It's about the journey

MSU employee bikes from Denver to Lansing; raises money for local food banks

When Scott Foreman mentioned biking across the country to his wife about a year ago, the MSU information technologist’s spouse rolled her eyes in disbelief.

The then-overweight and out of shape Foreman didn’t know if he had what it took to reclaim his body.

“Three years ago, I would have thought there was no way would I have done this,” he said. “I was exhausted by the time I got out of work. I would go home (and) watch ‘Wheel of Fortune.’”

Using cycling to shed weight and build muscle mass, Foreman biked 1,320 miles in less than two weeks this past June, venturing from Denver to Lansing.

“He talked about it nine to 12 months beforehand,” Janet Foreman, Scott’s wife, said. “He gets excited about stuff and I’m always saying, ‘I don’t want to pop your balloon, but do you have any clue what you’re getting yourself into?’ I sort of give Scott the reality check.”

Janet Foreman’s reality check would prove fruitless as Scott changed his diet and biked year-round in preparation for his challenge.

“I put thousands of miles on just training,” Scott Foreman said. “I actually averaged about 200 miles a month.”

Throughout his 12-day journey across the U.S., Scott Foreman experienced setbacks because of tornado warnings and high heat indexes. But despite these hurdles, thoughts of quitting never crossed his mind.

“I never thought of giving up because I was tired,” Scott Foreman said. “I would have only given up if my bike was failing.”

Upon arriving home, Scott Foreman was greeted by 30 friends and family members at a welcome home party.

“I felt great when I rode into my driveway,” Scott Foreman said. “There was a ribbon in my driveway like a finish line. As I went through it, I thought, ‘I can’t believe I did this.’”

In addition to making the journey, Scott Foreman used his cause to raise money for the MSU Food Bank and the Greater Lansing Food Bank.

In order to collect donations, Scott Foreman started talking about his idea with family and friends. The cause soon spread by word of mouth and he was able to raise almost $4,400 for the food banks. He gave the MSU Food Bank $1,900 and the Greater Lansing Food Bank $2,500.

Terry Link, executive director of the Greater Lansing Food Bank, said all donations are appreciated.

“I think it’s fantastic he did the ride. It’s an incredible thing to tackle and to get money was wonderful,” Link said.

“We appreciate the generosity of folks like this who step up and do something fairly dramatic and help.”

Janet Foreman said she was impressed with her husband donating money to the food banks because it hadn’t been a part of the original plan.

“It came out of the blue and he didn’t talk about it that much. He just kind of did it,” she said. “For thinking of someone else besides himself, I’m more proud of that than the ride. He just asked for money and it had nothing to do with anyone else.”

Even though his ride from Denver to Lansing is in the past, Scott Foreman continues to demonstrate his newly found love of biking by teaching a group cycling class in IM Sports-West.

Though first skeptical about her husband’s venture, Janet Foreman said her husband’s passion is here to stay.

“He’s totally into biking now,” she said.

“Some things that he’s done have come and gone. I thought it was a passing fad, but he’s big into riding. He’ll always enjoy riding.”