Bikers arrived at the LifePlex - their destination for the evening in Plymouth - while on their cross-country tour. Pilot Photo/Rusty Nixon

By Rusty Nixon Correspondent

PLYMOUTH — The LifePlex in Plymouth played host to some overnight guests hoping to make an impact on affordable housing.

A team from Bike and Build, an organization that cycles cross-country to raise money and awareness for affordable housing across America, stopped on its transcontinental bike trip, spending the night at the LifePlex. The group had dinner provided by Christos and woke to a hearty breakfast provided by Ponderosa before heading west.

The group that stopped in Plymouth was made up of college students mostly from Johns Hopkins University and Dartmouth, who decided to try to make a difference for a cause they believe in.

“I’ve always wanted to be more involved with Habitat for Humanity,” said Sarah Alexander. “It’s also a great challenge athletically and a cool way to see the country."

Though not a part of the Habitat organization, the group works through and donates to many Habitat projects. Just as their name implies the crew lends a hand on various house building projects as they bike cross country.

“The long bike days are the toughest,” said Sam Olesky, who just graduated from Johns Hopkins with a degree in mechanical engineering. “We really love ‘build days.’”

“We get really psyched to have a day where we get to use our upper bodies for a change,” added Andrew Blancero.

Monday the group was in Fort Wayne helping with a Habitat for Humanity project before leaving for Plymouth on Tuesday morning.

“We did almost a whole house yesterday,” said Laura Manofsky. “When we left we had the walls up and everything — it was a great day.”

The bikers love the challenge of cycling cross country and having a chance to see the country in a unique way. It’s the contact with the home builders that really has the impact.

“Having the chance to interact with the people on the builds is really a special thing,” said Rebecca Shapiro. “Everybody is so passionate about what they’re doing, the families and the builders, it’s a really unique thing.”

“Its cool when you’re riding along and lots of people honk and give you a thumbs up,” said Blancero. “It’s nice to have that kind of support.”

There are always those few others, though.

“It’s not quite so cool when they yell at you through the window to get on the sidewalk though,” laughed Olesky. “Please tell people it’s illegal for us to ride on the sidewalk. The slogan is ‘share the road’ for a reason.”