YORKTOWN — Two college friends embarking on a cross-country bike ride for charity kicked off their trek in Yorktown at the head of the TransAmerica Trail on March 14.
Patrick Fitzgerald and Chris Labriola, who have always had a zest for adventure, have dubbed their ride as the “Tour de USA.” Fitzgerald, who is set to graduate medical school in May, and Labriola, a pilot, are traveling the country by bicycle to raise money for the Travis Manion Foundation.
Manion, who was a lieutenant in the Marine Corps, was killed while on patrol in Iraq during his second deployment. He led a counterattack against enemy forces that drew fire away from his wounded counterparts and allowed every member of his patrol to survive. He was awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star with Valor for his actions. The Manion family started a foundation in Travis’ memory to continue his legacy of leading with character.
On March 14, the duo started their ride in Yorktown.
“We’re doing a very well-known bike route called the TransAmerica Trail. If you talk to a cyclist, they know what that is. A lot of people always say, because we’re on such a well-known bike route, we’re going through these really tiny towns that don’t get many visitors, and they see us on bikes and they know exactly what we’re doing,” Fitzgerald explained.
After a ceremonial tire dipping in the York River, the two have set out for the West Coast. Their end goal? Astoria, Oregon.
“The entire ride will take 63 days. We didn’t want to leave too early with the snow and winters in the Midwest, but we didn’t want to leave too late, either. We gambled that spring is coming and there is some warm weather and hopefully we don’t deal with rain or a cold front,” Fitzgerald shared.
Biking well over 100 miles each day, the duo will spend the night in churches, motels, camping, or staying with families they meet along the way.
Fitzgerald, who also spent time in the Hampton Roads area when he was stationed during his clinical rotations at Portsmouth Naval Hospital, is using his time on the ride to push his body to the limit.
“I really enjoy pushing myself to do something new. I am not a biker, I am not a cyclist, I didn’t own a bike until six months ago. I have rarely traveled, I didn’t grow up with a lot of money in my family so I have not seen 95% of this country and I thought what better way to fight my body and push myself to the limit and also at the same time, get to see parts of the country that not many people get to see, and to do it all for charity along the way just adds another level,” Fitzgerald said.
They hope to raise $10,000 for the foundation. With his medical school graduation in May, Fitzgerald hopes that others look to his and Labriola’s journey as something they can do, too.
“If it is something you want to do, make the time. All the people I’ve talked to that haven’t been able to do it have said that they’ve run out of time or they go through different life experiences where they are no longer able to take the time to do something like this. If you are interested in doing something like this, whether it’s biking the country or just biking the state, if it’s something important to you, make the time,” Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald is updating his personal Instagram and Facebook page on various days throughout the trek west. Donations towards the Travis Manion Foundation are ongoing throughout the remainder of the ride.
For more information or to donate, visit travismanion.org.