NEWPORT BEACH : Bicyclist Begins 2nd Trip to Las Vegas

He did it last year in 33 hours. Bill Harney will strive to beat that time this year.

Harney, 29, is again riding his bicycle nonstop from Newport Beach to Las Vegas to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, an organization dedicated to granting terminally ill children their hearts’ desire.

Harney, a Santa Ana resident, left at 2 p.m. Thursday from DP’s Pub & Grill near Newport Beach City Hall for his 300-mile trek. He expects to reach Las Vegas City Hall by this afternoon.

He won’t stop--except to go to the restroom. While pedaling, he’ll sustain himself with peanut butter, bananas and water.

Harney battled 40-m.p.h. winds and an occasional leg cramp during last year’s ride, which he made Thanksgiving Day. When he realized that he wasn’t going to meet his 24-hour deadline, he decided to give himself and his crew a one-hour break in Baker.

Several businesses, including DP’s, Pace Sportswear and Suspension Eyewear in Huntington Beach and Auto XS in Santa Ana, donated money and equipment for the ride. He also collected a number of pledges for donations to Make-A-Wish.

Harney, a manager trainee for a sandwich shop, began his cycling career two years ago after a car accident. He decided not to replace his car and used his bicycle as his means of transportation, which meant riding 70 miles daily between his Brea job and his former home in Newport Beach.

Three months ago, another traffic accident demolished his bicycle. The car-bike accident injured his left elbow and back and postponed his training for two months. But he spent the past month back on two wheels and averaged 200 miles a week.

“I feel great!” he said Thursday, minutes before he left for the desert. “Now I have a time to beat. Last year, everyone just wanted to know, ‘Could I make it?’ I knew I could.”