Meridian cyclist nears Gulf Coast in ride around Mississippi
Jul. 7—Meridian cyclist Ed Abdella is well on his way to biking around the state of Mississippi as he neared Picayune mid-afternoon on Friday on schedule to reach Biloxi later in the night.
Despite a little rain on a couple of occasions and a few places where traffic was challenging, Abdella is doing remarkably well on his bike ride around the state, said Clint Blackwell of Magnolia State Cycles LLC, the crew chief of Abdella's racing team.
With continued safety, good weather and his endurance, the final stage of the ride is expected to start sometime after midnight. That will put Abdella arriving back at Merrehope sometime late Saturday afternoon, most likely between 4:30 and 6 p.m., Blackwell said.
A local history teacher and cyclist, Abdella hopes to become the first person to bike around the perimeter of the entire state of Mississippi. The ride is mapped out to cover approximately 1,167 miles and is expected to require at least 100 hours of riding time.
He is making his "Bike Around Mississippi: From Merrehope and Back" journey to bring awareness to historic preservation and to raise funds for Merrehope and much-needed repairs to its roof.
Merrehope spokesperson Donna Owen said the community is invited to come to the historic home and help welcome Abdella and his team back from their journey and offer their congratulations. "And, of course, accept his challenge and make a donation to Merrehope," she said.
Abdella set off on his quest Tuesday following a patriotic send-off celebration at Merrehope. He made it 240 miles to Corinth by mid-morning Wednesday, stopping at the historic Verandah-Curlee House for a photo op. From there, he traveled west, passing through Holly Springs and reaching Southaven later in the afternoon. After a few hours rest, he set off down the west side of the state, passing through Friars Point, Rolling Fork, Vicksburg, Port Gibson and finishing stage 2 in Natchez on Thursday night.
Stage 3 of his pre-planned route began in Natchez before sunrise Friday morning, and Abdella made it to Magnolia by mid-morning, 797 miles into his journey. By mid-afternoon, he was 15 miles outside of Picayune planning to make it to Biloxi later on Friday night, Blackwell said.
By the end of stage 3, he was expected to have about 70 hours total of riding time on the bike, Blackwell said, adding that Abdella does well with heat management and is staying hydrated and keeping up the number of calories he needs for endurance.
Anyone interested in following along with Abdella on his ride can keep up with his progress on the Facebook pages of Merrehope and Magnolia State Cycles, LLC.
Donations to support Merrehope through the Bike Around Mississippi campaign can be made online at www.merrehope.com or mailed to the historic home at P.O. Box 8262, Meridian, MS 39303.
Contact Glenda Sanders at gsanders@themeridianstar.com.
