More than 150 injured veterans and their supporters will set off Sunday,
April 27, on the UnitedHealthcare Ride 2 Recovery Bluegrass Challenge, a
weeklong, 450-mile rehabilitative bicycle ride from Covington, Ky., to
Nashville, Tenn.
Bluegrass Challenge cyclists will start their journey at the Embassy
Suites (10 East Rivercenter Blvd.) in Covington and ride through central
Kentucky into Tennessee with overnight stops in Carrollton, Louisville,
Fort Knox/Elizabethtown, Bowling Green and Oak Grove, Ky. The ride will
conclude in Nashville on Friday, May 2. There will be a one-day local
ride in the Music City on Saturday, May 3.
To see daily stops and events along the route, or to sign up for the
Bluegrass Challenge, visit https://www.ride2recovery.com/event.php?ID=541.
Ride 2 Recovery supports physical and psychological rehabilitation
programs for injured veterans, featuring cycling as the core activity.
From indoor spinning training at military installations to multiday,
long-distance rides, Ride 2 Recovery helps injured veterans heal through
the challenge of cycling long distances using hand cycles, recumbents,
tandems and traditional road bikes.
“The more I ride with Ride 2 Recovery, the more it helps me both
physically and mentally,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. (ret.) Omar Romney,
who was based at Fort Campbell before he medically retired. “It gives me
hope that the more I ride, the more I get out of it, and I would like to
be a role model or mentor to others who are having similar struggles.”
“It’s an honor to support Ride 2 Recovery and its work for the physical,
mental and emotional rehabilitation of the men and women who have
sacrificed their health in service to our country,” said Paul Brophy,
COO, UnitedHealthcare of Kentucky. “Ride 2 Recovery is making a critical
difference in helping these veterans in their journey to lifelong health
and well-being.”
This is the fifth year UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:
UNH) company, is serving as Ride 2 Recovery’s presenting sponsor,
providing financial, in-kind and volunteer support to assist in the
rehabilitation of America’s injured veterans.
Ride 2 Recovery is one of many ways UnitedHealth Group supports veterans
and their families. UnitedHealth Group is a member of the 100,000 Jobs
Mission, a coalition of major U.S. corporations that share the goal of
hiring 100,000 transitioning service members and military veterans by
2020, a goal that has already been exceeded. UnitedHealth Group partners
with a variety of organizations to help source military and veteran
candidates such as the Military Spouse Employment Partnership,
RecruitMilitary and the Wounded Warrior Project. Last year,
UnitedHealthcare became the managed care support contractor for the West
Region of the U.S. Defense Department’s TRICARE program, serving nearly
2.9 million military service members, retirees and their families in 21
states.
“In the UnitedHealthcare Challenge Series, about 60 percent of the
participating injured veterans come through our feeder program, Project
HERO,” said John Wordin, president and founder, Ride 2 Recovery. “There
are 43 Project HERO programs at military bases and VA facilities across
the country. Our medical personnel and R2R onsite coordinators help
prepare these healing heroes for the week-long challenge of riding a
bike hundreds of miles. For these men and women, cycling becomes a
life-changing addition to their physical and mental rehabilitation.”
About Ride 2 Recovery
Ride 2
Recovery, a 501(c) 3, helps injured veterans improve their health and
wellness through individual and group cycling. Cycling has proven to be
a catalyst in the recovery process by providing a new physical challenge
while concurrently helping to cope with the mental challenges. Ride 2
Recovery benefits military mental and physical rehabilitation programs
that feature cycling as the core activity. Bikes are often custom-fitted
to the physical needs of each rider. There are 43 Ride 2 Recovery
Project HERO programs at military installations and VA facilities that
provide training, fitting and bikes to prepare riders for the
long-distance Challenges.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare
is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by
simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and
wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care
providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit
programs for individuals, employers and Medicare and Medicaid
beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 800,000 physicians
and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities
nationwide. Globally, UnitedHealthcare serves more than 45 million
people in health benefits and is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth
Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being
company.
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Copyright Business Wire 2014