JHS graduate joins two-month bike ride for cancer research

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Justin Morrissette (center) is riding is bike from California to Florida to raise money for cancer research.

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Justin Morrissette, son of Mark and Michelle Morrissette of Alexandria, recently embarked on a two-month bike ride from Los Angeles to Florida to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Currently a resident of Chicago, Morrissette is a pilot at SkyWest Airlines. He is making the bike trip with two fellow pilots, Elvis Khachatryan and Matthew Warrick.

The trio will bike about 60 miles a day to reach their destination. The ride will take them through Tempe, Arizona; El Paso, Austin and Navasota, Texas; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Pensacola, Florida; and finally St. Augustine, Florida, where they will follow cycling tradition and dip their front wheels in the Atlantic Ocean.

Unlike most cross-country bicycle treks, these cyclists will not be accompanied by a support vehicle, making it a much more difficult voyage. Morrissette’s bicycle will weigh about 25 pounds compelte with gear. The journey will mix hotel accommodations with campsites.

Morrissette and his companions will have to consume about 6,000 calories a day to maintain their weight.

He has plugged a global satellite positioning device into a cell phone during the trip. Photos and updates of the trip can be found on the group’s Facebook page, “Three Riders.”

The trio hopes to raise $10,000 for breast cancer research. Money raised goes directly to the charity. For information, or to contribute, visit the website, www.firstgiving.com/coast2coast4charity.com.

Tags: justin morrissette, life, bike, ride, cancer, research