An Australian woman with a real fondness for President Obama has vowed to tether herself to her stationary bike and peddle away until she rides the distance from Melbourne to Washington, D.C. — all in an attempt at grabbing his attention and getting a “wave,” she said.
The distance she figures she has to ride is about 10,374 miles.
“I’m not asking for a dinner with him and Michelle,” Mandy Carter told Australia’s Nine Network. “I’m just asking for a wave.”
Miss Carter has taken off three months from her job to make the so-called journey aboard her stationary exercise bike. She then will travel to Washington, D.C., where she hopes Mr. Obama might step outside the White House and acknowledge her accomplishment, even if it’s just with a wave of his presidential hand.
To keep her motivated and focused, Ms. Carter has tethered a rope to her ankle and connected it to her bike. She still completes housework — and takes care of her two teenage children — but has made sure the rope is short enough that she can’t leave the house until her ride is complete.
Her bike is positioned in a room that’s decorated with U.S. flags; red, white and blue stars and banners; and a big cut-out of Mr. Obama, strategically placed feet from her bike and at the end of an exercise mat that’s painted like a highway.
“We’re not really surprised with what she’s doing because she’s always coming up with crazy ideas,” her daughter, Amy, told the Nine Network.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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