Rescue Ride : Cross-Country Cyclists Raising Funds to Aid Bosnian Women

Lynne Barstow has no relatives in Bosnia--she hasn’t even traveled there. Disturbed by reports of rape and killings occurring under the Serbian ethnic-cleansing campaign, the 34-year-old flight attendant and Santa Monica resident decided to act .

Which explains why Barstow is one of 74 American, Canadian and Australian cyclists taking part in a 3,228-mile fund-raising ride from Disneyland in Anaheim to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

The cyclists, who departed Monday and plan to reach Orlando on June 3, are raising money for a wide range of charities as part of the Southern Cross Bicycle Classic. Barstow is pedaling for the “I Am Your Witness Campaign,” an effort to aid refugee women and children in the former Yugoslavia. Organized by Powerful Choices, a Seattle-based group, the campaign also seeks to educate the public about atrocities in the region.

Before departing, Barstow raised $8,000 from friends and co-workers at Delta Airlines. She and the other cyclists are averaging 80 to 110 miles per day on the odyssey through southern states. A van is carrying food, bike gear and other belongings. Sleeping arrangements will range from hotels and gymnasiums to tents and beaches. In Phoenix, a Harley-Davidson club plans to give the cyclists a ride on a different kind of bike.

So far, the “I Am Your Witness Campaign” has raised $36,000 with the combined efforts of the Women’s Coalition Against Ethnic Cleansing, based in Los Angeles, said Kim Adams, administrative director of Powerful Choices.

The campaign is delivering funds to two refugee relief organizations in Zagreb, Croatia--Kareta and Zena BiH. Kareta was formed four years ago to address sexual abuse, said Barstow, but has been helping survivors of rape and forced pregnancy during the conflict. Volunteers are setting up a rape information center and will offer a 24-hour hot line. Zena BiH, also known as Women of Bosnia-Herzegovina, provides outreach programs in Zagreb and is initiating services elsewhere.

The bike tour will be the longest ever for Barstow, who has been a serious cyclist for two years and once took a three-week bicycling tour in China. To train for the ride to Orlando, she rode 150 miles a week and also swam and walked.

Barstow says she has no plans for another bicycle tour after she crosses the finish line in Florida. She does, however, hope one day to pedal across the former Yugoslavia after peace has been declared.

To donate funds to the “I Am Your Witness Campaign,” contact Powerful Choices, c/o Lynne Barstow, P.O. Box 30918, Seattle, Wash., 98103, (206) 782-5662.