Trio stops in Houston on charitable trek

http://www.houstonherald.com/

via CAAI

Mon Oct 11, 2010.
By Doug Davison, Houston Herald

The Bike for Cambodia trio pauses before heading out for another day on the road. From left, Hakan Nilsson, Fredrik Olsson and Ola Nilsson

In hopes of raising enough money to build a school in Cambodia, three men from Sweden are on a cross-country bicycling mission.

The trio, riders Ola Nilsson and Hakan Nilsson (no relation) and support man Fredrik Olsson began their 4,700-mile trek Sept. 13 in New York City. If all goes as planned, the trip should end Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, in San Francisco.

The project, called Bike 4 Cambodia, had its beginning when Ola was working and teaching as a volunteer in Thailand. On a visit to neighboring Cambodia, he became keenly aware of the level of poverty there and wanted to help.

He pondered ways to raise money for a school and decided something big was in order.

"If I ran a marathon, I might only raise enough money for a couple of chairs," Ola said. "It had to be something big enough to get into the media - big enough to get enough money together to build a school."

The Bike 4 Cambodia group has for the most part received free lodging as they travel across the continent. While Ola (who lives in London and works with a music festival organizer) and Hakan (a manager at an aluminum factory in Sweden) ride, Olsson drives ahead in a vehicle loaded with the three men's gear and makes arrangements for the riders' arrival.

The two riders pedal for as many as 10 consecutive days before taking a much-needed day off. Before a day off in Marshfield, the group stayed the night at Houston's Lazy L Motel on Oct. 10.

Houston happens to be on the Trans-American Trail, a well-known route used by cyclists on cross-country treks that goes from Virginia to Oregon. The Bike 4 Cambodia bunch will follow that route to Pueblo, Colo., before continuing in a more westerly direction toward the Bay Area in California.

With the exception of a few nervous moments at the docks in New York City at night, they have felt welcome and enjoyed meeting people as they travel the America's highways and byways.

"We have been treated fantastically well by everyone we meet," Ola said.

Before long, the group will face the challenge of crossing the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada Mountains. Fall weather in those areas can vary widely.

"We're not so much scared about the hills anymore after going across the Appalachian Mountains," Ola said. "If we have any problems, it will be more because of weather."

For more information about the project and its participants, to get updates on their progress during the trip or to make a donation to the cause, log onto www.bike4cambodia.com.