‘A father on a mission'

The $600 black Raleigh bike is David Alexander’s seventh in the nine months he’s been making his 10,000-mile trek around the country to raise awareness for teen suicide prevention.

Alexander is on a cross-country “Bike Ride for Life” in honor of his daughter. So far, he has traveled more than 6,500 miles through 20 states.

Alexander’s 17-year-old daughter, Angela, committed suicide in 2008 after she lost her mother to cancer. In an effort to grieve the loss of his wife and daughter, Alexander set out on a year-long cross country journey in May.

“I’m so tired, and sometimes I want to quit, but I know there are children out there that need to be educated,” Alexander said.

The journey started in the state of Washington, and Alexander biked through the western seaboard before traveling to the East Coast by bus to bike along the Atlantic Coast. He biked through Franklin and Gulf counties and landed in Panama City on Valentine’s Day. He plans to travel west to Pensacola, then through the southern part of the United States until he hits Los Angeles.

The idea to bike long distance started when Alexander’s other daughter, Ivy, who was 11 years old at the time of her mother and sister’s death, wanted to go for a bike ride.

“She didn’t just want to go around town, she wanted to go 250 miles,” Alexander said. “I got inspired by Ivy, and we thought it would be a good way to go through the grieving process and educate people.”

Ivy is living with family members in Massachusetts, but she frequently meets up with her father when he is in large cities. She will fly into Houston and ride a tandem bike with her father from there to Albuquerque, N.M.

Alexander has been documenting his journey and has amassed a collection of four journals that he encourages people he meets along the way to sign. He does not have much money on him, and he relies on aid from people he meets to help him along his journey.

Monday was his first full day in Panama City. When he stopped to ask for directions at the Red Planet store, he ended up with a new customized shirt with his daughter’s picture on it and his “Bike Ride for Life” slogan.

When Alexander completes his journey in May, he plans on moving to Oregon and writing a book about his journeys and opening a teen center.

“I’m just a father on a mission,” Alexander said. “I’m just trying to help other people not go through what I went through.”

Want to help?

E-mail David Alexander at bikerideforlife@yahoo.com