Lansing — Family and friends waved signs and shouted outside the Capitol as the 21 cyclists from the Journey of Hope ride arrived on their bikes Sunday.
The 19th annual ride — which travels from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., — is a part of Push America, a nonprofit organization of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, dedicated to serving people with disabilities through raising awareness and funding, according to the organization's Web site.
Soaking wet from the continuous downpour, supporters and riders crowded into a small corridor at the entrance of the Capitol to listen to a letter from Gov. Jennifer Granholm thanking the cyclists for their work in raising money and awareness for people with disabilities.
Brent Beckman, a 2006 MSU graduate, joined fraternity brothers from across the nation to complete more than 4,000 miles in 63 days. He is one of two Michigan residents participating in the journey.
"Ever since joining Pi Kappa Phi, I've always wanted to do one of the big events Push America puts on," Beckman said. "You have to be motivated to do this."
Each cyclist is required to raise a minimum of $500 before the ride begins, said Justin Humphrey, the spokesman for the journey.
The cyclists average 80 miles a day and spend their evenings doing what is called friendship visits, during which they go to a center for people with disabilities and host a barbecue or dance, Humphrey said.
After each visit, they present the center with a grant of a portion of the money raised, he said. Their next stop will be the Eisenhower Center, a rehabilitation facility for people with brain injury, in Ann Arbor.
Beckman said he has met people through the friendship visits whom he now converses with via e-mail.
"I've met a lot of cool people," he said. "It really shows their abilities (by) not focusing on their disabilities."
Ben Luster, an East Lansing resident and University of Michigan sophomore, said he went into the journey with high expectations after talking to fraternity brothers who have been on the ride.
"(It's been) the time of my life — hands down — time of my life," Luster said. "Some days get a little long when you get up around 90 miles on the bike ? but you get to those friendship visits and it picks you right up."
Anna Grummon, Luster's girlfriend, said she has missed him these past two months but is proud of what he is accomplishing.
"My biggest feeling is I'm really proud of him. ? He's taking on something he's never done before," she said.
The group that gathered to meet the riders was the largest they'd had thus far, Humphrey said.
Fellow members of Pi Kappa Phi also stood in the rain to cheer the participants on. Because the riders can be contacted by phone and e-mail, they have stayed in touch, said Bill Kozlowski, an applied engineering junior.
"You go out and try to support him as much as you can," Kozlowski said of Beckman.
After the greeting at the Capitol, the riders set out for Impression 5 Science Center, 200 Museum Drive, where they performed a puppet show as a part of raising disability awareness.
