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Ruben Lopez, 23, set out on his bike with a helmet on his head and a mission in his heart: to cycle 2,500 miles across the US from Poo Poo Point to Pee Pee Creek.
He didn’t just do this for the lols or a great photo op, but to raise money and awareness for the Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation.
Starting at Poo Poo Point in Washington, Ruben made his way across to Pee Pee Creek in Ohio, and has since passed that point, with his end goal now the Maine-Canada border.
‘I had a feeling that people would love this meme that’s been floating around for someone to go from Poo Poo Point to Pee Pee Creek and I had this hunch that if they saw someone achieve this people would share and be really happy for what the purpose of it is,’ said Ruben, a drummer from Chicago, Illinois.
For Ruben, what’s currently happening in Yemen is ‘one of the worse things that’s ever happened in the world’ and he’s glad his biking is able to bring awareness to it.
So far he has been biking for 38 days straight while documenting his journey on his Twitter, @rubydrummr.
‘The fact that people are sharing and more people are seeing what it is that I am advocating for, it’s a beautiful thing just to see them talk and think about it,’ he said.
So far, Ruben has raised $7,000 for the cause.
The challenge hasn’t been easy.
In the span of 300 miles Ruben managed to rack up eight flat tires, and ended up being stranded in South Dakota for hours.
‘At some point I was just sitting there with a sign offering gas money for a ride to the closest bike shop which was 50 miles away,’ the drummer said.
Biking an average of 80 to 100 miles a day, Ruben says that his legs don’t get sore and he has gel padding and gel shorts that help to keep his bum feeling okay.
For long stretches, he always carries a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter t make up for any missed meals.
He cried with joy when he reached Pee Pee Creek and finally completed the meme.
‘Not only was it the first goal that I reached, but it was reminder that I was close to my next goal,’ he said.
Ruben hopes that his ambitious voyage will inspire others to do what they want in life.
‘A lot of people are talking about how they want to do something like this and I hope they take it as an initiative to stick to what they actually love,’ he said.
‘I hope they use it as an inspiration to do exactly what it is they want with their lives.’
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