Cycling is an avid sport for David Mackovjak and his identical 16-year old twin sons, John and James of Silverdale.
They’ve ridden in the legendary Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic twice, as well as the “Chilly Hilly,” a 33-mile annual February ride around Bainbridge Island.
But now they hope to make a difference and raise funds for two important causes by setting their sights on a cross country bike trek called “Riding for Hope Coast to Coast, 2009 Bike Ride Across America.” They will be setting out from Silverdale and ultimately ending up in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Mackovjak, 46, is a retired Navy commander and submariner and now a site technical representative for Sandia National Laboratories at the Strategic Weapons Facility, Pacific at Bangor. Both sons are juniors at Central Kitsap High School with 4.0 GPA’s, involved in sports and both Eagle Scouts.
Two years ago, father and sons were participating in a 250-mile Boy Scout bike trip in the San Juan Islands when the boys brought up the idea of making a cross country bike ride. After a years worth of research and planning, they came up with a game plan according Mackovjak.

“As a retired submarine officer of over 21 years, I can appreciate first hand the sacrifices made by the men and women of today’s military. Family separations, missed birthdays, births and holidays. With the Gulf War and the War on Terrorism, military families have endured even more hardships. Our cycling team wanted to help these men and women by raising awareness of the Wounded Warrior Project,” said Mackovjak. “Additionally, we wanted to sponsor a local charity so we chose the Boys and Girls Club of South Puget Sound-West Sound.”

The Wounded Warrior Project has special meaning to Mackovjak who has friends who returned from duty in Afghanistan and Iraq who were severely injured. One in particular, lost his leg.
“This is a great way to bring to light the challenges members of the armed forces who have been wounded face after coming back home. It’s about getting them back into regular life,” Mackovjak said. 
The team will travel through 10 states for 38 days on the 3,900 mile journey. Their route will take them through small cities across America, trying to keep the trek as level as possible. At one point though, they will ascent to more than 11,500 feet through the Rocky Mountains at Hoosier Pass.

And while all three are avid cycling enthusiasts, they have sought out guidance from fellow riders who have made cross-country journeys, and have spent months reading and researching the various nutrition, health, and road safety aspects of such a trip. In regards to the nutrition angle of the trip, Mackovjak raced bikes and participated in triathlons in college, but he was taken back by the fact that nutritional experts said he and his sons will burn, on average, around 6000 calories a day each.
“How do you eat that much food while cycling?”

The Mackovjak’s will have a family friend, Skip Junis driving a support vehicle throughout the journey carrying supplies, including bike parts and tires. All three riders have taken their training seriously with morning and weekend rides and are proficient in bicycle maintenance through repair classes, especially since adjusting a derailleur, changing a spoke, or truing a wheel will be necessary skills alongside the often rural roads of America. 

The team does plan to stay in hotels at night along the way, ensuring a good night’s sleep, and will take a total of five days off here and there to take in the sights and also check out a number of selected colleges that sons John and James are considering after graduating from high school. Mackovjak admits that with his two sons entering their senior year and then college, now was the time to make the coast to coast trip.
“This is kind of our last hurrah and summer together,” said Mackovjak. 

During their journey they will be stopping off at local Boys & Girls Clubs to talk to youths about staying healthy and physically fit. They also plan to stop at various military installations to raise awareness about the Wounded Warrior Project. Their fundraising goal is $5,000.
Visit Riding4Hope.org to donate, or to track their progress on their coast to coast journey across America.