Hitting the Road for '08 Election

Wrestling and bicycling normally are not synonymous.

But for former Virginia All-America wrestler Tim Foley, bicycling has become his way of life lately, and all for an important cause.

Foley has embarked on a 50-day bicycle adventure and launched an informative web site and daily blog, ElectionCycle.com, to increase awareness about the 2008 presidential election in the final days leading up to event. The web site chronicles his 50-day trip as well as providing unbiased, non-partisan information on many of the issues people are concerned about as the presidential election approaches.

"It’s a new way to journalistically approach the election,” Foley said. “The aim is for it to be a voter research guide. No matter why people are checking the blog, as long as they are logging on to see how the candidates compare on the issues, that can help inform people on how to make decisions about the election.”

Foley, a 2004 All-American and current Columbia University graduate student, started his route Sept. 14 in New York City. He arrived in Charlottesville Sept. 23 and, after traveling through cities in 12 states, is scheduled to arrive at his final destination, New Orleans, on Oct. 29, just prior to Election Day on Nov. 4.

Foley is interviewing many people of all ages, backgrounds and political affiliations along the way and discussing the key issues that matter to them. In the course of trip, he is looking to profile “50 Voters in 50 Days.” In just the first few days of his travels, he has found several voter concerns that have stood out among the rest.

“People care about the issues. They especially care about the economy right now,” Foley said. “I haven’t heard a lot about social issues, but I’ve heard some about religious issues. As I move south, people have issues with government intervention and the idea of self responsibility, which has come up a lot lately. A lot of people are pointing to the failures in the financial system on individuals who made poor decisions about their mortgages and adjusting their rates.”

While Foley is out on the road his former UVa wrestling teammate and roommate, Ryan Stewart, has helped in maintaining ElectionCycle.com. Foley said many of his UVa friends have been instrumental in helping with the cause.

“The Virginia community and especially the Virginia wrestling community has been very important in supporting this – not only financially, but in finding housing as well,” Foley said.

For more information on Foley’s trip or to donate to help offset his expenses, log on to ElectionCycle.com.