Injured Veterans to Cycle Over 400 Miles from Atlanta to New Orleans

More than 200 injured veterans and their supporters will set off from Atlanta Sunday, March 6, for the UnitedHealthcare Ride 2 Recovery 2016 Gulf Coast Challenge, a six-day, rehabilitative ride that ends in New Orleans Friday, March 11. Riders will travel over 400 miles through Columbus, Ga.; Montgomery, Selma and Mobile, Ala.; and Gulfport, Miss., before ending in New Orleans.

Ride 2 Recovery supports physical and psychological rehabilitation programs for injured veterans. 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 upright bikes.

The riders share many common bonds as veterans, and some say the level of catharsis offered by Ride 2 Recovery is unparalleled. “The UnitedHealthcare Ride 2 Recovery Challenge Series is all about restoring hope and purpose by providing mental and physical challenges that help veterans get their life back,” said John Wordin, president and founder, Ride 2 Recovery. “There are veterans who come to these rides not just to help themselves, but to help each other.

This program is unique because the vets set goals for themselves, and we combine hard work with the reward of completing their goal while pushing them past what they thought they could accomplish. For these men and women, the addition of cycling to their physical and mental rehabilitation becomes life-changing.”

To see daily stops and events along the route or to sign up for the UnitedHealthcare Ride 2 Recovery 2016 Gulf Coast Challenge, visit https://www.ride2recovery.com/event.php?ID=875. The public is encouraged to gather along the daily routes or at the hotels to support the cyclists.

This is the seventh year that UnitedHealthcare will serve as the Ride 2 Recovery Challenge Series presenting sponsor, providing financial, in-kind and volunteer support to assist in the rehabilitation of America’s injured UnitedHealthcare Ride 2 Recovery 2016 Gulf Coast ChallengeTuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Alabama.

UnitedHealthcare is the presenting sponsor of six Ride 2 Recovery multiday cycling challenges this

year across the United States.“We are honored to support this important health program for the men and women who have proudly served our country,” said Joseph Ochipinti, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Gulf States Region. “Programs such as the UnitedHealthcare Ride 2 Recovery Gulf Coast Challenge help provide exercise and rehabilitation services that are critically important to helping injured veterans enjoy a return to the health and well-being they richly deserve. We look forward to riding beside them and embarking on this challenge.”

The UnitedHealthcare Ride 2 Recovery Challenge Series is one of many ways UnitedHealth Group supports veterans and their families. UnitedHealth Group is part 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. UnitedHealth Group partners with a variety of organizations to help place military and veterancandidates such as the Military Spouse Employment Partnership, RecruitMilitary and the Wounded Warrior Project.