April 8, 2010

By Rick Winterson

John is the third South Bostonian to take on a coast-to-coast bicycle ride to benefit disease prevention research foundations.  Four of his aunts died far too soon, two from lung cancer, so he’ll devote the proceeds of his ride to the LCRF (Lung Cancer Research Foundation).  Do you recall the other two riders?

Perhaps it’s something in the air.  More likely, it’s something in their blood.  Many young men from South Boston set off on great adventures and epic quests.  They leave behind their jobs, young wives, and the old hometown.  They endure extreme hardships. They put forth immense efforts. 

But there are two crucial differences between South Boston’s wayfarers and those of legend.  The adventurers from South Boston come straight back, as soon as their circumstances allow. There’s no ten years of wandering around, like Ulysses after the Trojan War.  They love South Boston too much to stay away any longer than absolutely necessary. 

And South Boston’s adventurers come back successful - task finished; quest completed; mission accomplished.  Mere glimpses of the Holy Grail were all that Galahad and Parsifal ever got, but that’s nowhere near enough for the guys from South Boston.

John Hurley is about to set off on a quest of his own.  He’s going to ride across America from San Francisco to Portsmouth, New Hampshire – all 3,847 miles of it by bicycle.  He’s in training right now, and will fly out to San Francisco early in June. 

The departure date for returning to Portsmouth is Saturday, June 5.  Immediately before the ride starts, the riders will ceremonially dip the rear wheels of their bicycles in the Pacific Ocean.  On Tuesday, July 27, just over seven weeks later – 44 days with six days of rest, to be exact – the riders will arrive in Portsmouth, dipping their front wheels into the Atlantic to symbolize the end of the quest.

The riders must average around 90 miles every day.  There are no sick days, rain days, or weather delays.  They consume more than 10,000 calories daily, which is the equivalent of ten (large) meals a day.  Think about that.

The man who embarks on such a venture has to be motivated by something outside of himself.  Over the past five years, John Hurley has lost four of his aunts to illnesses that took them at much too young ages.  You knew them as “The Farrell Sisters”; two of them succumbed to lung cancer.  The twin quests John has taken on are to keep their names alive and to raise $20,000 for the LCRF (Lung Cancer Research Foundation).  You can begin your support of John’s epic journey at his April 23 (Friday evening) “time” at Seapoint.

True to the legends, John will be leaving his new wife at home.  She’s Mary (King) Hurley, comes from Maryland, and is a Program Manager for EUSA.  They met while they were at Holy Cross and were married last October.  John says, “This whole thing is a testament to her and the support she’s given my cross-country ride.”

The other two cross-country bicyclists that South Boston Online knows of are Tom Regan and John’s father Jay Hurley, the Ironworkers’ International Vice President.  Jay’s ride was an even 20 years ago in 1990.  “I’m just following in my father’s footsteps”, John claims.

Visit John’s blog at http://www.johnbikescrosscountry.blogspot.com/   And don’t forget Friday evening, April 23, at Seapoint.  Find out about the LCRF at www.lungfund.org