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Journey for Change: South Florida man rides bike over 1,000 miles to call for action in Venezuela

When Luis Lander thought of ways to push for change in his home country of Venezuela, the idea of riding his bicycle from Miami to Washington, D.C. sparked interest.

ORANGE PARK, Fla. — Luis Lander, 40, describes his bike as his "tool" for speaking out in support of change in his home country.

Tensions remain high in Venezuela, with recent protests against leader Nicolas Maduro's government gaining worldwide attention.

In February, a bill was filed in the U.S. House of Representatives (H.B. 1004) that would block U.S. military action in the country outside of a declaration of war or attack against the U.S.

"I don't belong to any political party or anything like that," Lander said. "I'm just a common Venezuelan who wants to raise his voice."

Lander decided that he would ride his bike from the Freedom Tower in Downtown Miami to Washington, D.C. Once there, he plans to deliver letters to lawmakers that will encourage them to oppose H.B. 1004.

"The lack of food, medicine, energy, the high crime rate, just the negligence of the government has taken lives every month," Lander said. "This has to come to an end."

On Your Side met with Lander as he rode through Orange Park. He plans to be in Georgia before the end of the weekend, completing the first major leg of his journey.

"There's definitely been times when I've said, 'Woah, why am I doing it?'" he said.

During his trip, Lander also plans to meet up with people walking to Washington in support of the same cause. He said that his hope for the future of his homeland is what keeps him going.

"It's a mix of feelings, trying to recover a part of it that was taken from you," he said.

In total, Lander would have traveled over 1,200 miles if everything goes according to plan. He expects to arrive in Washington, D.C. on July 26, and said he has already coordinated meetings with several lawmakers.

You can follow Lander's journey on Instagram @miami2congress4ven.

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