After near-fatal accident in ND, cross country bicyclist back on the road

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (Valley News Live) - Five months after a near-fatal accident put one man’s mission to bike across the U.S. on hold, his tires are back on the pavement tonight.

It’s story we told you about last fall, when Alex Lee was hit from behind by a pickup in Pembina County which landed him in the ICU and a Grand Forks rehab center for weeks.

To some, Alex Lee’s decision to pick back up his cross country bike trip in the middle of the winter is a little crazy, but for Lee, it was a no-brainer.

“I want to show people, maybe sometimes things may seem like they’re too hard, very tough, but if you have a strong will, you can make it,” Lee said.

Lee flew in to Grand Forks Airport Thursday morning and promptly bought a new mountain bike at Scheels, as his last one was wrecked in the accident.

“It’s very cold, it’s very slippery. It’s very hard to ride on the snow,” Lee said.

Lee is picking up where he left off last September with Boston as his final destination, all in an effort to raise awareness of the political unrest and dangers in his home country.

“I have my mission to support the Hong Kong protests and those who love freedom and democracy,” he said.

Lee’s trip is also about perseverance and pushing through even the darkest of times.

“I want to use the trip to conquer my PTSD and depression and show people that I can make it,” Lee said.

He says while he is a little weaker and is missing both a tooth and spleen from the accident, he says he knows he’s doing the right thing. And he says he hopes he inspires even one person to chase after your goals even when they terrify you.

Lee made it to Crookston Thursday with plans to make it to Bemidji or Minneapolis today, however that goal was delayed thanks to Mother Nature. He says he hopes to finish his trip by the end of March.