Kevin Foster

Joseph Kevin Foster IV (born February 29, 1960), known as Kevin Foster, is a mountain biker best known for his 1990 tour across the Great Wall of China; his 1993-1995 tour of the highest points in the United States; and his 1997 tour across Cuba. Before finding fame as a bicyclist, he worked in the New York area as an actor and writer. In recent years, he has returned to the entertainment industry as an actor, writer, and producer. Early life Foster was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, to Joseph Adrian, an accountant, and Stella Lucia (née Vicedomini), a homemaker. His siblings included a younger brother and two younger sisters. His heritage is English, Irish, and Welsh from his father's side, and Spanish, Italian, and Jewish from his mother. Foster was raised in a predominantly Italian household in the North End section of Waterbury, later living in several nearby towns. Foster's mother gave her children a strong religious background that began as Catholic (he was an altar boy) and then moved on to Lutheran and Episcopalian (where he sang in the children's choir). In 1968, Foster received an electric shock from a live wire and fell approximately 30 feet. His memory was erased, and doctors told Foster's parents that he would never walk again. Foster did eventually regain some of his memory, although his memory of his friends, families, and relatives up to that point was gone. After four years of therapy, Foster was completely freed from his wheelchair. Foster credits the experience with changing his outlook on life, and leading him to dedicate himself as a Christian. In 1972, as he was first learning to ride a bicycle, Foster saw a news broadcast of U.S. President Richard Nixon meeting with Chairman Mao Zedong atop the Great Wall of China. The sight inspired Foster to bicycle along the Wall from one end to the other, although his letters to both world leaders asking for permission received only a polite brush off from the White House.