Classmates from the Class of 1975 are cycling from Florida to Maryland and tracking the mileage to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday.
In celebration of their 50th reunion, several U.S. Naval Academy graduates of 1975 decided to combine camaraderie, fitness and giving back.
Nearly 20 graduates are setting out on a 1,200-mile bike ride from Apalachicola, Fla., to Annapolis, Md., on Oct. 1. Named the Gulf to Goat Charity Bike Ride, the riders are fundraising for five charities while supporting The American Legion’s USA 250 Challenge that celebrates the nation’s 250th birthday on July 4, 2026.
“The Class of 1975 out of the Naval Academy is all about giving back and this is our way of giving back,” said Chuck Geyer, a member of American Legion Post, Squadron and Unit 162 in Lorton, Va. “Some of us are big-time riders and some of us are just athletes and some of us are doing this for the first time.”
When Geyer saw the announcement of the Legion’s USA 250 Challenge, which offers three categories — fitness, mental wellness and community service — for participants to engage in 250 miles or hours of one, two or all three activities as an individual or as part of a team, it was a perfect fit with the Gulf to Goat ride.
“I said, ‘We need to do this,’” Geyer said, as well as do what The American Legion and U.S. Naval Academy graduates do best. “The American Legion is about leading from the front, and as Naval Academy grads we were taught to lead from the front. We are all about leading from the front to show the nation what we can do leading up to the nation’s 250th birthday. It’s leading from the front and leading other people into a life of fitness and healthy living.”
Geyer and nearly 20 other Naval Academy graduates will depart Oct. 1 from the Three Servicemen Statue South in in Apalachicola and arrive Oct. 22 at the Naval Academy’s Bill the Goat statue in Annapolis. The route includes stops at American Legion posts and will be documented on the Gulf to Goat website at www.gulftogoat.navy.
Geyer’s wife, Rhonda, also a Navy veteran and member of Post and Unit 162, is not riding in the Gulf to Goat but is still participating in the USA 250 Challenge by walking and cycling.
“Even though she isn’t doing the ride itself, she wanted to be a part of it (American Legion USA 250 Challenge),” Geyer said.
As Geyer and the other Gulf to Goat riders begin tracking their 250-plus miles in preparation for and during the charity ride, the miles won’t stop afterward as they will continue to America’s 250th birthday.
“Just because we're finishing up on October 22 doesn't mean that we're done,” Geyer said. “All of us are very fitness oriented and health oriented, and you'll see I'm encouraging everyone, even after this is done, to keep inputting how we're doing for the year. So you're going to see totals build (on the Legion’s USA 250 Challenge leaderboard) even after the event is done.”
Register here for The American Legion’s USA 250 Challenge for $30. Participants will receive a USA 250 Challenge T-shirt (white, red or blue) and proceeds will go to the Veterans & Children Foundation.
- USA250 Challenge