Community News

Ben Walker rides through New Mexico with his team as part of the Bike and Build program

The Bike and Build teammates posed at a number of state welcome signs, including this one, where they posed to symbolize “I Heart New York.”

Ben Walker, a 2005 Revere High School graduate, is shown above left as he helps build a house at one of the Bike and Build stops this past summer.

Photos courtesy of Ben Walker

BATH — Ben Walker saw much of the country in a 4,000-mile bicycle trip this past summer. But what left the biggest impression on him was what he saw in people.

“I was mostly surprised at how generous people were,” said Walker, 22, a 2005 graduate of Revere High School, who participated in Bike and Build, a two-month trip for which he raised $4,069 for affordable housing organizations. “We could go into any restaurant and tell them what we were doing and they would feed us for free.”

Bike and Build is a nonprofit organization that works with young adults ages 18 to 25 to produce cross-country fund-raising cycling trips. The proceeds are disbursed to affordable housing organizations to underwrite projects planned and executed by young adults, according to its Web site.

Bath native Walker is a Virginia Tech student and member of the ski team there. He heard about Bike and Build from another teammate and looked into it.

He applied and was accepted to participate in the summer of 2008. But Walker said a motorcycle accident in which he broke his collarbone required he postpone the trip for a year.

This past summer, Walker was one of 32 teammates who took part in the ride from Boston to Santa Barbara. There were nine other routes crossing the country at the same time.

To prepare for the 4,021-mile trip, Walker said he ran and rode his bike as much as possible.

“As I got closer to the trip I rode my bike more than running to get used to being in the seat for that amount of time,” he said.

Walker was required to raise at least $4,000 before the trip began. He sent letters about Bike and Build to friends and family and also received help from members of his church, Westminster Presbyterian Church in West Akron.

He and his teammates left Boston June 19 and arrived in Santa Barbara Aug. 20. They biked between 50 and 120 miles a day, he said.

At night, the riders usually stayed in church halls and ate potluck meals provided by church members, Walker said.

Along the way, the team stopped and worked on build projects in seven cities, helping to construct homes for low-income families.

Walker said he has been involved in Habitat for Humanity, one of the organizations supported by Bike and Build, for several years. He said the housing crisis is something more people need to be aware of.

“It’s hard for a family to live in a decent community in a decent house on a low income,” he said.

While the trip was important to help spread the word about affordable housing, Walker said it was also fun. Not only did he get to see the country, but he also got to experience some interesting weather along the way.

“You pretty much had to ride whatever the weather was because we had to be at the next host location,” he said. “It rained on us every day for the first month. I rode through thunderstorms, some hail. Crossing the Mississippi River, it rained so hard I couldn’t see the Mississippi River.”

Walker said he would love to take part in the trip again, but since he will graduate in May with his degree in mechanical engineering, he may be starting a new job next summer.

“It’s a great experience for anybody,” Walker said. “You really see the country and everything about it.”

Applications for next year’s ride are currently being accepted, he said. For more information, go to www.bikeandbuild.org.