Ride 2 Recovery comes through Brazos Valley supporting veterans

Veterans and volunteers are biking across the Brazos Valley today as part of "Ride 2 Recovery" for injured vets.

A little lite rain and gray skies couldn't keep bicyclists and their supporters off the streets of Navasota Monday.

City Hall employees like Rachel Stack came out to cheer on dozens of cyclists with Ride 2 Recovery.

"We wanted to make them feel welcome and to give them thanks for what they do," said Stack.

"They have a lot of heart and it just makes you more appreciative of what our armed services do," said Brad Stafford, Navasota City Manager.

The bicyclists took a quick rest stop at the Museum of the American G.I. as they headed from Houston to College Station.

Jonathan Dade served six years in the Navy.

'You can get around people who can support you and you can go from depression, or you know things I was dealing with, to just a leader in society. I mean now I'm pastor at a church," said Dade, who retired as a Lt. Junior Grade.

"In all, there are 130 riders. Their six-day ride will take them 490 miles from Houston to Fort Worth.

Robert Gray offers his support to the men and women in the group. The retired firefighter was one of the first responders at the Pentagon on September 11th. He suffered a traumatic brain injury after an accident years later.

"After my TBI occurred I had a very hard time storing those memories in the right place. When they came back it took me back to a very difficult place," said Gray, a retired Battalion Chief with the Arlington County, Virginia Fire Department.

"You can do anything. You just have to say I'm going to crawl from that and go do something more," said Dade.

Ride2Recovery began in 2008.

If you'd like to help with their cause or track the team's route, we have that information in the related links section of this story.