UNC junior will lead Bike and Build team from NC to San Diego

Junior Joey Parker is about to hop in the saddle for the adventure of a lifetime.

As one of four leaders for his Bike and Build team, the health policy and management major from Charlotte will lead 30 cyclists on a 3,587-mile trip from Nags Head to San Diego.

The organization will send teams of bikers — including at least seven UNC students — across the country to work on construction sites and help build affordable houses for people in need.

“Leading this trip is really a good way to immerse myself in this field,” Parker said. “It will be a good way to challenge myself while gaining career experience as a leader.”

Parker and his team will depart from Nags Head on May 14 and spend 70 days riding across the country and building houses, reaching San Diego on July 21.

Each rider is required to raise at least $4,000 to participate. Parker said he raised his money by sending letters to family and friends and having benefit nights at Qdoba and McAlister’s Deli. He was also able to raise $600 by creating a Facebook group.

Natalie Serle, a Bike and Build director, said the group’s goals are to raise money and awareness for affordable housing efforts and to start young people on a path of lifetime service.

Affordable housing has been an important issue to the town of Chapel Hill. A town advisory group held a series of 20 meetings throughout March and part of April to hear community thoughts and opinions about affordable housing options.

Parker’s team will stop in Chapel Hill for their first build of the trip. They will spend three days working with the Orange County Habitat for Humanity branch on a house in Phoenix Place, where UNC’s Build a Block group also works.

At the build sites, participants will be laying foundations, framing, roofing and completing various other tasks assigned to them, Serle said.

“When the kids get to a site, they’re really motivated,” she said. “You can accomplish a lot with 30 people.”

Parker said he is interested in working in the affordable housing field, even though it hasn’t been a main focus in his major classes.

Like all health policy and management students, Parker is expected to complete a summer internship. This leadership position will help him meet that requirement.

Samuel Kovach, a senior environmental science major, completed the trip from North Carolina to California with the program in 2007.

“There is a lot of training and preparation involved in the Bike and Build,” he said.

“I had always been big on running, but I wasn’t used to sitting on a bike seat that long.”

Before departing, riders are required to complete a minimum of 500 miles of training. Parker said he rides about 60 to 100 miles every week, but once the expedition begins, the riders will average 50 miles per day, on some days riding up to 100 miles.

“An important part of preparation is time in the saddle,” Parker said.

“You just have to get a feel for how the bike feels.”

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