2010 PUT Ride Postscript

I've made it home, safe and sound. I'm unpacked and most of the laundry is done, so time to get down to the most important part of my blog for my fifth Police Unity Tour...the Thank You page!

My fifth Police Unity Tour was a personal success because of the generous financial support of friends, family and co-workers. Those donations are part of the $1.1 Million we gave to the Memorial this year.

Huge thanks go out to Pat Montuore and the rest of the original 18 who made the first journey to the National Law Enforcement Memorial in 1997. Without them and their vision, the 2010 PUT would not have been possible.

For us riders, the most obvious Thanks goes out to the Motors who ride ahead of us and block intersections, keeping us safe from impatient motorists and the occasional pedestrian who can't gauge the speed of on-coming riders.

Other motors flank us, helping to keep us in line and separate from active traffic lanes.

I do not have a final count on repair supplies used, but I know the bike mechanics earned their keep this year. I heard we ran out of tubes and tires and know that this year was especially hard on pedal parts and cleats. Thanks to the mechanics who give up a week of their time to keep us rolling on the road. I'm personally grateful that they were able to find a single stack chainring bolt amongst all the small parts so I could keep on riding.

The break teams were awesome this year. They drive ahead of us to the various stops, set up and make sure everyone has enough to eat and drink at every break, then they make sure we leave the break locations spotless.

Target Corp went all out for us this year, hosting several breaks along the way and providing us with great spaces to spread out and rest before each new leg. Their staff worked well with our break teams to add to what the PUT provided and make sure that everyone who wanted Fig Newtons got some.
The David Lokey Center is always a great break host and inspiration for the riders.

As we ride along there are usually individuals and groups along the way to wish us well on our journey. The couple pictured above has become a landmark for the riders, they are always there with their U.S. and National Law Enforcement Memorial Flags.

Local Fire and Police Departments also come out, flying the flag, hitting the sirens and honking their horns.

This year, a class of Bohemia Manor High School Seniors come out to cheer us. Their teacher had been caught in traffic by us in the past, but rather than curse the delay, she used our passing as part of the class curriculum on company culture.

The unsung helpers of the Unity Tour is the Hotel Team. When we are complaining about having to get the luggage to the trucks at o'dark-thirty, they are the ones who've been up since o'dark hundred making sure everything will be set when we get to our next destination.

The other unsung heros are the folks who staff the ambulance. Like the bike mechanics, they are pretty much ignored until you need them. I was fortunate this year not to need their services, but they were quick to respond and care for all who needed their help.

I'd like to end by thanking the PUT Board, Chapter Leadership and Staff who have worked so hard over the last 14 years to make the PUT the success that it is. Without their tireless efforts, I could not have made my ride to remember Montrose Police Sergeant DAVID JOSEPH KINTERKNECHT.

Day 5 - Candlelight Vigil

After the ride is complete, the work for the PUT riders is just about to begin. Officers from the PUT don their dress uniforms and serve as escorts for the survivors as they arrive at the Memorial for the Candlelight Vigil. This year, 325 names were added to the memorial, 116 from 2009 and 208 from previous years.
This year was the first year I did not serve as an escort Officer, but Colorado was still well represented. Though I missed escorting survivors this year, I did get to spend more time with David Kinterknecht's family before the vigil started.

During the vigil, we heard from National Law Enforcement Memorial Chairman Craig Floyd, Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano, National C.O.P.S. President Jennifer Thacker and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr.

Among his remarks, the Attorney General said the following, which is consistent with the Police Unity Tour goal of honoring and remembering Officers killed in the line of duty:

"...I raise these numbers – 20,000, 325, 209, 116 – not as measures of loss, but as reminders of how dangerously easy it can be to reduce fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, children and colleagues and friends, to statistics. That’s why we must cling to our memories – of their bravery, their generosity, their laughter, their passion and their stories. And that’s why we now celebrate their lives by adding their names to this place of honor. ..."

(Photo courtesy of the NLEOMF)

After the candles were extinguished, we joined the Kinterknecht family for the final roll call. As the reader came to Colorado, we stood at attention to honor his memory as David Kinterknecht's name was read.

Through the ride we had cold, wind, rain, more cold, rogue deer, heat and humidity. None of it was as hard as watching the chain reaction of sobbing that was started by David's youngest when her Father's name was read.

