Utah Man To Ride For Child Safety, For A Reason

PALM SPRINGS – Ed Smart is like thousands of other people, getting ready to ride in the Tour de Palm Springs.

“Went for about a 50 miler Monday, from Salt Lake to the Great Salt Lake and back and it was about 38 degrees. This is a little nicer.”

But, he and his family went through something so terrifying, many of us can’t even begin to imagine.

Two people kidnapped his daughter, Elizabeth, from their Salt Lake City home in the summer of 2002.

She was one of the lucky ones.

She was found alive.

Now, he’s working to prevent the same thing to happening to another child and another family.

He’s riding on behalf of Christopher’s Clubhouse, a local group that helps teach parents and children stay safe.

“That glow on there face that they got away he tried to trick them and they got away and they knew what to do and he tried to grab them and they could get away. And that is so heart warming.”

The tour’s 100 mile route is just a warm up lap for Smart.

He and another rider will take a 3,500 mile bike ride from New York to Los Angeles this summer to help raise money and awareness.

“And, really what we’re trying to do is also to develop a report card as we go from state to state where they stand on these different pieces of legislation.”

Every year, police arrest hundreds of people for crimes against children in the Coachella Valley.

So, this weekend, Ed Smart wants everyone here to realize that what happened to his daughter … and his family … can happen to anyone.

“This was the furthest thing from my mind, that something like this could ever happen to our family and when it did it just really hits home and you know you’ve got to get out there and help other families understand and not go through the same thing we’ve been through.”