SWEETWATER REPORTER ONLINE

Sweetwater to receive visitors from Wales

Written by Amanda Moreno

Thursday, 26 March 2009

Sweetwater will receive a visit from nine team members from Wales who are cycling across the USA to raise money for a children's hospital. Following the cyclist team, will be a documentary film crew.

According to Andy Edwards, a group of friends were sitting around thinking about what would be the next crazy thing to do and the idea snowballed into the coast to coast bicycle ride.

Around 8 p.m. on March 27, the team of nine will make their way into Sweetwater. That day they will be traveling from Clovis, N.M. and will stop and stay in Sweetwater. The next day, at 8 a.m. they will continue their journey to Austin. The cyclist team will spend a total of four days in Texas, according to their website.
The team flew to Los Angeles on March 17, to prepare for their cross-country tour. The team began in California, on March 20, and will end their cross country tour on April 3, in Florida. For a complete map and timeline, visit www.coast2coast-usa.org.

"We wanted to take in as many sights as possible — so it's a bit of a zigzag. We will see the Mojave Desert, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, amongst other destinations," Edwards said.

According to Edwards, they are estimating around 200 or more miles per day.
The goal of the ride is to raise a minimum of $50,000 for the first children's hospital in Wales. Up until recently, Wales did not have a children's hospital. For 15 years, a campaign went on to get the project started and in February of 2005 the first phase of the Children's Hospital for Wales, opened its doors. The hospital consists of two medical wards and two floors dedicated to children with cancer, education room and playrooms on each floor, according to the website.

The Noah's Ark Appeal raised the money for the first phase of this hospital, but understands that the fundraising can't stop. According to their website, the Noah's Ark Appeal not only wants 'to provide a world-class hospital, but also continue to raise funds to support and maintain a world-class standard of care and facilities for the poorly children who are treated here.'

The hospital is predicted to treat over 8,000 in-patients and 20,000 out-patients each year. This is also the first hospital in Wales devoted to treating sick children.
To help justify the amount of money that needed to be raised, the team decided to take on, what is considered to be, one of the most grueling endurance tests on the planet. They are not only planning to cycle 4,000 miles, across the American continent, but they are giving themselves a deadline of 14 days.

The team consists of Gareth Evans, Richard Belcher, Andy Edwards, Phil Jenkins, making up the initial part of the team, and Ian Stone, Mevyn Cooper, Andrew James, Henry Jones and Tomos Wilding, make up the rest of the team. According to the Coast2Coast website, each member is relying on something different to get them through this tedious adventure. Richard Belcher is depending on cups of tea and lots of doughnuts. Andy Edwards is said to eat in excess of 8,000 calories per day, when he goes on different rides. Gareth Evans, on the other hand, is looking to hypnotherapy, to get him through the ride.

"We can not believe how big this country is and how helpful and supportive the American public have been in supporting us in what is becoming a trip of a lifetime," Andy Edwards said.

For more information go to www.coast2coast-usa.org. If donating a check please make it out to Noah's Ark Appeal and mail to Andy Edwards, Penllew, Pendine, Carmarthen, Wales, U.K. SA33 4PQ.