(traffic noise)
- They got enough people trying to build, ah,
space shuttles and Army trucks.
That's my previous jobs.
Engineering work is fun but riding bikes and giving them
away and helping out little kids is a lot more fun.
- I mean, going from extreme north to extreme south.
At 15 miles an hour, you see a lot.
Sometimes a lot of nothing, but, it's always a lot.
(music)
- NARRATION: Tom Rupakus is riding the handcycle.
- RONNIE: Got you another hill coming up.
- NARRATION: Ronnie Witt follows in the van.
These two guys are biking across the United States,
raising money to buy handcycles for children with disabilities.
- TOM: Kingsville. Cool.
- NARRATION: Since the beginning of their trip, Tom and Ronnie
have traveled 1,850 miles.
- I don't know how many times two guys in wheelchairs
ever rode a bike across the United States.
It might be a first, I don't know.
- There's where I thought was going to be the town, Ron.
- Ohhhhh!
That's about like what all those other towns we've been
going by and missing.
(laughs)
- TOM: Purdy morning.
Love bugs in the air.
- NARRATION: Tom has been training for this trip
for three and a half years.
Riding his bike every day, spending endless hours
at the gym strengthening his upper body.
In the process, he's lost over 100 pounds
and gained a whole new life.
- TOM: Hi! Good to meet you.
What's your name?
- BOY: My name's Martin Salenas.
- And yours?
- Sonya Salenas.
- Sonya, very nice to meet you two.
This is my bike, I've been riding this across
the United States.
All the way from Canada.
And this whole ride that I'm doing is to raise money to, ah,
buy bikes for disabled children.
And we've bought one bike and, ah, given it out
to a child already.
And I'll tell you, there's nothing like being able
to do that.
We've, ah, 50 miles today.
Boy, oh boy!
Ronnie, is my cushion up there?
- RONNIE: Has it got a cover on it?
- TOM: Like I tell everybody, I still don't consider myself
an athlete.
I've got my dedication into it but I also look at
my limitations and realities.
- CAMERAMAN: Hey, that's cheating.
- Hell yeah.
- NARRATION: It's the second to last day of the trip,
and Tom and Ronnie are joined by friends who provide some
much-needed morale support.
- Do we go over the bridge or do we go around it?
There's a breakdown lane, right?
Oh, yeah.
We go over it.
You get to speed up, I'll slow down.
- NARRATION: All three of these guys share a tragic bond.
Each ended up in a wheelchair following motorcycle accidents.
- Back in 1980, I was going home from, ah, work one night.
My shield fogged up on my helmet and I couldn't see.
Went off the road on my side then all the way off
to the other side.
Had a little wreck.
It wasn't a serious incident.
My brother drove the motorcycle home.
But it put me in the hospital for seven months.
That was 20 years ago.
It's made for a really handicapped person
as you can see.
He's got one leg.
- Yeah!
- How do you ride that bike with one leg, Todd?
- I just do it.
- TOM: Look, ma, no hands.
- Ah, man.
I would never be able to have this chance to do anything
like this again probably the rest of my life.
I can't believe we're so close to finishing.
I mean, tomorrow it will be done and over with.
(music)
(boy laughing)
- MARCUS MANN: Bink, bink, bink.
- NARRATION: The license plate on his handcycle says it all.
This boy lives to ride.
- MARCUS: Hello!
- NARRATION: Meet Marcus Mann.
- MARCUS: What?
- NARRATION: Marcus is an energetic and somewhat
precocious 11 year-old.
(Marcus laughs)
- NARRATION: He's also the first kid to receive a handcycle
paid for by money raised from Tom and Ronnie's trip.
- MARCUS: That's what's getting in front of me!
That's what's getting in front of me!
- You can see him.
He's just having a great time.
Ah, therapeutically, it's wonderful for him.
- GIRL: Don't run us over!
- He gets his strength up, we get outside,
he gets social skills.
Oh, it's just wonderful.
Cause he's so great!
I mean, I have treated him for three years and to see him
get this, it's just great.
(Marcus grunts)
- NARRATION: Marcus has muscular dystrophy.
And an important part of his physical therapy
is building a strong body.
- MARCUS: One, my upper body strength is stronger.
Two, I, my social life is even better.
And three, I don't know what three is.
The handcycling made it a lot more funner.
Not just, oh I have to do this, but I want to do it
because it's fun and it's helping my body out.
Using muscles that I haven't before.
It's painful, but painful in a good way.
(music)
- I'm gonna run you over.
OK, Marcus?
You don't mind?
- Yeah, I don't mind.
- Ask your mom if you can come to Fuddrucker's with us.
(music)
- Thank God we're almost done.
You know, one thing people think, we we're just so
awesome for doing it.
No, we just want to get out there and do it.
We're just a normal person.
But we've had the insight of what we've had lost.
Look at that sign, Ronnie.
Mexico.
- NARRATION: In a few hours, Tom and Ronnie will arrive
at the Texas-Mexico border.
Their 36 day, 2,000 mile journey will be finished.
There'll be no cheering crowds awaiting them.
No banners of congratulation.
- Aww, you shouldn't have.
♪ Oops, I... ♪
- NARRATION: Just the knowledge they've accomplished something
profoundly good.
- ♪ ...in this game, oh, baby. ♪
♪ Oops, you think that I'm sent from up above. ♪
♪ I'm not that innocent. ♪
- NARRATOR: For more information on activities for people with
disabilities you can contact an organization called
Turning Point.
Go to the Turning Point web site.