By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Fran Dolan is getting older. Unfortunately, the trip isn’t getting any shorter.
The now 77-year-old Dolan is facing the same 78-mile bike trip to Sea Isle City that he first took in 1966 as a 19-year-old seminary student. But he loves it.
This Saturday, Dolan will be joined by family members, friends and others for the Overbrook Bicycle Association’s annual ride from the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge to Sea Isle.
This will be the 58th straight year for the bike trip.
“Us old-timers are still keeping the streak alive,” Dolan said with a laugh during an interview Wednesday.
When they were just 19 years old, Dolan, Joe Fitzpatrick, Marty Costello and Jim D’Angelo began making that same trip on their bikes in 1966 to celebrate the end of their first year at the St. Charles Seminary in Philadelphia. At that time, they simply jumped on their bikes and set off on a whim.
Although none of them went on to become priests, the four men still share a strong bond through the Overbrook Bicycle Association they formed all those years ago and the annual excursions they make on two wheels from the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge to Sea Isle.
Dolan is planning to make the trip this year. He has missed only three over the entire 58 years. Fitzpatrick may make the ride on Saturday, but Costello and D’Angelo aren’t expected to this year, Dolan said.
Remarkably, Dolan’s 80-year-old brother, Vince, is expected to be one of the riders Saturday. Noting his brother’s age, Dolan said Vince’s participation will be a “memorable aspect” of the trip.
The bike trip is always done on the first Saturday in June. Altogether, it takes about 9 hours, including about 5½ to 6 hours of actual pedaling. The ride includes a number of stops at favorite haunts, including the Mr. Green Jeans Farm Market & Nursery on Route 73 near Hammonton and the Harley Dawn Diner on Route 322 in Folsom.
Dolan noted that the hospitality the riders receive along the way, especially at places such as Mr. Green Jeans, the Harley Dawn Diner and the Tuckahoe Bike Shop, is extraordinary.
“People expect us and provide great hospitality,” he said. “It’s just a great example of the goodwill in humanity.”
After the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge, the cyclists take Church Road to Route 73, then Route 322, then Route 559, and then Route 50 before connecting to Route 9 for the final push to Sea Isle Boulevard.
Along the way, they share camaraderie, humor and some good stories while making memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.
“We just want to keep it fun – and that’s what we’ve done,” Dolan said.
However, there have been some sad moments. In 1968, Dolan and his seminary buddies learned of the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy while on the road. Dolan remembers seeing the tragic news on an old black-and-white television during a stop at a general store along the way to Sea Isle.
The four friends kneeled on the side of the road in prayer. Later, Dolan and Fitzpatrick hitchhiked to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City to attend RFK’s funeral. Dolan recalled standing in line for 10 hours to pay his respects.
To start their trip on Saturday, the riders will receive a blessing from the Overbrook Bicycle Association’s chaplains, Father James Callahan and Father Bernard Farley.
Traditionally, the riders meet at the bridge at 7:30 a.m. and get underway with a police escort.
A police escort will greet them when they arrive on Sea Isle Boulevard for the final leg of the trip to the Promenade at John F. Kennedy Boulevard. They are expected to arrive between 5 and 5:30 p.m.
“It lends a little excitement and adventure,” Dolan said of the police escort into Sea Isle. “We always have a big crowd on the Promenade.”
Dolan and his wife, Lena, formerly owned a vacation home in Sea Isle on Roberts Avenue. They sold the home to their daughter and son-in-law. They spend a good part of their summers at the shore once the bike trip is over.
Dolan, whose primary residence is the East Falls section of Philadelphia, is the retired executive director of the Catholic Charities of Trenton.
Fitzpatrick, Costello and D’Angelo are all retired, too. Fitzpatrick lives in Lansdale, Pa., D’Angelo resides in Bucks County, Pa., and Costello makes his home in Burlington, Vermont.
Despite all four seminary buddies being well into their 70s now, their incredible streak of 58 straight years for the bike ride continue.
