By Vanessa Lenz
SLN Staff
Lon Haldeman has completed more than 75 cross-country bike rides.
He’s not only pedaled as fast as he could from coast to coast, but also biked leisurely down Southeastern Wisconsin’s serene, sparsely traveled roads.
This month, he is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the day he became the first person to bike across the United States in less than 10 days in 1982. He went on to set five more transcontinental records.
Despite his astounding achievements on two wheels, it was a recent week spent cycling familiar territory that Haldeman called a career highlight.
The Sharon resident and a group of volunteers led seven kids from the Wisconsin Alliance for Fire Safety’s annual Summer Camp for Burn Injured Youth on a 250-mile, five-day tour across the state.
Their journey started at the Mississippi River and ended at Camp Timber-lee in East Troy just in time for the first day of camp, which ran Aug. 11-15.
“For most of the kids, it was their first time riding a bike outside their neighborhood. Every day you could see their confidence grow as they rode further and faster.” Haldeman said.
Haldeman said it was important for the children, many who have already had to deal with extensive surgery, skin grafts and therapy due to burn injuries, to overcome a challenge that many of their peers haven’t even set their sights on.
He said the kids’ attitudes changed dramatically from the first day of the trip to the last.
“Our first day was a moderate 28 miles on the bike trail that was the longest ride of their lives. The kids approached the day with a mixture of awe and apprehension,” Haldeman said.
For the next three days, the group continued to ride distances of 48, 59 and 60 miles.
“Before they started their final day, they had grown as cyclists and adventurers,” Haldeman said.
He said he could really see how far the kids had come during the last stretch, which the young cyclists described as “only 36 miles.”
“Thirty-six miles ended up being a rest day for them. At that age, physically they get into shape pretty fast,” he explained.
The trip was familiar territory for Haldeman, who passed the time as a 12-year-old boy in Harvard, Ill. riding his bike to neighboring towns to get ice cream, and never stopped on his cycling adventures.
He has taken countless groups on long-distance biking tours through his company PAC Tours.
Haldeman got connected with the burn camp after his house burned to the ground in 2009. He said the business, that handled the renovation work at his house, Paul Davis Restoration, is a big camp sponsor and the company’s employees encouraged him to lend his cycling talents at camp.
Last year, Haldeman took groups of 20 kids on a several mile bike ride as part of a special camp activity. After an encouraged pack of cyclists completed a longer trek to Palmyra, Haldeman was inspired to take some of them on a ride across the dairy state.
“It was really neat to be with the kids,” he said of the experience.
Haldeman said the ride helped the children in developing self-esteem while having fun and making friends.
“They all have a story to tell. Many came from broken homes,” Haldeman said.
He said one of the riders was badly burned while in an orphanage in China. She was adopted when she was 5 years old and moved to the United States, but was then passed around through various foster homes.
“Today, she’s living full-time with a family, is an honor student at her high school and is a really great kid with a great attitude,” Haldeman said.
He said the kids and their accompanying counselors were all happy to be involved with the bike ride.
“They were already asking if we would do the bike tour again next year,” he said.
Haldeman said he plans to continue the ride and hopes to offer additional sponsorship opportunities to allow more children to participate.
A safe haven
For the past 18 years, a week spent at summer camp in East Troy has been giving young burn survivors a place for fellowship and healing.
This year’s Summer Camp for Burn Injured Youth offered more than 70 children, who have endured significant burn injuries, the chance to enjoy activities such as swimming, mountain biking, fishing, horseback riding and arts and crafts.
The Wisconsin Alliance for Fire Safety provides the camp free to burn-injured children.
Retired Milwaukee firefighter Dan Gengler started the program in 1991 while serving the Milwaukee Fire Department.
Annually, nearly 4,000 people die in home fires in the United States, according to WAFS. More than 18,000 are injured as a result of fires or accidental burns.
Most of these deaths involve children and elderly adults.
For more information, visit www.wafs.org.
