Hamptons' Soldier Ride raises awareness, funds for Wounded Warrior Project

Sara Bosma could feel the energy from the community as she biked 24 miles round trip Saturday from Amagansett to Sag Harbor.

Bosma, who completed her third Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride in as many days, reflected on the journey as a "great experience" that made her feel "reconnected."

"It just kind of like humbles you and gives you that motivation to go home and keep pushing forward," said the upstate Chittenango resident, who has post-traumatic stress disorder and spinal injuries from her eight years of service in the Army.

About 40 former soldiers, as well as a few hundred civilian supporters, participated in the Hamptons' Soldier Ride on Saturday. Organizers said the annual event, which started two decades ago, has proved to be not only a fundraising tool for Wounded Warrior Project, but also a means of rehabilitation for service members assimilating back to civilian life.

"The hardest part of surviving conflict and military service is living," said Walter Piatt, chief executive of Wounded Warrior Project.

Hamptons roots

The Wounded Warrior ride began with a 17-mile ride in Manhattan Thursday, followed by a 22-mile trip in Babylon on Friday.

Shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday, bicyclists departed the Amagansett Fire Department parking lot. About 3½ hours later, the riders returned under warm, sunny skies to celebrate the completion of the three-day event.

The Babylon ride raised about $200,000, with approximately 1,200 bicyclists riding in support of the soldiers, said Meghan Wagner, physical health and wellness director for Wounded Warrior Project. A final total for Saturday’s race was not yet available.

The annual Hamptons ride brings the organization back to its roots.

Peter Honerkamp, a co-founder of Wounded Warrior Project and owner of the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, recalled how a benefit concert in 2003 for Rocky Point's John Fernandez, who was injured in Iraq, inspired East Hampton native Chris Carney to bicycle across the country in 2004.

That grew into a three-person trip the following year, when a pair of former Army sergeants injured in Iraq — one a single-leg amputee, the other a double-leg amputee  — joined Carney. Soldier Rides are now held across the nation.

'Our road home'

Before embarking on Saturday's trip, Carney reminded the community riders that their participation aids in the wounded soldiers' recovery. He encouraged the riders to think of how the ride must feel “on a fractured spine or on the stump of an amputee.”

“Every hill, think about what that feels like going up but with nothing but your arms,” he said. “That’s what these guys are doing.”

Fred Rodriguez, 61, of East Quogue, a retired Air Force veteran, completed his first Soldier Ride with the community riders as a way to help support fellow veterans who “are hurting today,” he said.

Rodriguez said he has volunteered with Wounded Warrior Project and other initiatives to support veterans.

“I wanted to do it at least once,” he said of the Soldier Ride. “And I was glad I did it with the soldiers.”

Piatt cheered the Soldier Riders as they departed. He then hopped on his own bicycle to join them.

Before the ride, he reflected on the organization’s promise to bring every warrior home, including their “mind, body and soul.” He said the founders of the Soldier Ride provided the avenue to fulfill that promise.

“This is much more than a ride," he said. "It is our road home."