Mohammed ‘Mo’ Farunia is a junior at Ohio University studying health services. Mo enjoys biking. Not in a 5-mile-ride-on-the-bike-path kind of enjoy, more along the lines of a 2-day-bike-tour-across-Ohio enjoy.
This past May, Farunia began an enduring bike tour of his home state starting in Lakewood – a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio - and eventually ending in Athens, Ohio. A close friend from high school, Gabe Williams, decided he would accompany Farunia on his 180-mile tour to Ohio University.
 |
Mo Farunia (left) and Gabe Williams (right) before leaving from Lakewood, Ohio. |
On top of a sixteen-hour bike trip, broken up into two days, Farunia also decided to put his efforts into raising money for charity. He did this successfully with the support of friends and family in anticipation of the long journey. The two cyclists raised and donated $1,600 to St. Judes Research Hospital.
Preparation
Surprisingly Farunia and Williams only dabbled in biking before their trip. Both were very active in high school and continued an active life-style after. However, Farunia only started biking regularly in the summer of 2010 when gas prices were high and biking provided a way for him to save some money. “Why drive my car to work when I have a bike?” he asked as gas prices were well over $3.50 at the time.
In months prior to the journey Farunia’s workouts consisted of “not to much biking, the normal things [he] always did, a little running…some swimming at the local YMCA and playing a lot of basketball…to get [his] heart rate going and to build [his] endurance.”
The Trip
On a clear Thursday morning at the end of May, Farunia and Williams began their journey on their bikes, heading for central Ohio. Their route was made up of various back roads, occasionally stopping in major cities to refill on resources and rest. The first half of the trip consisted of ninety miles ending at Kenyon College located in Gambier, Ohio. The college was a solid half-way point between Lakewood and Athens where a fellow high school classmate, Dan, was currently enrolled and who they would be staying with.
| Fun Facts | |||
| Dinner on the night before trip | Pasta and carbohydrates | ||
| Mo's longest ride before Athens | 30 miles | ||
What were in the backpacks at all times |
| ||
| Temperatures from day 2 | High 75 - Low 65 | ||
Almost finished with day one, Farunia and Williams encountered unpleasant weather conditions. “An hour and a half out of Gambier it started to rain” said Farunia. “It was cold and we were cranky but we got through it.”
Eventually the two safely arrived in Gambier, although they were drenched from the rain. “We immediately met with Dan locked up our bikes and ate dinner at a campus restaurant” said Farunia. After catching up with their good friend, the two called it a night and were back on their bikes at 7:30 a.m. beginning on the final leg of their journey.
Day two went on without a hitch and blessed the two cyclists with beautiful riding weather. One of the more eventful stops of their trip occurred fifty miles out of Athens when the two were stopped in Somerset, Ohio by the mayor of Somerset and the President of the Historical Society. “They gave us a tour of the old court house which was the main court house for the entire north west territory at the time.” Farunia laughed, also sharing how they nervously investigated the inside of an antique jail cell.
 |
| Farunia inside a jail cell in the Somerset Ohio. |
As the trip came to an end, Farunia and Williams entered Ohio University’s campus via the bike trail and took celebratory pictures in front of Peden Stadium. From there the two headed to Court Street for a well deserved dinner.
Around 6 a.m. the next day, Farunia explained how he anxiously awoke "expecting to get my things packed up, eat breakfast, and hit the road again. But after a minute or so I realized that I didn't have to go anywhere so I went back to bed.”
Future Rides
Since their last bike trip the two have founded Rewarding Rides, categorized as a 'cause' on their Rewarding Rides Facebook Page, with the inspiring slogan "Do something nice for someone, today and everyday".
Farunia and Williams plan to continue their annual bike tour this summer but with a twist; “each year take a different bike tour with a different destination and then raise money for a different charity” said Farania about their future plans. This June the cycling duo will again begin a bike tour in Lakewood, Ohio, heading this time to Chicago, Illinois. The route is approximately 300 miles long, almost double their original route.
The money they raise this year will go to Good Works, Inc, a charity based out of Athens, Ohio.
On campus at Ohio University, Farunia does not participate in any of the cycle organizations because he says he is “not really a fan of competitive cycling”. They prefer the tours to be “a fun relaxing thing to do” said Farunia. “If we made it competitive it might loose its luster”. As of now, future tours will continue to consist only of Williams and Farunia as they don’t want to be “possibly held back or forced to exceed what they are comfortable with."
The exact date and route of their next annual tour has yet to be decided, but these two riders enjoy the casualty in their plans, instead focusing on the importance of giving back to those in need.
Click here to see a map of the duo's route.
The exact date and route of their next annual tour has yet to be decided, but these two riders enjoy the casualty in their plans, instead focusing on the importance of giving back to those in need.
 |
| Mo Farunia's arrival to Ohio University's campus in Athens, Ohio. |
No comments:
Post a Comment