Wounded Veterans Find Camaraderie and Healing During National Cycling Event

ATLANTA, April 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The southeast will once again play host to Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) Soldier Ride® as a group of our nation's heroes begin their journey with fellow injured veterans toward a strong recovery. Throughout the cycling event, participants will discover that Soldier Ride is not only a cycling event, it is a life-changing opportunity to heal their bodies and minds. In the spirit of recapturing military bonding, the participating injured service members will come together to ride more than 23 miles around Atlanta.

Soldier Ride Atlanta will unite injured service members for three days of group cycling that facilitates camaraderie and healing through physical health and wellness activities. Soldier Ride often serves as an introductory event into the WWP Physical Health and Wellness (PH&W) program for Alumni, who go on to participate in a variety of WWP's direct programs and services, all free of charge.

Before the ride, each wounded veteran is fitted with adaptive equipment to meet his or her specific needs. Aside from the main cycling event, Soldier Ride participants enjoy teambuilding exercises, such as adaptive golf lessons, an Atlanta Braves baseball game, and PH&W program activities. Many wounded veterans find Soldier Ride to be an unforgettable, enriching experience as they take their first strides toward a new normal – on their terms. WWP Alumni face similar challenges and events like this offer them a chance to come together and connect with other wounded veterans and family support members.

Full Schedule of Events:

Thursday, April 21 10:00 AM - 2:00 PMBike Fitting with Injured VeteransGrand Hyatt Atlanta (Buckhead Ballroom)3300 Peachtree Road NEAtlanta, GA 30305

Friday, April 229:00 AM - 12:00 PMWarrior Ride – Atlanta GAStone Mountain Park (10 miles)Start and End: Stone Mountain Park1000 Robert E Lee BlvdStone Mountain, GA 30083

Saturday, April 239:00 AM - 12:00 PMWarrior Ride – Atlanta GASouthern Crescent Church (13 miles)Start and End: Southern Crescent Church315 Dogwood TrailTyrone, GA 30290

About Soldier RideSoldier Ride® began in 2004 when civilian Chris Carney cycled more than 5,000 miles coast-to-coast in support of WWP. In 2005, Carney again cycled coast-to-coast, this time with several combat-wounded veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Soldier Ride has been welcomed at the White House since 2008 when President Bush called it "the most inspiring athletic event in the country," and most recently in April 2015 by President Obama where WWP Alumni met privately with him before the event. Soldier Ride is a physical health & wellness program of WWP, which envisions a generation of wounded veterans well-adjusted in body, receiving the care they need to maximize rehabilitation and live active and healthy lives. Through peer support, adaptive sports, health, nutrition, and recreational activities, WWP helps warriors achieve independence and pursue an excellent quality of life.

More information on Soldier Ride is available at soldierride.org.

About Wounded Warrior ProjectThe mission of Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) is to honor and empower Wounded Warriors. The WWP purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. To get involved and learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.

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SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project