On Sept. 20

several cyclists from the Atlanta area joined close to 1,200 other riders

to complete a bike ride from Ground Zero in New York City to the Pentagon.

Among those who made the journey were Fayetteville resident Joann Boyle

and Peachtree City residents Dwayne and Sharon Sanders.

The ride was

called Face of America 2002 and was sponsored by World T.E.A.M. Sports.

The goal of the ride was to bring people together after the anniversary

of the Sept. 11 attacks. Riders biked for close to 23 hours over three

days, often biking from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Both Boyle and Dwayne Sanders

feel the ride was a success.

Cyclists went

75 miles Friday, 125 miles Saturday and 75 miles Sunday. After starting

with a one-mile ride in Manhattan, the riders took a ferry to Sandy Hook,

New Jersey and started the majority of the ride from there. There were

rest stops every 20 miles featuring water and food, and camping was provided

each night with restrooms, showers and food. One night had the cyclists

camping on a football field in New Jersey.

The ride also

featured a bus that would pick up cyclists who needed to take a break

from time to time. Sanders and his wife got caught on one for a little

longer than they expected and ended up losing a lot of riding time. Both

Boyle and Sanders remarked on the closing part of the ride from RFK Stadium

in Washington, D.C. to the Pentagon as one of the favorite parts of their

ride.

"It was

like we had a presidential motorcade," said Sanders. Pennsylvania

Avenue was closed for the riders and the riders got a police escort as

they went on the expressway over the Potomac River and into Virginia to

the Pentagon. At the Pentagon there were guest speakers and a very emotional

ceremony.

"I didn't

fully understand the magnitude of the attacks until the end of the ride,"

remarked Sanders. "There were families that were destroyed and some

companies with over half of their work force wiped out."

"I lived

in New York for 30 years," said Boyle, who was hit hard by the attacks,

concerned for the many people she knew in the area. "It was a cathartic

experience because it was a celebration of people's lives by honoring

their memories and it was also a celebration of accomplishment."

Boyle said many of the riders had pictures of their loved ones on their

bicycles or t-shirts.

Dwayne Sanders,

one of many handcyclists or disabled cyclists that participated in the

ride, found that the ride was a way for people to push and test themselves.

"The ride was a way for people to go further than they have before

and to not quit. Everybody has adversity to deal with and you have to

move on and do the best with what you've got."

Both Boyle

and Sanders now know that they can accomplish more than they initially

thought they could. Sanders races in dozens of races a year but only rides

about 20-30 miles at a time, while Boyle rides with Fayette Biking for

Life and does approximately 40-60 miles a week. They both consider the

ride a "ride of a lifetime."

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