A group of seven students from the University of Sanata Dharma Yogyakarta, are pedaling all the way to Bali to raise awareness for autism and campaign for the preservation of mangroves.
The students will go approximately 690 kilometers on this trip, according to Kompas.
During their cross-island cycling trip, the students will be asking residents to sign a petition that voices solidarity for both of their causes. They are promoting their trip with the hashtag #bikeforautismandmangroves.
The seven Sanata Dharma students were named in a Kompas reports as Angga Dwi Putera, Matias Rio Meilano, Fransiskus Muliadi, Andi Setianto, Satria Nugraha Perdana, Gregorius Dwi Kurnia, and Andreas Takimia.
When asked about why these two causes, Putera says they chose to fight for recognition of people with autism to build understanding among the many people who do not understand it. Whereas the group is interested in conserving mangroves because they are almost extinct and are necessary to prevent abrasion and maintain the marine ecosystem, Putera told Kompas.
In case you were wondering, no, the students did not suddenly take up cycling for their causes. They trained in long-distance cycling to prepare for the trip, one such route in the Yogyakarta area was taking Sleman to Ganjura in Bantul, which is approximately 40 kilometers, Putera says.
For logistical and safety purposes, the students say they will bring a car on the trip and rotate amongst having five cyclists and two people driving in the car.
The group says they are planning to arrive in Denpasar, Bali on July 12, 2015.
Photo: Illustration
