Your 9.11 Promise Bike Journey
DAY 1 ROUTE (91 MILES / +4385’ ELEVATION GAIN)
After breakfast on Day 2, our first cyclists will start out west along Route 16 and ride through the historic and charming towns of Greencastle, Mercersburg, and McConnellsburg as we enter the Appalachian Mountains. Not to worry, there’s an 800’ climb at mile 9 and a 1000’ climb at mile 42 between Mercersburg and McConnellsburg to shake out our legs that morning (and if you’re not up for it, your team may drive up and over and re-start wherever you’re comfortable.) In McConnellsburg, our first aid station of the day will be at their volunteer fire company (mile 46). We’ll then make our way south and then north to transit the Appalachians (a pair of 700’ climbs at miles 73 and then 77 with incredible views) and then continue north and west towards Bedford through beautiful farm country (and covered bridges). (Route note: there is a mile long stretch of loose-gravelly-but-safe pavement during the climb starting at mile 74.3.) At mile 93, we’ll pause at the Everett Volunteer Fire Company for our final aid station before continuing west to Bedford. The final 14 miles into Bedford are not the most challenging miles of the ride, but after the previous 187, this section will remind us of the determination showed by the passengers and crew of United 93 during their final heroic moments. We’ll collect all cyclists together 3 miles outside of town and be escorted by the Moose Lodge 480 Riders (motorcycle club) into town and to the lodge. Once there, we’ll shower up at the beautiful Bedford County courthouse, enjoy a hard-earned dinner at the Moose Lodge, and then walk to Bedford’s Veterans Park for a moving 9/11 commemoration event. Following that, we’ll be guests of the Moose Lodge along with other ceremony participants. After an exhausting day, we’ll be off to bed in the Moose Lodge (cots provided).
After breakfast at the Moose Lodge, we’ll caravan in team vehicles approximately 28 miles to the Flight 93 National Memorial (6424 Lincoln Hwy #30, Stoystown, PA 155630) where we’ll park and then take shuttle-bus to the ceremony inside the park. Once complete, cyclists are free to remain and explore the park or return home via team vehicles. The drive back to DC will take approximately 3.5 hours.
DAY 2 ROUTE (107.1 MILES / 9173’ ELEVATION GAIN)
What Cyclists are Responsible For
Personal Gear: On night one, cyclists will stay at the Vigilant Hose Fire Company located in Emmitsburg, PA. On night two, we will stay at Bedford PA’s Moose Lodge 480. Cots will be provided at each location, and every participant is responsible for bringing any bedding material they will want to sleep in (pillow + sleeping bag or blanket), toiletries (including towel and shower shoes…aka flip flops), and changes of clothes for post-ride events. On night one, we’ll launder everyone’s cycling jersey (each cyclist will receive one 9/11 Promise Bike jersey at the athlete meeting and will be required to wear it during the ride) as well as any other cycling attire, so please label your gear!
Bike Safety and Associated Equipment: Each cyclist is required to wear a helmet, carry a cell phone, and use operable front/rear lights flashing lights. We’ll be riding in the early hours and until dusk or thereabouts; safety must remain a priority. We will have water stops along the route which will provide basic nutrition (courtesy of the host fire department). However, if you have specific nutrition needs, you will need to provide this and transport it in your own team vehicles. Lunch is not provided on either day, so plan accordingly.
Personal Vehicle and Navigation: Every team and cyclist is responsible for successfully and safely navigating the course. Course files (turn-by-turn enabled) can be found on www.ridewithgps.com (specific public links are above) and moved to a number of commonly used devices, such as Garmin, Android, or iPhone. We recommend you purchase their $6 basic monthly plan so that cyclists and drivers can navigate using their app and get voice-directed turn-by-turn navigation (they have an offline feature such that once the courses are downloaded, your phone won’t use data during the navigation). We recommend cyclists keep their phone in their cycling jersey rear pocket (so they can hear the voice directed turns) while also following the course on a handlebar-mounted Garmin device. No team or cyclist shall deviate from the planned route unless safety dictates a change, and only after the deviation has been communicated to the 9/11 Promise Bike coordinators.
Each cyclist will be responsible for getting to the designated start location the morning of September 9thand home from the Flight 93 National Memorial on September 11th. All transportation during the event is also the responsibility of each cyclist and team.
The Virtual 9.11 Promise Run/Bike
Join the run or bike from the streets of your hometown or workout gear in your gym as a virtual athlete.
Virtual Athletes promise that you will run, walk, and/or bike 9.11 miles sometime between September 9th and September 11th! These miles can be done all at once or spread out over the course of the three days.
As a Virtual Athlete supporting the student of our Promise, each participant commits to raising $150 by October 1, 2024. If the amount isn't reached, participants agree to cover the remaining amount.