I am honored to be participating in the 2024 9/11 National Memorial Trail Tour. The September 11th National Memorial Trail is a 1,500-mile system of trails and roadways that symbolize resiliency and character while linking the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City, the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, VA, and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, PA. The trail serves as a tribute to the fallen heroes who perished on September 11, 2001, and the many heroes who committed themselves to the response for their country.
Funds raised will contribute to the ongoing maintenance and development of the 9/11 National Memorial Trail, ensuring that its significance endures for future generations. If you are able, please show your support through the donation link below.
By the grace of God and the toil of my parents, I started life really close to the end zone. Closer than some, farther than others. My dad is the man who gets up every day to put in the work – no credit for yesterday’s punch card. My mom is the woman who makes each interaction count – not quantity, but quality, but also quantity.
My dad is an engineer, a farm kid, and the person you’d call in the middle of the night for any reason. My mom is a counselor, a business manager, and the person who’d call you before you could call her. They are, separately and together, Western Pennsylvania. Protestant work ethic. Immigrant aspiration. Tradition. Change. Country. City. America. America.
Their values are obvious in my relationship to cycling. My happy place is on a bike. The simplicity of the machine. The requirement to focus. Being the conveyed and the conveyor at the same time. Moving faster than one would run and slower than one would drive.
Mostly, though, it’s the me-versus-me challenge. I am the most articulate and persuasive person I know at listing reasons why I am not only justified at bailing on a workout, but also deserving of a day off. December Me, on a trainer in a dark garage with no change of scenery, versus June Me, on the road in “Thou Shall Not Pass!” mode. Mile 20 Me, just warmed and sparkling with possibility, versus Mile 80 Me, questioning all of my choices since middle school.
Personal challenges make the world move. Personal challenges created our country. Personal challenges are the most important touchpoints any of us face. Corporations, governments, and any organization you can imagine… everything resolves to people. Humans make decisions and those decisions affect, you guessed it, other humans.
I support the 9/11 Memorial Trail because, yes, my Pennsylvania roots and, yes, I love cycling. Mostly, though, it’s hope. I hope that everyone will know and no one will forget what happened. I hope that everyone will know and no one will forget the crashes of democracy being challenged. I hope that everyone will know and no one will forget the echo of democracy being defended.
My family, my friends, my coworkers, and people I am meeting daily devote their loving-kindness to supporting the Trail. We commit to matching up to $10,000 in donations this year. Let’s ride.
