Grad trades tassel for tires in cross-country bike ride

Most of his peers will be walking at the June 14 commencement ceremonies, but George Hewett plans to be far away, riding his bike through the American countryside.

Instead of attending his own graduation, the fifth-year anthropology student will be in the midst of a two-month, cross-country bicycle trip raising money for five different charities.

“This ride is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, while walking at graduation is a three-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Hewett said. “After this summer, I will probably never be able to put aside two months for something like this, so it was something I just couldn’t miss out on.”

Hewett’s cross-country ride was organized by OnePulse, a recently founded nonprofit organization that raises money for charity through biking events. Each rider in the event raises funds through individual or sponsor donations that will be split up among five charities, including Partners in Health and the Fuller Center for Housing.

At stops along the bike route, Hewett and the other riders will volunteer with various local charities and businesses during their spare time.

Riders will be staying with different families and at churches and other pre-arranged lodgings throughout the trip. Hewett said the riders will also be sleeping in a trampoline park for a night, which he thinks may make sleeping difficult because there will be many opportunities to have fun.

On June 12, Hewett and about 10 other bike riders from around the country will start their cross-country bike ride from San Francisco. About two months later, they will reach their final destination in Washington, D.C.

The route will take Hewett and the other riders through Nevada, and later through South Dakota and Illinois. In the final segment of the ride, Hewett will bike from Ohio to Washington, D.C., in the heat and humidity of the East Coast summer.

Hewett said he thinks the most physically difficult part of the trip will come near the beginning, when the riders will cross the Rocky Mountains.

“We are going to be climbing some gnarly hills in the Rockies,” Hewett said.

Despite taking on the cross-country challenge, Hewett said he does not consider himself a true cyclist.

After growing tired of walking to and from classes last year, Hewett decided to buy a bike from a local shop. For him, biking was an easier way to travel, not a lifelong passion.

In April, a OnePulse flier on a UCLA bike rack caught Hewett’s attention. After he repeatedly saw fliers for the event around campus, Hewett’s thoughts of participating became increasingly serious.

“My gut told me to do it, and it just felt right,” Hewett said.

After considering going on the ride for a few weeks, Hewett said he told his family and friends, who were mostly accepting of the idea. Some relatives were initially surprised, but his mother and sister quickly came around to support his decision, he added.

Tania Hewett, Hewett’s sister, said she supports her brother going on the bike ride because she thinks the trip could be a highlight in her brother’s life.

“Graduation is just one day, and he’ll get his diploma anyway,” she said. “But this ride is two months that he’ll tell his kids about and talk about for the rest of his life.”

Tania Hewett said she thinks her brother grew more adventurous in recent years and has always been an athlete who is driven and confident in his abilities.

“Knowing George and his confidence, it doesn’t really surprise me that he has barely trained for this thing,” she said.

Although Hewett admitted he has only been lightly training for the event on his bike and in the gym, he said his preparation is more mental than physical.

“I’m not really a cyclist, so it’s going to be mentally challenging to know that I’m going to be on a bike every single day for two months,” Hewett said. “I like to tell myself I’m ready, but I just don’t know yet.”

Some of Hewett’s friends said they were not surprised by his decision to take on a physical and mental task of this size.

“This is a very ‘George’ thing to do,” said Darya Dehnad, Hewett’s friend and a fourth-year art history student. Dehnad added that she thinks Hewett was attracted to this ride because he got an adrenaline rush from the spontaneity and challenge of it.

Longtime friend Andy Rubel described Hewett as a doer and someone who fully immerses himself in anything he tries.

“I’ve seen him progress so much over the years, so it’s really cool to see him throw himself into something that he really wants to do,” Rubel said.

Hewett said he has been raising money for the trip through OnePulse since April and will continue to fundraise through the duration of the ride.

He hopes that working with OnePulse during the trip will also give him experience in the nonprofit sector, in which he hopes to get more involved with in the future.

Though this cross-country trip is his first major bike ride, Hewett said he may have bigger plans in the works.

“I’ve had thoughts of doing a crazy South American bike trip, so this could be a little bit of preparation,” Hewett said with a laugh.