From sea to shining sea

Life member Bob Jones crosses the country on bicycle to raise money for American Lung Association

Bob Jones on the Big Ride.

Bob Jones spent the past summer on a coast-to-coast sight-seeing trip.

Nothing unusual about that, except for two things: He did it on a bicycle. And he’s 76 years old.

Jones, the managing partner for Towson-based Jones Hall Advisors and a life member of the MACPA, spent 48 days and 3,300 miles on a bicycle as part of last summer’s Big Ride Across America, a fund-raising event to benefit the American Lung Association. Starting June 25 in Seattle, 44 riders averaged 83 miles per day as they made their way to Washington D.C., where they crossed the finish line on Aug. 11.

Along the way, they saw, in Jones’ words, “some awesome scenery” and raised some serious cash. To qualify for the ride, each rider had to raise a minimum of $5,500 in donations. Jones, who suffers from chronic asthma, felt especially motivated: He alone raised more than $13,500 for the Lung Association’s cause.

“The American Lung Association’s research has aided in the development of medications that allowed me to do this, whereas 25 years ago I was close to death several times with asthma,” he said. “It was very important to me to be a part of this.”

‘A sense of pride’

Jones has ridden recreationally for some time, but he trained intensely for nearly a year to prepare for the ride, mixing weight training and pushups with long-distance biking along the Northern Central Railroad Trail.

The training paid off. Riders spent anywhere from six to 11 hours each day on their bikes, sometimes in intense heat through desolate countryside. Support vehicles led the way, carrying the riders’ luggage and offering water breaks every 25 miles or so. Through it all, the riders kept their sites set firmly on their final destination.

“I never had any doubts that I would make it,” Jones said. “Every rider had the same attitude, and you have to have it to make it: ‘I am going to do it.’ It was hard at times, though.”

His fellow riders were often a huge source of strength and support. They ranged in age from 19 to 76 (Jones was the oldest to make the trip) and came from diverse backgrounds – college students, school teachers, lawyers, seniors, even a heart-lung transplant surgeon. Only three riders failed to complete the trip. One was sidelined with a bad knee, and a husband-and-wife team dropped out after the husband suffered a concussion and broken pelvis in a nasty fall.

“But the rest of us finished,” Jones said. “We became a very closeknit group. We were like brothers and sisters as we made our way across the country, supporting one another.”

The ride took them past the crystal-clear, blue lakes and rivers of Montana and Idaho; into Wyoming and across the length of South Dakota; through Minnesota and Wisconsin; along both the western and eastern banks of the Mississippi River; and across Illinois, Indiana and Ohio before sending them down through Pennsylvania and into Maryland on their way to D.C.

“When I crossed the finish line,” Jones said, “I very much felt a sense of pride and accomplishment.”

That pride extended to his family and co-workers, who met the riders in Gettysburg with a table of cold drinks and food. “My family and my office supported me the whole way and made sure everything was perfect at home,” he said.

Speaking of the folks back home, what did they think of Jones’ adventure?

“I think a few people thought I was crazy,” he said with a laugh, “but others were a bit envious, I think. I know of a couple of people who, because I did it, have said they are going to do it within a few years, too.”

And what about Jones himself? Will he make it an annual event?

“No, once is enough,” he said. “For me, something like this is a once-in-a-lifetime event.”

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