A group of firefighters started to pedal their way across the California desert this past weekend on a nearly 3,000 mile trip to Ground Zero.
Eleven firefighters left Santa Monica Beach as part of the Fire Velo Rider cross-country trip commemorating the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
“Our first major stop will be in Oklahoma City at the Oklahoma City [bombing] memorial. From there, we are going to travel northeast to Shanksville, [Penn.], where the United Flight [93] went in,” said Buck Buchanan.
Buchanan is a retired Los Angeles County firefighter and former battalion chief. He said several of the riders are from L.A. fire departments.
“From there we’ll go to the Pentagon, and then we’ll be at Ground Zero on Sept. 9,” he said.
The firefighters have already felt support as they ride through communities.
“We’ve had a lot of people waving at us, honking at us and giving us the thumbs up,” Buchanan said.
The cyclists are raising money for four firefighter charities, including one that helps firefighters with cancer, a common illness stemming from the toxic smoke they often breathe in.
Donations for the L.A. to New York City ride can be made here.
The donations are tax free and will go to charities providing assistance to the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Foundation, Friends of Firefighters, the Fire Family Foundation and the Gary Sinise Foundation (RISE Program), according to the fundraising website.