrain (they clocked 120,000 feet of climbing), and through endless deserts with no other traces of humanity in sight. But the guys urged each other onward and the strongest of bonds were formed.

“It was a huge learning experience for me,” says Shmuly Lazaroff, 24, an American participant who recently served in the Israel Defense Forces. He had heard about Friendship Circle for a long time and felt a connection to it because he has two nephews with special needs. So when he heard about the ride, he jumped at the opportunity to support the cause.

Having previously ridden with professional cyclists while living in Israel, Lazaroff was assigned the position of group leader and lead rider. He led the group through 14 states, from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic. In his words:

I love nature … In Arizona, we saw some train tracks, but it was mostly barren land. New Mexico was slightly greener and we rode alongside huge walls of rock scaling almost 100 feet high. That was the most gorgeous—riding in and next to mountains. We rode uphill for hours, through canyons, at times reaching an elevation of close to 10,000 feet—the view from the top was amazing—and then rode all the way back down with speeds sometimes getting up to 60 miles per hour….

Neufeld says that when the journey would become emotionally and physically draining, he would tell himself, “I can do this; it’s for a good cause. I just need to keep pushing myself.”

Ride Inspires Many

It was this motivation and commitment that drew other riders living along the route to join the seven star cyclists for brief distances, and even led two Chabad Houses along the route to open their very own Friendship Circle chapters. The Five Towns chapter of Friendship Circle was so taken by Bike For Friendship, that the directors there organized a local one-day ride that took place two weeks after the 50-day feat.

“People may have been inspired by us,” says Neufeld, “but we were also inspired by them.” The outpouring of support was constant and invigorated to the group. A key highlight for many of the cyclists was meeting children with special needs and their families at the Friendship Circle chapters they visited.

Mrs. Batsheva Borenstein, the director of the Five Towns Friendship Circle chapter, says that Neufeld—a member of her community—inspired her to host a ride within her community, but she wanted to include the children with special needs and their families. So she arranged an eight-mile Bike 4 Friendship, after which a carnival was planned where children with special needs and their families enjoyed a day of fun.

“My son attended Friendship Circle Hebrew School two years ago,” says Mrs. C. Popack of the Five Towns. “I think there was a lot of joy and accomplishment for the riders, and especially the children.”

Coming Along for the Ride

Sixty-year-old Marvin Goldman from Denver, Colorado, is a cycling enthusiast. When he heard about the Bike 4 Friendship from his rabbi, he planned a day-ride in a way that when the team came through Colorado Springs, he was able to join them and bike the 80-plus miles back to his hometown of Denver.

But most of all, Goldman enjoyed getting to know the A-team. Goldman says that special moments like the early morning minyan in Colorado Springs where he was able to say kaddish for his wife who had recently passed away, to the bike trail where he had the opportunity from time to time to chat with the other bikers, enabled him to connect and bond with the other cyclists on a spiritual and emotional level. Inspired by the “fun ride for a great cause,” Golman pledged to join the trip again next year.

Goldman’s planned ride out of Colorado Springs coincided with the tragic shooting that took place at an Aurora, Colorado movie theater the previous night. Instead of putting a damper on the planned ride with the Friendship Circle cyclists, the events of the night before only added to the determination and purpose of Goldman’s ride that day; he biked with the purpose of bringing healing to the lives of the shooting victims as well as light and joy to anyone dealing with life’s hardships and challenges.

It was this purpose, to bring cheer and support to Friendship Circles worldwide, that ultimately drove the seven star cyclists from sea to shining sea.

For more information about the Bike 4 Friendship of 2012 and to receive notifications about the next annual ride, visit www.Bike4Friendship.org, and find them on Facebook at facebook.com/bike4friendship.