Woodbury man stops at home amidst bike journey around U.S. perimeter

WOODBURY, Minn. (KMSP) - A Woodbury, Minnesota man got some rest Sunday as he prepared for quite the adventure ahead.

Matt Broshat is biking the perimeter of the United States on a mission to raise money for kids with special needs. He started in Oregon about a month ago and biked his way back to Woodbury a few days ago.

Now, he’s got several thousands of miles ahead of him and he says he is ready to hit the road.

“Saw a couple of black bears,” Broshat said of the beginning of his journey. “Nothing too scary at all.”

He was unafraid and unwavering in his commitment to the journey.

“2,200 miles in...It’s been three weeks or so,” he said.

He is making the journey with his loyal companion, Waldo, from the famous Where’s Waldo books.  

"He’s got a little scuffing, he’s living the experience,” Broshat said of the Waldo doll.

He hit the road Aug. 8 for the first day of his journey.    

“Road trips sound fun and all, but I can’t do road trips,” he said. “I would prefer to bike to Missouri, than to drive.”

So he’s biking around the country to raise money for kids with special needs.

“The way these kids treat me and treat others is just something else,” Broshat said. “So I want to give back to them.”

We caught up with him before he left on that first leg from Oregon and had to check in after he rode that first 2,200 miles.

“The first day I cut my tire, so had I not had a spare tire, I would have been stranded on day one,” he said.

Broshat said from there, it’s been smooth riding.

“The Cascades [Mountains in Washington] were just beautiful,” he said of the highlights of the trip.

He said he hasn’t had to make many changes and he's made quite a few friends.

“She invited me to her birthday party after I stayed the first night,” he said of one encounter.

He met up with someone he went to high school with and someone he went to college with along the way. Then, a friend of his cousin that somehow knows somebody was generous enough to put him up in a hotel.

As he prepares for the next 8,000 miles, he remains unafraid.

“You got to race the weather out there, so hopefully I beat it,” he said.

As for what he has enjoyed about the journey, he said, “The freedom, I mean, you can experience life on a bike unlike any other.”

If you want to follow Broshat’s journey and donate to his cause visit bikerbroshat.com.

All of the proceeds go to the young life Capernaum program.

He just asks that, if you see him, don’t honk, because that’s a little startling. Maybe, he said, just pull over and hand him a water or give him some encouragement.