2023 Tour de Force 9/11 Memorial Bike Ride

In September, Tracey and I will once again head to New York to ride in our FAVORITE CHARITY EVENT - the Tour de Force Memorial Bike Ride!! From September 8th through September 11th, we will join our fellow fundraisers for 4 days of Riding around the Hudson River Valley and New York City areas to raise funds for this worthwhile cause. The Tour de Force was founded in 2002 as a memorial bicycle ride to honor the victims of 9/11. It has evolved into a four day, 275 mile ride, in which over 300 riders (many law enforcement officers or their families) from across the U.S. and abroad, along with some family and friends, participate to raise funds for the families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. The Tour de Force's dual mission is to honor the victims of 9/11 by keeping their memory alive through cycling events and to raise funds to benefit the families of police officers who were killed in the line of duty, each year, nationwide, making the ultimate sacrifice. The Tour de Force is a registered 501©3 charity with the IRS

I’ve participated in 6 TDF rides and many of you have supported me in the past and I appreciate your support. I will be riding again this year with Tracey. In the past I have been able to ride with my brother, sister, and sister in law, but unfortunately they will not be able to ride this year.

This ride is so important to me for two reasons. 1) To raise funds for this VERY MEANINGFUL (and VERY PERSONAL) cause. My brother was a Miami Beach Police officer (now retired). In January of 1992 - his first year on the job, we almost lost him in a line of duty incident. Thankfully he survived and after a lot of rehab was able to return to duty in 1993. Needless to say, being able to participate in this event to raise funds for those not as fortunate as we were, is very meaningful to me. And 2) I got into cycling at the end of 2015 to be able to do my first TDF in 2016 with my brother who had participated in this event for several years. It opened up a whole new world and outlet for me. I've met so many of my closest friends through cycling and experienced so many beautiful places and events on my bikes. This year in just a couple weeks Tracey and I will travel to Iowa to participate in the Largest and Oldest Organized ride in the US - the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI). This is the 50th anniversary of the enent which started in 1973. This year's ride will be from Sioux City on the Missouri river to Davenport Iowa on the Mississippi river - - 500 miles) and the expected participation is over 35,000 riders!!

Violence AGAINST and TARGETING of Police officers continues to be an issue and sadly more and more families need our support. The Tour de Force is a small way of helping those who put their lives and safety on the line every day to "PROTECT AND SERVE" their communities. My goal again is to raise a minimum of $2000 for this year's ride. If you can support me in any way, please log onto my individual registration page and make a donation.  Any amount helps this great cause.