Former President George W. Bush leads a pack of wounded veterans through a bike trail on his sprawling 1,600-acre Crawford, Texas, ranch. The fourth annual W100K ride kicked off May 1.
Biking with Bush: Riding for and with veterans —
Former President George W. Bush leads a pack of wounded veterans through a bike trail on his sprawling 1,600-acre Crawford, Texas, ranch. The fourth annual W100K ride kicked off May 1.
Eric Marrapodi/CNN
CNN's Jake Tapper looks on as Bush speaks to veterans and onlookers before the race begins. Bush pushed off for the first leg of the journey with 16 veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Biking with Bush: Riding for and with veterans —
CNN's Jake Tapper looks on as Bush speaks to veterans and onlookers before the race begins. Bush pushed off for the first leg of the journey with 16 veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bush says the 100-kilometer ride "is not a macho contest, this is a celebration honoring people who fought for their country."
Biking with Bush: Riding for and with veterans —
Bush says the 100-kilometer ride "is not a macho contest, this is a celebration honoring people who fought for their country."
Don't be fooled by the smooth start, the W100K ride is a rugged, 100-kilometer mountain bike ride that cuts through Texas hill country. The 3-day ride was designed to keep a fitness freak on their toes.
Biking with Bush: Riding for and with veterans —
Don't be fooled by the smooth start, the W100K ride is a rugged, 100-kilometer mountain bike ride that cuts through Texas hill country. The 3-day ride was designed to keep a fitness freak on their toes.
Some of the scars are visible and some are not -- several veterans on the ride suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. But Bush insists on dropping the "D." "It's an injury, and that's really important ... to eliminate stigma," he says.
Biking with Bush: Riding for and with veterans —
Some of the scars are visible and some are not -- several veterans on the ride suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. But Bush insists on dropping the "D." "It's an injury, and that's really important ... to eliminate stigma," he says.
CNN's Jake Tapper actually broke his bike on the rugged terrain.
Biking with Bush: Riding for and with veterans —
CNN's Jake Tapper actually broke his bike on the rugged terrain.
This is the second W100K for 1st Lt. Melissa Stockwell, a retired Army cavalry officer. Stockwell lost her left leg when an improvised explosive device hit the Humvee she was riding in during a deployment to Iraq. She is the first woman to lose a limb in active combat in Operation Iraqi Freedom. She wears a hip-down prosthetic leg.<br />
Biking with Bush: Riding for and with veterans —
This is the second W100K for 1st Lt. Melissa Stockwell, a retired Army cavalry officer. Stockwell lost her left leg when an improvised explosive device hit the Humvee she was riding in during a deployment to Iraq. She is the first woman to lose a limb in active combat in Operation Iraqi Freedom. She wears a hip-down prosthetic leg.