The Brownsville Fire Department will honor fallen first responders who died when two planes crashed into the World Trade Center in the deadliest attack on America since Pearl Harbor with a 32-mile bike ride that will benefit the department’s Christmas toy drive.
The Brownsville Fire Department will honor fallen first responders who died when two planes crashed into the World Trade Center in the deadliest attack on America since Pearl Harbor with a 32-mile bike ride that will benefit the department’s Christmas toy drive.
“This event honors not only the firefighters that lost their lives on 9-11, but all other first responders, as well as all the civilians that lost their lives by making this event a positive event where everyone can get together and remember the losses of that day,” Deputy Chief Cesar Pedraza said. “In the end, we want to make a positive impact on everybody by providing an event where we can express ourselves in a positive manner.”
The 2018 9-11 Memorial Bicycle Ride is Sept. 9 at 8 a.m. at Brownsville Fire Department Station 8 at 1855 Capt. Donald L. Foust Rd.
Registration is $30. Those funds make it possible for firefighters to buy toys for kids at Christmas, and bicyclists can register day-of.
Before the ride begins, there will be a brief ceremony, which will include a performance by the Brownsville Firefighters Pipes & Drums.
Pedraza said this ride isn’t a race, but more of a tour where everyone rides at a leisurely pace behind a pace vehicle.
“So that makes it a real fun, noncompetitive event,” Pedraza said.
Robert Saldivar, a technical specialist at the fire department, said registration is from 6:30 to 7:45 a.m.
The ride itself will last about two hours and 40 minutes and includes two water stops and two regroup stops.
“So when people get left behind, stragglers have a chance to catch up,” Saldivar said.
Last year, the fire department hosted the ride for the first time.
Saldivar said there were 147 participants.
The first 300 participants will get T-shirts and medals, and after the race the public and participants are invited to stick around for a barbecue.
For more information, contact Saldivar at (956) 459-1792 or at [email protected].
