Cross-Country Bicyclist Reaches the Finish Line

Jay Blanchard accomplished his goal over the weekend by completing a 4,200 mile trip across the country from Oregon to Virginia on a bicycle.  He started his journey on  June 2nd in the Trans-Am Bike Race to raise awareness and money for the American Widow Project.  It's an organization that aids military widows and their families after the tragedy of losing a loved one.

Jay Blanchard is a financial advisor for the Financial Guys in Williamsville and avid bicyclist and after completing his trip on Saturday he said it was the toughest thing he's ever done and admitted it was harder than he thought it would be.  He battled extreme weather, fatigue and pain along the route across 10 states, a trip that took 42 days.

Jay was inspired along the way by the pictures of fallen soldiers that he took along with him and left some of them in churches and military monuments he came across along the way.  But some he took the entire distance and laid them out for a group of people who were there to greet him when he arrived at his destination.  It was an emotional moment for him when he arrived and explained to those who were unaware what he had been doing for the past month and a half.