Ride For Water Cycling Team Conquers 52-Day Cross-Country Journey

Megan Rapinoe and the World Cup-champion U.S. Women's National Team weren't the only resilient squad celebrating in New York City on Wednesday.

The 2019 charity:water Ride for Water team traversed the George Washington Bridge and crossed its own finish line in Manhattan, 52 days after beginning their trek with a group tire-dip in the Pacific Ocean.

"When we heard that there were 663 million people in the world who didn't have access to clean water, that's what really inspired us to do this crazy thing like biking across the country," rider Whitney Williams said on Instagram, "to raise money and awareness to make a significant impact in people's lives."

The group of co-eds — six riders and three drivers — may be done cycling for now, but their fundraising efforts continue. On Day 52, the team crossed the $25,000 threshold, with their original goal of $80,000 still in their sights. The donation page remains open through the end of September.

Their remarkable, 3,437-mile trek began on May 20 and traversed 12 states from coast to coast. 2019 marked the seventh year of Ride for Water; from 2013-2015, the team was all males. Beginning in 2016, teams of men and women rode separately from the west coast to Chicago, then joined up for the "final stretch" from Illinois to New York.

This was the first year that a co-ed team crossed the continent together.

"We rode through snow, sleet and hail — my fingers were falling off, it was so cold," rider Jay Cummings said on Instagram. "What kept us going, was the fact that, me riding my bike across the country, is going to give more clean water than if I didn't do it."

The team kept in touch with supporters throughout the adventure through social media, focusing mostly on Instagram. And they found fun ways along the way to raise additional funds, inviting their followers to a 24-hour push-up challenge, pledging to complete a push-up for each dollar donated during a rest day around "The Bean" in Chicago.

There were a multitude of testy stretches along the way.

"Our route led us to an unmaintained road, one of our cyclists had a nasty crash in gravel, and one of our support vehicles popped a tire," a caption on the @RideForWater Instagram account explained on June 2. "We pushed through to the finish the miles we needed to get done but have definitely enjoyed a day and a half of rest in the Salt Lake City area!"

Support team member Jameson Plaskett explained via Instagram that the team couldn't have completed the ride without help from dozens of Americans from coast to coast.

"We saw so much generosity by people opening up their homes, donating hotel rooms, letting us sleep on their church floors — and yeah, we slept in the tent, twice," Plaskett said.

Team members included Williams, of Sacramento; Cummings, of Newbury Park, Calif.; Daniel Burroughs, of San Bernadino, Calif.; Nick Guido, of Claremont, Calif.; Kara Ingersoll, of Pittsburgh; Kody Schneider, of Glendora, Calif.; and drivers Plaskett, of Roseville, Calif.; Morgan Olhiser, of Santa Rosa, Calif.; and Val Cox, of Colorado Springs.

Since 2013, Ride For Water has raised more than $358,000 for clean water projects through charity:water. According to the organization, the riders have helped bring clean water to 11,000 people in six countries.