Kennemarland / America – Cycling nearly five thousand kilometers through America called the Southern Tier Cycle Route from San Diego to Jacksonville. That's what Tim Schroeder does. The purpose of this monster tour: to raise money for the Usher Syndrome Foundation, a genetic disorder that Tim's seven-year-old daughter Elena suffers from.
Usher syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that causes progressive hearing loss and blindness from age 10.
Cycling 1800 km alone
Tim has been on the road for over three weeks now. He started his journey with his cycling friend Richard. They rode side by side for three weeks. However, this week Richard had to leave for personal reasons. This meant Tim still had 1,800 kilometers to travel alone, with another 1,200 planned for later today.
Farewell to cycling buddy Richard (R) and father (next to Tim).
In his weekly update, Tim shares how he's been this past week and how he's coping with cycling alone:
“Unfortunately, both my father and Richard went home on Saturday (due to personal reasons). I've been cycling alone since Sunday, but luckily I have Simo (Elena's uncle) who arrived in Houston on Friday and he's supporting me in the car until the end.
Cycling just takes some getting used to. Less distraction, more thinking, it's mentally tough and requires more of your persistence, but now I'm cycling it reasonably.
Music is my friend. Unfortunately, there was no wind last week. We had a lot of wind which made the days especially hard and long. And at a certain point the knees and butt don't particularly hold anymore.
Let's just say Elena's eyes will get worse when I get back. By now she thinks I am cycling in front of her ears. So I think about this even more when I cycle alone.
This is something we fear. How will she react? How will she deal with it? Although there is a possibility that she will react mildly to this. After all, she's only 7, and something like this takes time to sink in. Will it be an act of having to talk to her more often?
I am grateful that I was able to do this for my daughter and fellow sufferers, despite the frequent suffering and physical pain. It's painful at times, especially when you see how much poverty there is. The more you realize that it's great that I can do this.
It was a special trip, saw a lot and met beautiful people. Plus, I hope to eventually get off the bike as a person. On the other hand, I think I will soon, eventually, happily cycle it into the ocean! After that I will finish cycling for a while…
But we're not there yet. We are now in Lafayette and will arrive in New Orleans on Friday.
Help Tim reach his goal: €50,000 for the Usher Syndrome Foundation
And then donations, because that's what it is. Tim's income from bike riding is currently €22,827. Since donations are made directly to the Usher Syndrome Foundation, this amount may be somewhat distorted. So the total amount of donations may be higher. However, with Tim still having to cycle around 1,200 kilometers in the coming season, all donations are welcome. Tim's target is 50,000 euros, so it will be exciting to see if that is reached.
After retirement in New Orleans, Tim enters his last week on the bike. Last week we will also provide updates on the status of the bike ride and the campaign for the Usher Syndrome Foundation. Hopefully we can report a good early result from Tim's bike ride next weekend. The result could give Elena and other Usher syndrome patients better chances of a 'life with sight and hearing'.
You can donate via the link Fight against deafness.
Tim Schroeder He is touring the US to raise money for research into a cure for Usher syndrome, from which his 7-year-old daughter Elena suffers. All travel and accommodation expenses during the cycle tour are covered by Tim, his assistants and some personal sponsors. Donations collected during the sponsored tour will entirely benefit research into a cure for Usher syndrome.
