Going the distance

No matter how you look at it, 586 miles is a long distance to cover. Flying is doable, and even driving sounds fine, by when you think about biking it, the task seems almost too daunting to complete. Unless, of course, you’re a part of the Pedal for Patriots team. 

Created by Atlanta resident Christian Fitzgerald in 2012, Pedal for Patriots is a team of cyclists that raises money to support the Navy SEALs Foundation by biking from Atlanta to the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida. But the catch is that none of the riders is — or was — a Navy SEAL.

“There really is no connection for any of this,” said Mountain Brook resident and Pedal for Patriots participant Shannon Diddell. He and Fitzgerald met through their wives after they connected at Ole Miss when he still lived in Atlanta. Fitzgerald, who founded the famed backyard-chef’s grill The Orion Cooker, created the ride in support of one of his customers, who is a SEAL. Due to the cooker’s “cult following” and social media reach, support for the ride quickly grew, and Diddell joined in to support his friend. 

“Once [people] learn what the Navy SEAL Foundation does for the SEALs and their families, it is a pretty easy sell really to get them to join the ride,” Fitzgerald said. 

SEALs are some of the first members of our military sent to the front line, and although they are the elite, they are not invincible. They also spend an average of 270 days a year away from their families, which can put huge financial and emotional strains on the families involved.

“The divorce rate is pretty high in that category, too, and that’s another thing to make sure that those families are supported,” Diddell said.

Through Pedal for Patriots, team members hope to help SEAL families financially and morally by reaching their goal to give $50,000 to the foundation this year in addition to the collective $150,000 the team already has given from past rides, all through word of mouth.

“It just seems right [to ride] because of what they do for us,” Diddell said. “It’s the least we could do.”

This year’s team had a total of seven riders, the largest since its creation, and participants from all backgrounds within the Southeast.

“There’s not really one location or one area that we come from,” said Diddell, mentioning that other riders have full-time jobs that include a doctor, a salesman and a Texas State Trooper. “In reality, we’re just a bunch of dads and husbands, and we’re rank amateurs at best at riding bikes.” 

Training generally starts mid-summer, or if you’re one of the lucky ones, only one or two months before the ride.

“We all train roughly three to four times per week, anywhere from 20 to 30 miles a day,” Diddell said. While there are 100-mile rides that cyclists can participate in, it’s difficult to train that way because a ride of that length can take upward of eight hours, he said.

“We all lose about 20 to 30 pounds during training,” Diddell said.

The culmination of their training was seen in their ride from Atlanta to Fort Pierce, completed this year from Nov. 3 to Nov. 6.

“The whole group is super patriotic, and I think they see this as a way to give back to the most elite fighting force in the U.S. military,” Fitzgerald said.

Diddell, Fitzgerald and their teammates averaged 100 miles a day and began in one of the hilliest sections of the ride. They traveled through cities, towns and backcountry with the help of police escorts and were closely followed by an RV to help protect the riders and spread the word about Pedal for Patriots.

“At first, people think we’re just riding a bike,” Diddell said, mentioning the RV advertises the ride with a big sign. After hearing about their cause, some passersby have given them cash during the ride, and some have even joined in for a portion of the ride themselves.

“I think it really raises awareness,” he said.

Team members paid their way to Atlanta and down the route, staying at motels along the way and eating a lot of frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to make up for the 3,000 calories they burned each day.

“We do have sponsorships, but that money really goes back into the fund,” Diddell said.

While they’ve been lucky with the weather in the past and have averaged only one flat each year, the riders and their families acknowledge the constant dangers that accompany road cycling.

“We’ve all heard the stories of biking, ‘Oh, this person got hit; that person got hit,’” Diddell said. “But the cause is right, and it’s something that we enjoy, even though we’re exhausted.”

To support the Pedal for Patriots, like its Facebook page and go there for updates or donate at pedalforpatriots.com.