By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
Cyclist Matt King rode cautiously as he came upon the Sam Houston Boulevard along the Interstate-69 frontage intersection and stopped next to vehicles and San Benito CISD school buses Wednesday morning just after 7 a.m.
Some motorists glanced at King and his cycling coach Joey Hasset, as they waited for the traffic light to turn red.
However, the similarities ended there as King’s trek is much longer, certainly more challenging.
King is at the beginning stages of a 2,000-mile ride from Mexico to the Canadian border (between Minnesota and Manitoba) through the Gobundance Foundation, which has already raised thousands of dollars for a charitable endeavor.
The reason for the summer venture is to raise awareness for American cities that are undeserved. He has never taken on a ride of this magnitude so he is both excited and careful.
Donning cyclist apparel with the name of his Gobundance company for which he is CEO, and “theRide” emblazoned on his top, King started his journey from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico about 5:59 a.m. once the sun dawned.
He waited an hour because he wanted to play it safe crossing the U.S./Mexico border into Brownsville.
After also riding northward through Olmito, he made a brief 23-mile pause in San Benito to be interviewed by the NEWS.
“My coach and I were talking about that as we began riding in some of these towns. You see the different levels of income, wealth, the way of life,” King said in the parking lot of a Jack in the Box.
The restaurant served as the most convenient way to take a restroom break and continue on off the I-69 frontage.
“What I also look at as I’m riding is the different diners in town, the restaurants, local coffee shops,” King said.
As he rode through San Benito, he shared the obvious about the city.
“It’s an interesting town. There’s a lot of nice people that already waved, cheered us on, but you can tell already this is an area that has struggled a bit and a community that was once thriving,” King surmised. “It looks like a place that was forgotten about, and these are exactly the kind of communities I want to ride in that made America what it is, made America what it is today, and we can’t forget that.”
The planned stop for the day was Ben Bolt, which is outside Alice. These towns, King said, have also been underserved, which is why he is stopping.
Other planned stops include: May 29, Seguin; May 30, Evant; May 31, Paradise; June 1, Slaughterville, Okla.; June 2, Ponca, Okla.; June 3, Council Grove, Kansas; June 4, Tecumseh, Neb.; June 5, Sergeant Bluff, Iowa; June 6, Elkton, Minn.; June 7, Breckenridge, Minn.; June 8, Stephen, Minn.; and finally June 8, Manitoba, Canada.
King is often communicating on social media about his endeavor and residents he speaks to about possible struggles they may be encountering in their small towns.
Their insights will appear through the website www.backtheride.com and his team will have a daily video log on YouTube. After being interviewed by the NEWS, King had a short video produced with members of his media team.
Before starting theRide, it was King’s hope to showcase the stories of the people in these towns by donating $1 million along his route.
His team is nearly one-third of the way to their fundraising goal.
They’ll use dynamic, real-time visual storytelling during theRide to encourage others to donate. King hopes others can see his vision.
King said they don’t plan to sit on the funds, but rather place resources directly in the hands of people who need a turning point.
TheRide is not only seeking to raise funds from others but also to collect stories from those in need. Individuals can nominate people along the route for assistance at backtheride.com.
He was asked the obvious question as a fellow human being — how are restroom breaks planned?
“We actually just took one inside the Jack in the Box, but honestly as long as you’re fueled, you should be fine,” King said. “Obviously were burning a lot of calories, we’re sweating a lot.”
The members of King’s theRide team are as follows: Rob Sembiante – Crew Chief; Mike Wainwright – Assistant Crew Chief; Terrence Ogden – Crew Member; James Lloyd – Body Work/Rehab Specialist; Joey Hasset – Cycling Coach; Quillan Hannibal – Media Team; Jeff Tucker – Media Team; Logan Hennlein – Media Team; Aerol “Ace” Abance – Media Team; and Holly Boyer – Executive Assistant.
His average speed alongside coach Hasset so far has been about 17 miles per hour. King would like to get in about 150 miles riding per day.
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