National Cycling Event for Injured Service Members Returns to Jacksonville

Solider Ride Jacksonville offers therapeutic fitness through cycling with a second stop of the 2015 season in familiar territory

News provided by

Wounded Warrior Project

Oct 23, 2015, 11:00 ET

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Oct. 23, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Jacksonville-based Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) Soldier Ride^® presented by USAA^®offers injured veterans from across the country a chance to maximize rehabilitation, reduce stress, and combat depression through cycling. This year, WWP not only added more than 10 new Soldier Ride locations, but also added a second ride in sunny Jacksonville, Fla.

"I am ready to be back in the team element. Civilians don't always understand. At WWP events, everyone has the same mentality. It doesn't matter if you're first or last. It keeps you going," said Dolly Harris of Point Pleasant, N.J. She participated in the February Soldier Ride^® Jacksonville.

A new crop of riders will be in Jacksonville from November 19-22.

This four-day event encourages participants to push their mental and physical boundaries through adaptive sports while bonding over shared experiences of service and sacrifice as they enjoy local flair. WWP servicemen and women will enjoy a hometown welcome from the community WWP calls home.

All cycling equipment and activities are provided to WWP veterans at no cost through generous donations and the support of U-Haul, a founding partner of Soldier Ride^®, and TREK.

About Soldier Ride
Soldier Ride^® began in 2004 when civilian Chris Carney cycled more than 5,000 miles coast-to-coast in support of WWP. In 2005, Carney again cycled coast-to-coast, this time with several combat-wounded veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Soldier Ride has been welcomed at the White House since 2008 when President Bush called it "the most inspiring athletic event in the country," and most recently in April 2015 by President Obama where WWP Alumni met privately with him before the event.

Soldier Ride is a physical health & wellness program of WWP, which envisions a generation of wounded veterans well-adjusted in body, receiving the care they need to maximize rehabilitation and live active and healthy lives. Through peer support, adaptive sports, health, nutrition, and recreational activities, WWP helps warriors achieve independence and pursue an excellent quality of life.

More information on Soldier Ride is available at soldierride.org.

Wounded Warrior Project
The mission of Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) is to honor and empower Wounded Warriors. WWP's purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. To get involved and learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.

SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project