Missouri man poised to crisscross U.S. on bike

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A Missouri man who for more than a decade envisioned criss-crossing the United States by bicycle is about to try to make the 7,000-mile trek a reality.

Richie Wolfe, 26 and of Kansas City, expects to launch his journey next Saturday 30 miles east of San Diego in Escondido, California, The Kansas City Star reported.

Wolfe's five-month Journey Towards Hope ride is a fundraiser for Restoration House, a Greenwood, Missouri-based residential recovery program for victims of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation.

Wolfe plans to cycle from California to Georgia, then north to Maine before visiting the Great Lakes states and heading west to Washington state and Oregon, traveling alone during the day and camping most nights.

Wolfe, who hopes to bike 60 to 70 miles per day during the trip, anticipates finishing by late September in San Francisco, ideally having visited nearly 30 states and the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario.

"I wanted to visit every state that I've never been to," said Wolfe, who has trained for more than a year and over the past month has ridden 20 miles each way from downtown Kansas City to his job in Overland Park, Kansas.

September Trible, Restoration House's executive director, said Wolfe's journey reflects his passion for helping others. Wolfe has volunteered for several not-for-profit organizations, including Veronica's Voice, a program for women and girls who are or have been involved in sex work.

"We are so thrilled that someone of Richie's age would be so passionate about doing something that is engaging social justice in a really meaningful way," Trible said. "We think it is beyond fantastic."