When Gary Bland takes his bike out for a ride this summer, he’ll be doing more than just cycling around the block. The 43-year-old Clive resident will travel from coast to coast, covering over 3500 miles for “The Great Bike Ride Across America.” Bland will be riding for the American Lung Association of Iowa. He says his father and others have smoked and he personally is aware of the impacts of lung disease.Bland will ride with other cyclists from Portland, Oregon, to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He’s been training for over a year, but says he’ll need much more than physical strength, it’ll also take lots of mental preparation. Bland will not be riding through Iowa, but he says the state will be with him – and not just in spirit. He says the weather in Iowa has helped prepare him for the trip. Bland hopes the bike trip will impact other people in a number of ways. He hopes other will be motivated by what he is doing.The “Great Bike Across America” begins June 15th and is scheduled to end on August 16th.
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