Herkimer, N.Y. -
After being disappointed with his search in the job market, Andrew Lizotte has decided to channel his energy into helping out a charity.
Lizotte, 22, along with his girlfriend Maria Nunez, 22, will bike across the country to help raise money for the privately-funded, international disaster relief organization Operation USA. He said the not-for-profit group also is assisting in the disaster relief efforts in Haiti, which Lizzotte said particularly interested him. So he decided to put his job search in Charlotte, N.C. on hold and embrace the freedom he had to do something about it.
In February, he said he got the idea to do the bike ride across the country.
"[It] came from wanting to see parts of the country that I've never seen before from a perspective that not many people experience," said Lizotte in an e-mail. "Also the feeling of accomplishment that follows challenging yourself physically is second to none."
Lizotte graduated from Herkimer High School in 2005 and from Herkimer County Community College in 2007 with honors in accounting. He then graduated from Binghamton University in 2009 in marketing with a focus on strategic planning and leadership.
Lizotte, who is currently working as a waiter at Romano's Macaroni Grill, he had hoped to find a job in his field relatively quickly after graduation. After being discouraged by the search, he said focusing on the bike trip has given back his sense of purpose. He said he has experience interning at not-for-profits and that's where he would like to find employment.
"I was really motivated and inspired by the work I had done there," he said. "So by raising money for charity, I was able to fulfill this desire to make a positive impact on society and hopefully it will make for an interesting point on my resume since I do have a lot of interest in working in the not-for-profit sector."
The trail the duo will follow starts from Yorktown, Va. and leads them 4,262 miles west to Astoria, Ore. This is the TransAmerica Route created by the Adventure Cycling Association in 1976. It will take about 60 days to cycle the whole thing, including six to seven days to rest. They will be camping along the trail as long as the weather holds.
"I chose the route after reading many blogs from people who have taken the route as well as meeting with a fellow cyclist who accomplished it a few years back," he said. "The route offers some great scenery and terrain and I was enticed by the thought of traveling to the west coast like early settlers of this country."
Richard Lizotte, his father, will drive the support vehicle for the two bikers. It will include their supplies, food, extra clothing and spare parts. He will also help scout out a place for the pair to stay overnight.
"I am bursting with pride. So many young people are thinking about themselves," Lizotte said about his son. "He got into the job market to do something that was kind of important and to be helping others."
He also said he thinks his son is up to the task.
"He's always been a very avid, athletic kind of guy," he said.
Andrew Lizotte has biked casually on a mountain bike before, but started officially biking in April to prepare for the trip. He said he's never done a bike trip longer than a day, but has been training.
"When I first started, 12 miles at one time would give me a hard time. I can now do 40 mile rides with little to no breaks. I have focused on slowly increasing my mileage so I don't over train my body and I am currently riding approximately 150 miles a week."
Lizotte said he has also been running five miles twice a week and going to the gym.
Besides physically preparing for the adventure, he is also reading blogs and forums on the Internet from other cross-country cyclists.
The trip is scheduled to start July 25, but may be delayed after Lizotte suffered a fractured elbow during one of his training runs. He said the injury is not too bad and will be able to go if it feels all right.
If the trip is postponed, they will leave in mid-August or try a different route in September called the "Southern Tier." It's a shorter route that runs from St. Augustine, Fla. to San Diego, Calif. That trip is 3,092 miles and was also created by the Adventure Cycling Association. It would last about 45 days. Lizotte said the change would be due to the TransAmerica route can start to experience snowfall in mid-October.
Lizotte said Nunez is training by running and going to the gym. Though new to biking, she is up to biking 150 miles a week and recently accomplished a 45-mile ride.
"This trip will be a great way to raise awareness and money towards those in desperate need worldwide," said Nunez, in the brochure about their ride. "Also, I view this trip as being a great way to experience all of America, while learning more about myself an growing as a person."
The trip is personally funded and they are receiving no donations or sponsorships. All the money raised will go directly towards the privately-funded not-for-profit Operation USA that fights disease and poverty.
"They do half of their work in the United States, they have very low overhead (96 cents of every dollar go directly to their programs) and they are a legitimate, well-respected charity who has been rewarded as one of the best charities in the world," he said.
To make a donation, go to www.yourcause.com/cycling4charity. To follow along with their trip, go to www.crazyguyonabike.com/TransAmerica2010.
Last updated 8:40 am CT July 08, 2010.
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