Naval Academy graduates riding GAP to raise money for veterans

The Daily American
·2 min read

Members of the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1983, along with friends and family members, are riding across the country to raise money to support veterans. They will be riding across the Great Allegheny Passage in Somerset County.

The group started riding from Whidbey Island, Washington, on Aug. 21 and plans to reach Annapolis, Maryland, on Oct. 5. The 3,423 mile journey features 44 city stops, including Pittsburgh on Sept. 30; Ohiopyle on Oct. 1; and Cumberland, Maryland, on Oct. 2. They will ride 77 miles from Pittsburgh on Sunday, arriving in Ohiopyle during the afternoon and leaving at 9 a.m. Monday.

“We’d love to meet you along the way, and you can find us in these towns on these dates,” the group said on its Navy-Cycling.com website. “Come out and say hi, join us at a rest stop, or swing by for a beer – if our mission resonates, we’d love to talk with you!”

The group’s mission is threefold, according to the website:

  • To support worthy veterans who need help

  • To enhance camaraderie among the Class of ‘83

  • To have fun together while staying physically fit.

Riding in support of 20 groups that range from the USNA Alumni Foundation to the Naval Services FamilyLine to the Wounded Warrior Project, the Class of 1983 hopes to raise $1.983 million over 10 years and to repeat the feat again in 2033.

“We’ve all been very fortunate in our lives since graduating from USNA in 1983 and – in addition to the privilege of leadership we’ve experienced for the past 40 years – we feel an offsetting weight of responsibility to those who have paid a great personal price to serve their country,” according to the website.

The riders begin each day by doing 22 pushups to help raise awareness of veteran suicide prevention, then hop on their bicycles for trips that sometimes stretch for more than 100 miles per day. The group has endured bad weather, flat tires, a dog bite and even a crash that sent one team member to the hospital in an ambulance, but still, the group rides on to raise money.

“We are a much stronger group than we were four weeks ago,” William Ryan wrote on the group’s blog.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Naval Academy graduates riding GAP to raise money for veterans