Austin brothers to bike over 5,000 miles to raise funds for charity

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Mayor Kirk Watson declared May 5 as Jenkins Brothers' Bike Day in honor of Bobby and Raleigh Jenkins upcoming 5,500-mile bike ride from Anchorage, Alaska to College Station, Texas.

Bobby Jenkins is the owner of ABC Home & Commercial Services, a local business that provides pest control, air conditioning repair and other services for homeowners.

The trip will be the second cross-country bike ride the business owner has embarked on with his brother Raleigh. Bobby said he's riding to raise awareness and donations for Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC).

His grandson Moss died from SUDC in 2014, and Moss' parents established the Moss Pieratt foundation to raise awareness for SUDC. Bobby Jenkins also ran the New York City marathon in Moss' honor in 2022.

Raleigh Jenkins is riding to raise aid funding for children in Haiti, a country that has suffered widespread gang-violence and famine in recent years.

The Jenkins brothers joined KXAN Anchor Will Dupree in the studio to discuss the upcoming journey and the funds they hope to raise for two children's charities.

Read a transcription of the interview below, or watch in the video player above. Some responses have been edited for clarity.

Will DuPree: Thank you both so much for being here. We appreciate it.

Bobby Jenkins: Thank you. Appreciate the opportunity.

Dupree: Now that is a very long way, 5,500 miles, so talk to us about what inspired that.

Bobby Jenkins: Yeah, you know, for both of us and for me, it is about you mentioned my grandson, Moss. Moss passed away 11 years ago from what's called sudden unexplained death in childhood, which means we don't know why he died. It's unexplained, and this is the number four cause of death for toddlers, so it's important, but we want to find answers. And the reason we want to find answers is not just about what happened to Moss, but can we prevent it from happening to other children? And then Raleigh's riding for Mission Lazarus.

Raleigh Jenkins: Children in Haiti and their survival that they're going through right now, and the struggles they're doing.

DuPree: So this will be essentially a dual fundraiser with a very personal connection for you all.

Bobby Jenkins: Absolutely, we've done this before. It was eight years ago. We rode from Seattle to New York City. That was 3,500 miles. This is, as you said, 5,500 miles, and we're eight years older, but the cause is so important to us, and I really particularly on the funding of the research at NYU Langone. We've got to find answers. We've got to raise awareness. We've got to find answers. So we're both very passionate for both of these causes, and we really need people's help to make it a successful journey.

DuPree: Absolutely. So are you all setting a certain goal in terms of fundraising?

Bobby Jenkins: We are. We're working on the goal. Quite frankly, we'd like to be around a million dollars between the two of us. It's a big goal, but it's both big needs and the work that needs to be done. It's going to take that. And so I really think this will be our last big bike ride. I'll be almost 67 when we finish, and I don't think I'm going to want to go across the country again, but it is important, and I am passionate about it, and the need is big.

DuPree: I know people at home are going to be hearing about this and thinking, you know, what can we do to help you all? Or how can they help the certain causes you all are supporting? So fill in the blank for them. What should they do?

Bobby Jenkins: So, brothersbike.org. You can go there, and you can see my picture and Raleigh's picture, and you can donate to both or one. But that's a big part of it, and it's awareness. Having the opportunity to talk about this, awareness about what sudden unexplained death in childhood is, awareness about Mission Lazarus and the challenges in Haiti. Both of those people can learn more about it at brothersbike.org, but we'd sure appreciate their prayers, and we'd sure appreciate their support as far as the bike ride.

DuPree: Other people at home might be also wondering how you're preparing for this, because I know that's coming up in like, a month or so, right?

Raleigh Jenkins: We're almost six weeks away right now, so yeah, it's here. I will admit I had ChatGPT build my workout program. So I have a program that's a daily activity of what I'm doing, how I'm working out, and what my rides look like.

DuPree: It keeps you on that.

Raleigh Jenkins: It does. It is, it's wonderful.

Bobby Jenkins: Raleigh cheated and really got the perfect workout. I'm a little dated, and I'm trying to just go ride my bicycle more and spend some more time in the in the saddle, and getting the legs ready, and all of that. But, you know, we'll be ready for it. And part of it is, you ride into shape. We'll average about 70 to 75 miles per day, and it'll take two and a half months to get from Anchorage and we are going to finish right there at Kyle Field at Texas A&M.

DuPree: Yeah right back here close to home.

Bobby Jenkins: That's right.

DuPree: Well, Bobby and Raleigh thank you both so much for joining us and I wish you the best of luck not only in the fundraiser, but also with that ride.

Bobby Jenkins: Thank you, appreciate it.