The Florida Keys Soldier Ride brings together veterans carrying both visible and invisible injuries — including amputees using adaptive bicycles and those managing post-traumatic stress disorder — who say the event’s combination of physical activity and peer camaraderie supports recovery that extends well beyond the ride itself.
KEY LARGO, Fla. — Forty-five wounded veterans and their supporters cycled along Florida’s Overseas Highway on Friday in the annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride, an event organized by the Wounded Warrior Project that links physical challenge to peer support for those injured during military service.
The Florida Keys Soldier Ride draws veterans carrying both visible and invisible wounds. Some riders are missing one or more limbs after combat injuries and are using bicycles fitted with special adaptive equipment. Others carry injuries — including post-traumatic stress disorder — that are not apparent to those watching from the roadside.
“The path to healing always starts with movement,” said Walter Piatt, the Wounded Warrior Project’s chief executive officer. “This is about getting them outside, getting them reconnected with people they serve with, and people are going through the same thing they are.”
Friday’s route
The group began with a 17-mile ride from a Key Largo VFW post to the Theater of the Sea in Islamorada. After lunch at the Marathon fire station, riders covered another 10 miles — including a crossing of the Seven Mile Bridge — before stopping for the day in Big Pine Key.
A large crowd of Coral Shores High School students cheered the veterans during a break in Tavernier. Smaller groups of residents lined the route as the riders made their way through the island chain.
“I want them to see that we appreciate what they do,” said Carol Dieck, a Keys resident who watched from the route.
A veteran’s long road to the Keys
Bill Hansen, who served more than two decades in the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army National Guard, rode in his first Soldier Ride in Phoenix in 2012. He said he had suffered a serious neck and back injury and become addicted to pain medication before connecting with the Wounded Warrior Project, which helped him form friendships with other injured veterans that remain in place.
“I wake up in pain every single day. I’ve gotten used to a level of pain,” Hansen said. “And so doing physical fitness, things like this, I know I’m gonna be in a little bit of pain, but it’s worth it for my mental health and for just my comradery with other vets.”
Crossing the Seven Mile Bridge held particular meaning for him.
“One of my bucket list events is to ride a bike over the Seven Mile Bridge,” Hansen said. “I mean, what an iconic thing to do, and it’s part of America, part of our heritage. And so this is gonna be fun for me, because I get to do this. Plus, I’m gonna be able to help other vets.”
Funding and weekend schedule
The Wounded Warrior Project’s cross-country and Keys bicycle rides raise money to foster veterans’ independence, develop peer-mentoring programs, and arrange transport between home and hospital when needed.
The Florida Keys Soldier Ride continues Saturday through Key West, where the public can join veterans for a community ride. The weekend concludes Sunday morning with a visit to the Dolphin Research Center in Marathon.