NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--More than 150 injured veterans and their supporters will set off Sunday, Sept. 7, on the UnitedHealthcare Ride 2 Recovery Minuteman Challenge, a six-day, 355-mile bicycle ride from Waltham, Mass., to New York City.
Minuteman Challenge cyclists will start their journey in downtown Waltham and ride through New England and New York with overnight stops in Providence, R.I.; Hartford and Danbury, Conn.; Newburgh, N.Y.; and Fort Lee, N.J.
Highlights of the ride include a visit to Gillette Stadium on Sept. 7; a ceremony at the Rhode Island State House in Providence and an afternoon celebration in downtown Hartford on Sept. 8; a private screening of the film “Rebirth” on Sept. 9; a stop at West Point on Sept. 11; and a breakfast at Macy’s Herald Square and a visit to the 9-11 Memorial Museum on Sept. 12. The USO Canteen will travel with the cyclists to provide lunch stops each day.
To see the daily stops and events along the route, or to sign up for the Minuteman Challenge, visit UnitedHealthcare Ride 2 Recovery Minuteman Challenge.
Ride 2 Recovery supports physical and psychological rehabilitation programs for injured veterans, featuring cycling as the core activity. From indoor spinning training at military installations to multiday, long-distance rides, Ride 2 Recovery helps injured veterans heal through the challenge of cycling long distances using hand cycles, recumbents, tandems and traditional road bikes.
“After watching Ride 2 Recovery cyclists training at Fort Hood and Fort Eustis, I decided I was ready to try it,” said Staff Sgt. Eric Murray, U.S. Army and former Marine. “When I ride, it clears my mind and I don’t have to worry about anything but the road ahead. The Minuteman Challenge will be my one-year anniversary with Ride 2 Recovery, and I’ve been training hard to make this ride my best.”
“It is an honor to support the Ride 2 Recovery and its work for the physical, mental and emotional rehabilitation of the men and women who sacrificed their health in the service of our country,” said Michael McGuire, CEO of UnitedHealthcare of New York and New Jersey. “Ride 2 Recovery is making a critical difference in helping these veterans in their journey to lifelong health and well-being – a future they so richly deserve.”
This is the fifth year that UnitedHealthcare is serving as Ride 2 Recovery’s presenting sponsor, providing financial, in-kind and volunteer support to assist in the rehabilitation of America’s injured veterans. This year, UnitedHealthcare is the presenting sponsor of six Ride 2 Recovery cycling challenges across the United States and in Normandy, France.
Ride 2 Recovery is one of many ways UnitedHealth Group supports veterans and their families. UnitedHealth Group is a member of the 100,000 Jobs Mission, a coalition of major U.S. corporations that share the goal of hiring 100,000 transitioning service members and military veterans by 2020, a goal that has already been exceeded. UnitedHealth Group partners with a variety of organizations to help source military and veteran candidates such as the Military Spouse Employment Partnership, RecruitMilitary and the Wounded Warrior Project.
Last year, UnitedHealthcare became the managed care support contractor for the West Region of the U.S. Defense Department’s TRICARE program, serving nearly 2.9 million military service members, retirees and their families in 21 states.
“In the UnitedHealthcare Challenge Series, about 60 percent of the participating injured veterans come through our feeder program, Project HERO,” said John Wordin, president and founder, Ride 2 Recovery. “There are 52 Project HERO programs at military bases and VA facilities across the country. Our medical personnel and R2R onsite coordinators help prepare these healing heroes for the week-long challenge of riding a bike hundreds of miles. For these men and women, cycling becomes a life-changing addition to their physical and mental rehabilitation.”
About Ride 2 Recovery
Ride 2
Recovery supports physical and psychological rehabilitation programs for
injured veterans, featuring cycling as the core activity. From outdoor
training at military installations to multiday, long-distance rides,
Ride 2 Recovery helps injured veterans heal through the challenge of
cycling using custom adapted bicycles, hand cycles, recumbents, tandems
and traditional road bikes.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare
is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by
simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and
wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care
providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit
programs for individuals,
employers
and Medicare
and Medicaid
beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 800,000 physicians
and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities
nationwide. Globally, UnitedHealthcare serves more than 45 million
people in health benefits and is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth
Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being
company.
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