“God gives me the strength. When God gives you the strength, you have no challenges,” said 9-year-old cross-country cyclist, CJ Burford, 2,300 miles into the Southern Tier Bicycle Route. The loveFAR website, CJ’s nonprofit organization, says he rode over 1,000 miles to raise $17,000 for charities; this single ride more than doubles his combined mileage to date.
CJ is riding for National Children’s Cancer Society, (NCCS), and so far has collected $15,970 according to the loveFAR website. He started September 1 in Oceanside, CA headed to St. Augustine, FL.
CJ said God told him to ride his bike for a reason after listening to Steven Curtis Chapman’s song “Whatever You Do” and reading Colossians 3:23. The verse says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,” NIV.
Monday, CJ, along with his family travelling with him, stopped at a fast food restaurant in Gulf Breeze. His mother and father, Katie and Craig, and his siblings, 19-year-old Kenadi, 6-year-old Corban, 4-year-old Caleb, and 2-year-old Caedmon follow in a 40-foot motor coach. Katie said someone is always riding with CJ, whether herself, Craig, or Kenadi.
With a two-year-old on board, Katie said they’ve had to work on potty-training on the bus. The younger children, she said, color, watch videos, play ball, and work on school assignments. While the family’s experienced challenges while on the road, she said CJ has had no notable troubles on the road. Katie said a group of local cyclists who joined CJ for a brief part of his ride were amazed. “He’s a strong rider,” she said. He’s fastidious, too. Katie said he makes sure to start from exactly where he stopped after every break.
While this is far and away CJ’s longest ride to date, Katie said he previously had a 12-day ride from the Tennessee state line. See table for previous rides. Visit lovefar.org to donate to the NCCS or text CJUSA to 71777. Follow CJ’s last 400 miles with his daily blog at ridesfar.blogspot.com.
CJ BURFORD CYCLING HISTORY
Ride across North Carolina
· 8 years old
· May 2013
· Elk Park, TN to Emerald Isle, NC
· 12 days
· 437 miles
· $9,500 for Samaritan’s Purse's Children’s Heart Project.
Ride down the North Carolina Coast
· 7 years old
· March 2012
· Ports of Call Route
· 9 days
· 315 miles
· Raised money for Samaritan’s Purse “Turn on the Tap” Water Project
Ride for Ronald
· 6 years old
· November 2011
· Winston Salem, NC to Charlotte, NC
· 2 days
· 85 miles
· Raised money for the Ronald McDonald Houses of both cities
Ride across Forsyth County, NC
· 6 years old
· August 2011
· Across home county of Forsyth
· 4 hours
· 32 miles
· Raised nearly $5,000 to build a medical clinic in Dandora, Kenya
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Nine-year-old cyclist rides across country