Monika Monte left the military in 2004, after stints in both the Army and Marines. But eight years later, she was still struggling with the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Then, in May 2012, she finally discovered a community that could help. Ride 2 Recovery is a national nonprofit providing veterans camaraderie and exercise through cycling events. The group puts on Challenges, multiple-day rides of 350 to 450 miles, weekly group rides, and supportsProject HERO, through which volunteers develop biking programs to help rehabilitate injured veterans. Volunteers modify bikes for those whose injuries require special equipment, donate bikes to those who need them, and teach veterans biking skills, such as how to ride in packs. For Monte, who frequently participates in the 25-mile weekly ride in Suinsun City, Calif., Ride 2 Recovery gave her peace of mind by putting her in touch with people who understood what she had been through. “It’s not just a regular bike ride,” she told Catherine Mijs of the Vacaville Reporter. “It’s all about staying together, starting together and finishing together.”