First Responder Ride Honoring Fallen 9/11 Firefighters to Pass Through Old Lyme, Sept. 8

OLD LYME, CT –  A 343-mile cycling ride honoring the 343 firefighters killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks will pass through Old Lyme on Tuesday, Sept. 8.

The five-day First Responder Ride for Resilience, organized by Livestrong, will travel from Boston to the 9/11 Memorial in New York City ahead of the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Organizers say the ride also aims to raise awareness of the cancer and mental health challenges faced by first responders.

Riders are expected to pass through Old Lyme between approximately 8:25 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. Sept. 8. The route map shows riders will travel from the Baldwin Bridge to Route 156 to Four Mile River Road. While there will not be a staffed stop in town, residents are encouraged to cheer riders along the route. 

According to Livestrong, funds raised through the event will support three organizations serving first responders and cancer survivors: Friends of Firefighters, the Boston Fire Cancer Foundation and Livestrong.

Organizers cite research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health indicating firefighters are more likely than the general population to be diagnosed with and die from cancer.

Nancy Carbone, Executive Director of Friends of Firefighters, said the organization was started in the wake of the 9/11 attacks to provide free mental health counseling and wellness services to active and retired FDNY firefighters and their family members. 

“In the last 25 years, we have lost nearly 800 members of the FDNY to September 11th and 9/11 cancer, and job-related cancer remains one of the greatest risks our firefighters face every single day,” she said. “Whether you ride, volunteer, or donate, you’re providing hands-on support for the physical and mental toll cancer takes on our first responders.” 

More information is available at 911ride.org.