On the record ... with Alex Denig

SYCAMORE – Alex Denig has some lofty plans for this summer.

Starting July 2, the Sycamore woman plans to ride her bike from San Francisco to Bar Harbor, Maine, to raise money for Camp To Belong. As though the 38-day trek was not enough of a feat in itself, she plans to do it solo.

The youngest of three children, Denig, 22, first became aware of Camp To Belong in high school.

According to publicist Shanna Wolfe, Camp To Belong is an international organization that reunites siblings who have been separated into foster homes at a week-long summer camp.

Besides holding a fundraiser for Camp To Belong in high school, Denig also spent a year in Denmark in 2006-07 as part of a Rotary Youth Exchange Program, which increased her awareness of the difficulties faced by foster kids.

"The year I spent abroad taught me what it was like to have to live with only an occasional email from my siblings," she said. "I was lost without them, and that was when I began to think of a new way to help Camp To Belong."

Denig, who has also visited India and Chile, is hoping to raise $20,000 for the camp, as well as awareness for the need to build a camp in every state. Right now, there are camps in only eight states.

Denig talked about her upcoming trip with MidWeek reporter Doug Oleson.

MidWeek: To make such a long ride, I assume you must be a cycling enthusiast.
Alex Denig: Yeah, in high school this used to be my only way to get around, like to school or to my friends. And then one day my brother and I decided to take it a step further. I was 11 and he was 13, and we just decided to ride to St. Charles. So we rode to St. Charles and back. By the time we got back, we were pretty tired, but we did it.

MW: Do you ride a lot?
AD: Now I do because I live here in Sycamore and I work at Gexpro in Naperville, so I bike to and from work. But not every day.

MW: How far is that?
AD: Round trip, 74 miles.

MW: How long does that take?
AD: It usually takes me two hours to get there and about two hours and 15 minutes to get back, because of traffic.

MW: Do you ride around town a lot?
AD: Not so much anymore. I used to, but now I just pretty much focus on the longer rides.

MW: Have you been riding a lot to get ready for this?
AD: I stopped for about two months because we had that really warm winter and then it got cold for two months, and I stopped riding then because I decided I didn't want to wear myself out. Now I've just started up again. Memorial Day I started with a 25-miler with 20 pounds in my trailer. Last weekend I did 80 and tomorrow I'll do 120 miles.
 
I want to get up to where I'm doing 180 pretty easily.

MW: How many miles can you go in an hour?
AD: I usually try to go 20 miles in an hour. And as I progress, it gets slower as I stop to eat and drink.

MW: So how did this whole thing come about?
AD: I first heard of Camp To Belong in high school. I raised about $1,000 for them. I went home and told my brother (Daniel) I wanted to do this, but I was having trouble finding motivation. He made me a bet that I couldn't raise $1,000 and I reached the goal. That was pretty cool.

A few years ago, I was watching TV and there was a music video on and they were all riding bicycles and all of a sudden it was like, "I like to travel. How cool would it be to travel across the country on a bicycle?" Originally, my brother was going to go, and that made me think of Camp To Belong.

So I got in touch with Andi Andree at (Sycamore) high school. Her sister is Lynn Price, the founder of Camp to Belong, and Andi got me in touch with her. From there, I met Lynn and she put me in touch with some of the directors.

MW: Why did this particular group hit you so hard?
AD: I think it hits me so hard because I'm so close to my siblings. My sister and I are nine years apart. I guess when I was growing up, I used to call her Mom – that kind of made my mom mad. I was 7 or 8 when my sister moved out of the house and I remember that. I mean she stayed in Sycamore, but it went from her being there every single day, always watching us, to seeing her sporadically. My brother and I, we really missed her when she moved out.

Some of these kids, they get four hours a month together when they are separated. That's like two days out of the whole year. So when they go to this camp they are getting more time at that camp than the whole year.

MW: Not every state has one of these camps, is that right?
AD: There are eight of them total. Illinois isn't one of them.

MW: Do you have a goal?
AD: I'm trying to go for $20,000. It's proving to be pretty difficult. The last time I raised money for them, our economy was in a little bit better standing. Maybe I overshot a little this time, but I'm still going to try.

MW: Where will the money go?
AD: I talked to them about this. It's going to go wherever I want it to go. I've been giving it thought. I kind of want to go to the camps to decide which things I think they could use it for. They do sibling birthdays, because normally they miss each other's birthdays, so they give each other a present. They do life skills seminars. They also do arts and crafts, things like that.

MW: Will it go to a specific camp?
AD: It can go to all of them.

MW: So you're doing this ride solo?
AD: Yes. I am keeping my brother and sister at home and they are going to be my backup. I'll be in touch with them every day so they'll know where I'm at. I'm also going to leave some food and stuff behind so they'll be able to mail it to me so I don't have to carry all of the weight. ...I can lift my bike with one finger. It doesn't get any lighter than that.

MW: No one's going to follow you?
AD: No. It's going to be unsupported. The cool part is that because of the camps, they've got people all over the country hooking me up with people, and I've got friends, so I think I'm going to shoot for once a week staying with somebody that is already prearranged.

And I'm staying with Andi's niece for the first two nights in San Francisco. Up in Washington, I'll be staying with the camp's director. We are trying to piece it out where I'm going to stay.

MW: Is your trip mapped out?
AD: The maps I have are specifically designed for bicyclists. ...If you're a member of their website, then you can post your ride and say, I want someone to come with me. I'm not going for membership, but I see people all the time: "My trip was a solo trip and I met up with someone who rode with me from here to here a thousand miles and I was on my own for 200."

MW: So it's possible someone could ride with you?
AD: Oh, it's very possible. ...Once I get closer to Illinois, my brother might come out and bike with me for awhile.

MW: Are you going to ride through this area?
AD: I'm going to be a little south towards Interstate 80 and pass just underneath it.

MW: Are you going to take main routes or side roads?
AD: They all have to be approved by the state. I'll travel up Highway 1 in California. It's the scenic path. Some of them are bike paths, Some of the areas are just alongside of the road.

MW: How many  miles do you plan to go a day?
AD: It varies, from 72 to 194. I figure I'll be  coming through the Rockies, so the flat lands will be a piece of cake.

MW:  If someone wants to donate, how do they do it?
AD: To contribute, go to www.camptobelong.org. and I will be credited with it. I am not accepting money to fund my trip. I am paying for it out of my pocket. So all the money I raise is going to the camp. If people donate $10 or more they get a bracelet and they also get a thank you letter from the camp, which serves as a tax receipt.