MISSION POSSIBLE: Operation Coast to Coast

Over the past 60 days we’ve raised more than $11,550 for the Delta Gamma Center through the gifts of more than 60 donors. That’s enough funding to support more than 115 home visits by vision therapists, or 1,150 activity fees for visually impaired kids. THANK YOU! Because of all of your generosity we are going to make a direct difference in the lives of hundreds to thousands of children, and thousands of family members. The support my family received from the DGC when we moved to the St. Louis Area with little Charles gave us hope, and we will forever be thankful for everything they’ve done for us. On behalf of the entire Dolan family, Thank you!

On the biking front, I made it another 137 miles this past week across Wyoming, and marked the completion of my first 1,000 miles. I still have another 180 miles before I cross into my next state, but I’m officially more than one third complete with my ride. Now that the fund raising portion is complete it’s up to me to make it the rest of the way from central Wyoming to the Atlantic Ocean in Virginia.

This will be my last update on the Fundly website, but stay tuned to the Delta Gamma Center website and their Facebook page for updates on my ride until the estimated completion at the end of December. Thank you to everyone once again for all the support, the rides, and the donations. Now it’s up to me to fulfill my end of the journey and catch up to the Tandem Adventures Cycling team who are already in Missouri. #WeAllRideTogether #IRideForDGCKids #MissionPossible .

-John

What an amazing and motivational week for Mission Possible. I don’t know how to say it any better. We jumped from just over $3,000 raised to over $9,400 this past week. That’s almost $1,000 dollars each day! I’m so incredibly thankful for everyone that has donated and made this possible. We are going to have an amazing impact on hundreds of kids, and it’s truly humbling, and inspirational, to know there are so many people out there willing to support the Delta Gamma Center, the kids they help, and this bike ride. Now it’s up to me to hold up my end of the mission and make it all the way to Virginia.
It was another big week riding out here for me. I completed just over 140 miles this past week and completed my third state (Utah). I’m firmly in to the 44th State that joined the Union, Wyoming, and in to the second to last big state I have to cross. The Cowboy State joined the US in 1890 and is the home to both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park. After such a great week of fundraising I’m really motivated to hit the bike hard this week, get to the 1,000 mile mark, celebrate my birthday, and give back to the Delta Gamma Center for everything they’ve done for my family. #WeAllRideTogether #IRideForDGCKids #MissionPossible .
-John

Week 7 update from Captain Dolan:
I’ve made a lot of good steady progress this past week heading across Utah. I’ve traveled all the way from the Bonneville Salt Flats raceway past the Great Salt Lake, through Salt Lake City, and on to Park City Utah. I’m exiting the desert west and transitioning into the Rocky Mountains.

The only other news this week for me is that it’s my little girl Fiona’s FIRST birthday. I don’t know how the time went so fast, but a lot has happened in the last 365 days, and she’s done a lot of growing up. Happy Birthday Fiona!! Be sure to get your hands all over your first birthday cake, and eat a little bit for me. I can’t wait to see all of the great new things you learn to do during your next year.

131 miles this past week is right on average and is slowly increasing my total. I’m up to 765 miles total and looking forward to hitting the first 1,000 mile mark in only two more weeks. #WeAllRideTogether #IRideForDGCKids #MissionPossible .
-John

Week 6 Update from Captain Dolan:

Hello Utah and Goodbye Nevada!

It’s tough to believe how fast those 400 miles went, but I’m glad they’re done. I’m now firmly into state number 3, the “Beehive State”. It joined the Union on January 4, 1896 as the 45th state, and is the 11th largest state in the US. Luckily for me, I’m not biking across it the long way. I only have 203 miles to cross Utah and should make it into Wyoming in a about a week and a half.
135 miles this past week is just over my average of 127 miles per week, but I’m looking to stay up around 140 as I get stronger. #WeAllRideTogether #IRideForDGCKids #MissionPossible .

