BICYCLISTS REACH CAPE ON CROSS-COUNTRY RIDE

On bicycles loaded with essentials, backpacks strapped over their shoulders and helmets fixed to their heads, 12 teen-agers and two adults are traveling by from Norfolk, Va., to Los Angeles.

Why?

For the adventure.

The 14 members of a group called Overland bedded down at Cape Girardeau Wednesday night after crossing the Mississippi River bridge to officially start the western portion of their journey.

The trip started June 24 in Norfolk and should conclude Aug. 13. Todd Nicotra of Connecticut and Katie Boies of New Hampshire were the adult supervisors of a dozen 16-to-18-year-olds.

Nicotra said there was no special training needed to begin the journey but most of the teen-agers are in good shape and will be in even better shape by the time they reach Los Angeles.

The trip is a yearly event for Overland and is called the American Challenge. The youths applied for the trip, and about 12 are selected every year. Nicotra participated when he was a teen-ager.

"It's almost like a camp," Nicotra said.

The group rides between 85 and 100 miles a day at a clip of 10 to 15 mph. The participants came from every corner of the nation for the trip. There were teen-agers from Alabama, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Eleanor Twiford, 18, and Katie Bee Rogers, 16, both of Birmingham, Ala., spent their birthdays riding across the country. Twiford celebrated her birthday Tuesday and Rogers' Monday.

Twiford said she was preparing to go to college next year at the University of Mississippi and felt this may be her last chance for adventure.

"It sounded incredible and I wanted to be a part of it," Twiford said.

Rogers said she was thinking along the same lines when she applied for the ride. "I thought this might be my last summer to really do something. I wanted a challenge," she said. "I just wanted to say that I rode across America."

Jesse Hartigan, 16, of Washington D.C., agreed. "The Appalachians, that was adventure," he said.

Another challenge has been defeating saddle sores. Nicotra said baby powder and Vaseline are two ways to modify the condition, but they don't always work.

"The best bet is to just stand up as much as you can," he said.

Nicotra said the group has ridden through driving rain, 100-degree heat, high humidity and dogs.

"It seems like every state we've been in we've been chased by dogs," he said.