Long-distance cyclist makes Libby stop

Rain falls on a campsite at 8 a.m. on a recent Wednesday near Ponderay, Idaho. The weather is not warm, the roads haven’t been dry since Monday. Luke Wiltse, 17, folds his tent up like a property deed and pedals off and into the splashing rain on his 20-speed Salsa Fargo bicycle.

Eleven hours, 82 miles later, Wiltse quietly coasts into the Woodland RV Park in Libby, after crossing his second state border in two days.

Wiltse’s summer vacation is unlike that of his friends in Oscoda, Mich.

“All of my friends are at the beach,” Wiltse said. “But they send me a lot of support through messages.”

This trip began in Anacortes, Wash., and will end in his hometown of Oscoda, a 2,950-mile tour and Wiltse’s longest to date. Wiltse is traveling alone, without a support team with him on the road. 

When he began the planning for this event, Wiltse saw the opportunity to broadcast an underlying message with his trials ahead.

“I thought of the Wounded Warrior Project when I was thinking of someone,” Wiltse said. “A seriously wounded veteran, my uncle Darren. He is my motivation for this tour.”

Wiltse’s uncle is a veteran of the Vietnam War, where he was injured by grenade fragments that punctured 24 holes into his back, spine and lungs. Wiltse hopes to raise $20,000 for the Wounded Warriors Project through his “Patriotic Peddling Tour 2013.”

A clever play on words, Wiltse’s mother explained the idea as something to catch people’s eye in the direction of the cause.

“More like he’s a peddler, trying to raise funds,” said Debbie Wiltse during a phone interview. “We live in a small community, but people have been very, very, generous.

Wiltse’s cross-country bicycle tour began only 10 days ago, but he began cycling tours with his father when he was nine. His first solo tour was at 15, a 1,000-mile tour. This must have seemed like a casual jaunt for Wiltse, as he crushed the number the next year with a 2,200-mile tour around Lake Superior.

Wiltse promotes his cause through a website, Facebook, business cards, wristbands and generally meeting people along his trip. Several civic, military, religious and political organizations have endorsed Wiltse as he rides for an identity bigger than himself.

“He’s doing this alone, and that’s amazing,” said Debbie Wiltse. “He obviously has complete dedication.”

His Facebook page called, “Patriotic Peddling Tour 2013” has seen its own storm in the form of comments and likes, raining in support from around the country. Veterans, family and friends post encouragement and appreciation, enjoying a view of the countryside from his day-to-day.

Wiltse has made coverage on the Web, in local newspapers and broadcast channels across the northern tier of the U.S. His tour will momentarily extend into Alberta, Canada.

Wiltse said he has always known he would ride a tour cross-country, just like his father in 1988. Before Wiltse began riding alone, he cycled with his father on distances reaching anywhere from 300 to 1,000 miles. While on his tour around Lake Superior, his bag containing clothes and equipment became a surprise meal for a black bear that found Wiltse uninteresting.

“It’s a commitment thing,” Wiltse said. Hard work has accompanied Wiltse for the longer part of a decade. He has been employed since 10 at his parents restaurant as a host and busboy, later growing into a position at his father’s brewery adjoining the restaurant.

“I’m proud of him,” Wiltse said, “but I’m a mother first, and I’m scared to death.

“I told him, ‘Luke, if anyone can do it, you can.’”

More information can be found on his Facebook page or at his website www.patrioticpeddlingtour.com.