TOUR ORGANIZER: BOB YARDY

Meet Our Team Members

Bob Yardy
Mahomet, Illinois, USA

This the instigator of this crazy dream to ride 2,000 miles thru India in 6 weeks in order to raise awareness and funds to rebuild Umri Christian Hospital.

BORN IN INDIA. Bob Yardy lives in Mahomet, Illinois, USA. He works as a physical therapist at a university hospital in Champaign, Illinois. But a little over half a century ago he was born in India, at Umri Christian Hospital. His father, Dr. Paul Yardy, was the founding physician of UCH. Bob lived in Umri in the Yavatmal Disrict of Mahrashtra, India, until he was in middle school, when he moved to America.

FIFTY YEARS LATER. When Bob returned to UCH five years ago for the hospital's 50th anniversary, he was struck both by the wonderful outreach of the hospital and its ancillary services...and by the deteriorating physical condition of the facility. He vowed to try to make a difference. Bicycle India 2007 is the way he hopes that difference will be made.

PUTTING A HOBBY TO CHARITABLE PURPOSE. Bob has been an avid cyclist since his early days in India. He's pedaled thousands of miles since then on individual and group cross-country tours. But he's never done anything like what he's attempting now. He recruited John Hay, Jr. and Bishop Joe James--both of Indianapolis, Indiana--to join him in this project. Two Indian riders will accompany these North American cyclists as they make their way from the southern tip of India northward to New Delhi. The ride begins December 30.

Please track their journey for charitable contributions on this blog. Updates and photos will be posted as often as the team can access Internet cafes along the route. Thanks for your interest & involvement. Check back often for updates. Learn more @ www.bikeindia.org.