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From Carrollton to Carrollton, man rides for animals
By James Roth, jroth@acnpapers.com
Bill Craig is an animal advocate from Carrollton, Ga. and he is also a cyclist. On Sept. 8 he will begin the 800 mile route from Carrollton, Texas to Carrollton, Ga. as he rides for the animals.
Craig has been a cyclist for the past 15 years, but has been an animal lover his whole life. At 60 years old, Craig has teamed up with Operation Kindness in Carrollton, Texas to promote no-kill shelters and to bring awareness to the overpopulation of animals.
“Three years ago I saw on the news that a man was biking across the country for a cause that he cared about, and I thought this ride would be a good thing to do for the animals,” Craig said. “I am doing this is because it is my calling to do something for the animals, animals come first. We domesticated them, that makes us responsible for them. If I can help save one animal, then this ride is worth it.”
“I am doing 55 miles a day. In the ride I want to 70 to 75 miles with a lot of breaks in between,” Craig said. “Two days a week I do nothing but hill training. Most days it takes me almost four and a half hours to do 55 miles, and I take a break an hour.”
In 2008, when Craig rode from Dallas, Texas to Dallas, Ga., he said he experienced some problems that he will be able to avoid this time around. However, in 2008, Craig started his ride in April when it was much cooler outside. Craig said the Texas heat will be a factor for him.
“I mapped my route out in 2008, during that ride I went through Natchez Trace State Park in Mississippi. Before I was able to enter the park I had to sign a waiver saying if I died the park wouldn’t be held responsible,” Craig said. “I will not go through Trace State Park again. It was really treacherous and really slowed me down. Another huge factor for me will be the heat. There is a big difference in the heat between April and September in Texas.”
Another bump in the road that Craig must overcome is sleeping accommodations. Craig said that out of the 10 cities he plans to stop along the way, he only has sleeping arraignments in two of them. Craig plans to stop twice in Texas, twice in Louisiana, twice in Mississippi and four times in Alabama.
“I have 10 stops to make, and I need eight more accommodations. A lot of my time is spent with logistics of this trip,” Craig said. “Since this is all for charity, were asking our families to provide gas. I am calling hotels and RV parks to see if they will provide a room for the night for me, but I am struggling as of now. Half of the time I am training for the ride and the other half trying to figure out the route.”
Craig will not be alone on his journey. He will be accompanied by his wife and friend who will be driving a van to make sure he gets from point-to-point safely.
“My wife will be driving the crew van, and I have bike mechanic,” Craig said. “In the van we will keep an extra bicycle. If something happens, like a flat tire or something is out of line, I will take the other bike and my mechanic can fix it in the van so we do not lose any time.”
Craig said that this ride was meant to be. When he did research online and found out that Operation Kindness was a no-kill animal shelter he knew he had found the right organization to ride for.
“Both Operation Kindness and I are no-kill and that is a great thing,” Craig said. “This feels like the right thing to do and for us to team up to promote this cause feels like it was meant to be.”
Craig will start his ride at 10 a.m. Sept. 8 at Operation Kindness in Carrollton, Texas located at 3201 Earhart Drive.
“I encourage people to come see me ride off,” Craig said. “The more people who are there, the more adrenaline and excited I will be to embark on this journey.”
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