The Ride 2 Recovery kicked-off today with a ride from the National Memorial Parade to Manassas. The 50 mile journey, with about 2,000′ of climbing, would take the riders down the beautiful George Washington Parkway, past Mount Vernon and the west to the town of Manassas.
250,000 people lined the route
The Parade features many Military groups and R2R was honored to be a part of such a great event.
The riders left the Parade area and headed down the GW parkway under the usually great escort of the American Legion Riders.
The ride group is made up of many different types of riders. There are many general public riders who are here to support the wounded warriors and enjoy a great cycling tour. There are the wounded warriors, many of them who are cycling for the first time. the last group is our support staff made up of volunteers, friends, and spouses. For many of the staff, this is there 2nd or 3rd time supporting the R2R program.
R2R with Gary Sinise and Lee Greenwood
Manassas is famous of course for staging 2 major battles in the Civil War, Bull Run 1 and Bull Run 2.
The First Battle of Bull Run, also known as the First Battle of Manassas (the name used by Confederate forces and still often used in the Southern United States), was fought July 21, 1861, near Manassas, Virginia. It was the first major land battle of the American Civil War.
Union Gen. McDowell’s ambitious plan for a surprise flank attack against the Confederate left was not well executed by his inexperienced officers and men, but the Confederates, who had been planning to attack the Union left flank, found themselves at an initial disadvantage.
The Confederates, under Stonewall Jackson, launched a strong counterattack and as the Union troops began withdrawing under pressure, many panicked and it turned into a rout as they frantically ran in the direction of nearby Washington, D.C. Both sides were sobered by the violence and casualties of the battle, and they realized that the war would potentially be much longer and bloodier than they had originally anticipated.
In the Second Battle of Manassas, Lee, Jackson, and Longstreet drove the Union back to Centerville. It was Longstreet’s counter attack against the Union General Pope that sealed the victory. Tomorrow, the Riders will ride thru the battlefield area.
Tomorrow the group heads to Fredericksburg.
Regards,
Ride 2 Recovery
Making a Difference in the Lives of Wounded Warriors
818.888.7091×1
818.710.1453 Fax
www.Ride2Recovery.com
You can also follow the ride by joining our Facebook Ride 2 Recovery group.
Supporters include American Legion Auxiliary, USO, Star Trac, VFW, Otis Spunkmeyer, Sunkist, Giant Bicycles, League of American Bicyclists, Operation Rebound, American Legion Riders, Step Up 4 Vets, California American Legion, Coca-Cola, Shimano, Veltec Sports, Hincapie Sports, Alternative Vehicles, Hansen’s, Clif Bar, Rudy Project, DeFeet, Park Tool, Speedplay, ProMax, Chamois Butt’r, CytoSport, and Bicycling Magazine. R2R is an America Supports You Homefront Group.