Randall Lewis accomplished his goal and he rode his bicycle to New Orleans to raise money for charity.
Lewis began his day at midnight on July 4 after only receiving four hours of sleep. After Lewis and his crew assembled at a local gas station in Columbia to get a few items needed and pray, Lewis began his journey a little after 1 a.m.
He said it takes him about 10 miles to settle into the ride. He realized about six miles just before Angie, La., he had left his cellphone at home, which really bothered him because he said his phone is an important piece of his equipment for the journey.
Meeting with the crew in Angie, La., his crew went back to his home in the Lampton community to recover his phone while he kept riding along so he wouldn’t lose any time.
Lewis stopped in Pearl River, La., for breakfast at the local Waffle House and then continued to Slidell, La. Prepping for the trip he realized he would have to take an alternative route because some of the bridges were closed.
It took 10-and-a half hours, but Lewis finally made it to New Orleans after making it to the Highway 90 bridge. Lewis said it was his best time yet.
Once he completed the trip, he loaded his bike and headed to Gulfport to celebrate with friends and family and to enjoy the fireworks.
Lewis does a bike trip every year and collects money for charity. This year more than $6,000 was raised. The money will be distributed to the schools for the blind and deaf children and also to Blair Baston’s Children Hospital in August.
Lewis would like to thank everyone in Columbia for their generosity, including his co-workers at Walmart. He also wanted to thank a couple who prefers to be nameless for the use of their truck for the ride and a special thank you to his store manager, Mike Lowery, for all of the support.
Pictured Above: Randall Lewis raised more than $6,000 with a nearly 11 hour bike ride to New Orleans. | Photo Submitted
