Upstate grad determined to complete 8,141-mile bike trek
Upstate Medical University grad David Cywinski MD, right, with childhood pals, Tony Glosek and Dan Alexander MD in Times Square Wednesday. Photo courtesy of Stefan Mychajliw.
Be on the lookout for Upstate Medical University grad David Cywinski, MD pedaling along Routes 5 & 20 south of Syracuse Saturday in the home stretch of a bicycle trip 8,141 miles and 25 years in the making.Cywinski and two childhood friends set out to bicycle the perimeter of the United States, raising money to build a new community center in their old neighborhood of Babcock, a suburb of Buffalo. They expect to be in Cazenovia Saturday, then heading west on Routes 5 and 20 toward Buffalo. They expect to arrive Monday in Buffalo.
Their trip was cut short in 1986 in Seguin, Texas, outside of San Antonio, when Cywinski and Tony Glosek were hit from behind by a driver who dozed off behind the wheel of a pickup truck hauling a horse trailer. Cywinski broke one leg; Glosek broke two and his jaw. Dan Alexander, MD, was not injured and went on to complete the trip.
Cywinski was a paramedic and firefighter who lived in the Syracuse area from 1989 to 2000. He went to medical school at Upstate in 1996. Now he and Alexander are partners at Finger Lakes Bone and Joint Center in Geneva.
They decided to complete their bike trip this summer, covering 2,500 miles from Seguin, Texas to Buffalo in 25 days. Friends and supporters are following along on Facebook. On Tuesday, they were en route to Philadelphia after an overnight in Baltimore. By Wednesday evening, they were in Times Square in New York City. They plan to arrive in Buffalo Aug. 22, Cywinski told The Post-Standard.
Now the trio is raising money for the Seneca Babcock Community Center and the Boys and Girls Club of Geneva.
“We played sports there, we played games there. We learned a lot of things about life at the Boys Club, not to mention skills, hands-on skills but also life skills. Without the Boys Club I certainly wouldn't be a physician today.” Cywinski, 47, told the San Antonio Express-News.
http://youtu.be/nX8HYjL8Gl0
Follow their progress on Facebook
Learn about BikeTripforKids.com
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