-John

Week 5 Update from Captain Dolan:

This week went much better than last week. I don’t know who’s idea it was to do two hard rides in a row, but I won’t be doing that again for a long time.
Thank you everyone that has donated so far! We officially passed the $2K mark and are continuing towards the goal of $15K. Stay tuned for an update in the Hudson, WI Star-Observer (my hometown) about the ride. I’ll be sure to post it once it’s published.

I’m getting closer to Utah, but not there yet. Another 131 miles this past week, but at least I had one of my friends out here join me for a ride. It was great to have someone else to share the morning ride with instead of staring at the same spot on the tent again. The other big news this week is that it’s my beautiful wife Kristin’s birthday. Happy Birthday Kristin! I wish I could be there, but I’ll be home before you know it! Back to the bike tomorrow to continue on our journey east. Until next week! #WeAllRideTogether #IRideForDGCKids .
-John

If I wasn’t in the desert before, I’m definitely there now (Pun intended) :)
I wish I could say this week was as easy as the last one, but it wasn’t. My legs definitely felt the wear of the consistent riding this week and the past 368 miles. While I made good progress again, 131 more miles complete, I ended up having to take two or three days easy in a row to hit my daily mileage goal. This is most likely because I decided to have two days of hard riding in a row because one of my friends here took me up on my offer to ride with me.
It was great to have a companion covering the distance, normally it’s just my music and anyone else that’s using a treadmill, but I paid the price for two tough days in a row. It took me a full two days of easy to moderate riding before I fully recovered and was able to ride at full speed again. I definitely needed the recovery day this week, and I’m glad it got here so fast.
I’m almost to the half way point in Nevada, but I’m already looking forward to my next state. I haven’t had any takers yet, but if you’re interested in “riding” with me you can send a Facebook message to the Delta Gamma Center, tag them in a post, or share the latest update on your Facebook wall with you message. Or, you can just go on your own ride and post a picture using the hashtags #WeAllRideTogether #IRideForDGCKids .
-John

An update from Captain Dolan:

It’s been another productive week of cycling over here. This was my first full week of riding 6 days in a row and it’s gone pretty well, except for a short bout with a stomach bug. Over the past week I’ve rode past several small towns in California (Auburn, Soda Springs, Truckee), and also went by the Lake Tahoe area. Too bad I couldn’t stop for a week-long skiing vacation!

I covered 131 more miles this week, 237 in total, and completed my first major milestone on the ride. I’ve finished the ride across the Golden State, California, and have entered the “Battle Born” state of Nevada. Looking forward I’ll have about 400 miles, or three and a half more weeks, until I get to my third state.
As a reminder, if you’re interested in “riding” with me just send a message to the Delta Gamma Center about the day you want to ride and I’ll let you know where in the US my route will be on that day. #WeAllRideTogether #IRideForDGCKids
-John

A message from Captain Dolan:

Hello everyone from Undisclosed Location!
I’ve finally made it to my home away from home for the next 6 months.
The first week of riding has been going very smoothly. I ended up taking two days off this first week, instead of the normally planned one day, to help ensure I don’t overdue and injure myself before I even make it out of the first state.
After starting on the 11th of July I’ve already covered 129 miles. I’ve “rode past” San Francisco, Oakland, and just recently passed Sacramento, CA. I’m currently on I80E in the small town of Auburn California and will hopefully make it to my second state by the next update. My legs are starting to get stronger and I think I’m finally over any soreness from sitting on the bike every day.
If anyone is interested in riding 20 miles with me to help show support for the kids of Delta Gamma center, just post a picture on Facebook or Instagram using the hashtags #WeAllRideTogether #MissionPossible #IRideforDGCkids . It may still be early in the ride, but every little bit of support will help me keep going on this ride across America.
Thank you to everyone for your support thus far, and here’s to the next 120 miles!”

Captain Dolan has officially started Mission Possible: Coast to Coast! While on route to his final location where he will be stationed until January, John sporting the Tandem Adventurers team jersey put the pedals in motion at a gym on base. On his first day he cycled out of San Francisco and into the city of Oakland, CA. A total distance of 20.4 miles. Join us in celebrating ride 1 of 150!