Swedish Bicyclists Take A Stop In Newton

Swedish bike group LAIINY rides down Main Street. William Crow/Harvey County Now

By William Crow
Harvey County Now

NEWTON–A large group of bicyclists are following their dreams to ride across America, Newton being one of many locations along the way.

Residents driving down Main Street on Tuesday afternoon could see a group of a dozen cyclists with white helmets and gear riding on the road.

The group of friends is from Stockholm, Sweden, and are visiting America for the first time, taking in the sights from the seat of a bike. The group also has a truck, allowing two members to rest at a time.

Their mission is to travel from Los Angeles to New York, promptly naming their group “LAIINY.”While on their great peloton adventure, the bikers decided to stop at the local McDonald’s on Main Street grabbing a bite to eat while attracting the attention of locals inside.

One rider of the group, Fredrik Erixon, said everyone in the group is well trained in cross-country skiing and biking.

“To be honest, all these guys are brilliant,” Erixon said. “The roads, however, there is a lot of cracks in them. Colorado roads were bad, but as soon as we saw the ‘Welcome to Kansas’ sign, everything was great.”

The heat has been especially awful for these riders on their journey. Erixon told a story of how LAIINY was in the Mojave Desert and was facing 110-degree heat.

The Trans American route crosses through Newton but LAIINY is taking a more custom route in order to see all the popular destinations on their American vacation.

The Swedish group has encountered cyclists competing in the Trans Am race.

“We feel bad for them because they all wish they could ride our bikes instead,” Erixon said.

More locations yet to come for the group are Nashville, the Appalachians, Washington, D.C., and concluding in New York City where they hope to meet all their families at the end of their trip.

LAIINY is on day 17 of their cross-country bike ride and plans to arrive in Central Park in New York City on June 29.

For more on these cyclists follow their travels at #LAIINY.

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