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Teen bikes 1,500 miles to D.C. -- and she still has work to do

Renee Jones Schneider, Star Tribune

Liza Stoner, 15, of Minneapolis took a month to ride her bike to Washington.

Liza Stoner of Minneapolis is out to encourage green legislation.

By RODRIGO ZAMITH, Star Tribune

Last update: July 22, 2008 - 6:15 AM

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After biking 1,500 miles and 32 days across nine states, 15-year-old Liza Stoner arrived Friday afternoon in Washington, D.C. Job 1: Done.

"It was awesome to get in to D.C., we were like, 'Whoa, we're finally here,'" Liza said. "But yeah, I'm a little tired and it's really hot."

Next up: She expects to meet with Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Monday to deliver her petition in support of electric vehicles, which has more than 1,200 signatures from her neighbors to environmental enthusiasts nationwide.

"I don't know what I'm going to say to her," Liza said. "I'm just really excited."

The "Ride for Renewal" -- which began at her home in south Minneapolis -- was part of Liza's plan to encourage Congress to grant tax credits and incentives for companies that produce, manufacture or sell electric vehicles in the U.S.

With the exception of her 16-year-old sister, who is at camp, Liza's family joined her on the trip. Her mother, Amy, biked alongside her.

Her father, Jeff, and 8-year-old brother, Christopher, traveled in a support vehicle -- ironically, an SUV -- loaded with bike parts and food.

Liza's trainer, Gene Lew, monitored her progress via e-mails from Minnesota, then joined her for the last 300 miles.

"Liza's a one-in-a-million individual," Lew said. "With just two months of training she did 1,500 miles. This is her moment of glory."

Liza said she never thought about giving up during the ride, which involved biking more than 40 miles every day. She said it went as planned with few setbacks. But it did start with a flat tire 5 miles into the ride and a tumble that led to scrapes and bruises a day later.

"But after that, it was clear sailing," she said.

Jeff Stoner said he has not tallied the total cost of the trip, but estimates it is between $7,000 and $10,000. He said donations from friends, enthusiasts and companies could offset as much as $4,000 of that.

After delivering the petition to Klobuchar, Liza said she will be filmed by Nickelodeon for a program to air in September.

While Christopher missed his friends, Jeff said, "At some level, I think he gets that this is a pretty monumental thing."

Amy Stoner said most of the family would head back to Minnesota on Monday night. Jeff will fly back -- he has work Tuesday -- and everybody else will ride in the SUV.

"Liza really wanted to [bike] back, though," she said.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said he hopes to have a ceremony to congratulate Liza.

Rodrigo Zamith • 612-673-4895

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