Day 5 - The Granola Ride

At the start of my first ride in 2006 I somehow earned the moniker "Granola." Something to do with wearing Crocs and generally fitting the stereotype of Boulder. The name has stuck, as has my tradition of taking a ride the day after the official ride has come to an end. The first two "Granola" rides, to Mount Vernon and on the C&O Canal tow path, were solo ventures, very useful for clearing my head and getting ready for the candle light vigil. The last three have had a variety of participants and destinations. One of the riders this year had never been to DC, so took a quick spin around the various monuments.

Since we crossed the Potomac into Arlington to visit the Marine Corps War (Iwo Jima) memorial, Arlington National Cemetary and the Pentagon Memorial, that meant we rode in 5 states and the District of Columbia over the course of our ride for those who died.

We finished our little tour with a lap around the White House, then headed back to the hotel to get ready for the candle light vigil.

Day 4 - Annapolis MD to Washington DC

I really like the last day of the ride, not because it's the last day, but because it takes us through some more really nice parts of Maryland, before taking us into some less-than nice parts of D.C. The ride started in the back of the Loews Annapolis hotel, with a bit of a delay trying to track down some bikes.

Even though today covers the shortest distance of the ride, it can be a hard day for those who did not train for hills. The first section of the ride traverses some nicely-treed rolling hills. We take a break before heading into the appropriately named Landover Hills.

The break was at a Target in Bowie, MD, where it was time for group photos, including all of us who rode Surly bikes. I rode my fixed-gear Steamroller and several riders from Covington KY rode their Cross Checks. After the break, we rode to RFK Stadium in DC to meet up with all the riders from all the chapters.

Together, about 1200 riders strong, we rode the final miles through the streets of Washington D.C. to the National Law Enforcement Memorial. A huge crowd lined the final block as we had to slow to a walk as we approached the Memorial.

After a few photo ops, we gathered for the arrival ceremony. The ceremony celebrated our group effort, but also recognized the individual efforts of many, especially the survivors and co-workers who joined us for the ride.

As a thunderstorm neared, the announcement came that we raised $1.1 million this year. The money raised this year will go directly toward a special project to refurbish the walls of the Memorial. Miles ridden: 38

People complaining about missing the train as we rode by Union Station: 1

Colorado riders wilting in the heat and humidity of DC: 1

Millions of Dollars dedicated to refurbish the names on the Memorial: 1.1

Day 3 - Wilmington DE to Annapolis MD

Day 3 dawned bright, mostly clear and free of wind. Due to the distance between hotels in Wilmington, we had a very crowded bus ride to the start.

Before we rolled out, the marshals and the motors had a safety meeting to figure out some solutions to controlling 600+ riders to ensure we make the ride safe and fun. The riders all got a speech on the importance of riding 2x2 and paying attention to the marshals.
The ride went pretty smoothly after that. We rode through Delaware, with lots of folks along the road cheering us. There was a very good showing from New Castle County, with both Fire and Law Enforcement along the roadway.
We turned south shortly after crossing into Maryland. We took our first break at the David Lockey Center. It is a day center for special needs adults. It's always a special break for the clients and the riders. The clients put together banners, that are then carried to the Memorial and displayed as we ride in.

After the break we headed across some of the most beautiful terrain of the ride. Farms with crops knee-high already, horses & cattle running along side. We took our usual lunch break at the Galena Fire Department, enjoying the large grassy area behind the station. The skies started to darken during lunch, so I put on the rain gear. Glad I did, as it started to drizzle, then rain in earnest. I did not witness this event, but there was a close call with the local wildlife after lunch. Apparently a deer did not want to have to wait until the riders passed to cross the road and jumped in front of one of the riders, the impact knocked the deer down, who rolled about a bit before jumping to it's feet and bounding off.

Another rider and I then rode ahead of the pack to Centreville, MD so that Taps could be played at the Memorial for Michael Nickerson. The other Colorado rider's family met us at the memorial to watch the group ride by and gave us an umbrella to make it almost tolerable to stand out in the rain. We caught back on to the back of the group, and after another break, headed toward Stevensville, where we ended the day with another bus ride over the Chesapeake into Annapolis.

Miles ridden: 96

Deer collided with: 1

Hypothermic riders: a bunch

Day 2 - Edison NJ to Wilmington DE

Day 2 started off cool and did not warm up much, but we did catch a break from the wind. There was still wind, just not as bad as yesterday.

The official word of the day was "we," as in "we will ride two by two and stay to the right." That didn't work out so well, despite the best efforts of the ride marshals and the motors, but we did see some progress. Several riders struggled after the first break and had to sag, but not nearly as many as last year.

The biggest challenge of the day is the Commodore Barry Bridge over the Delaware river from NJ to PA. For riders who ride hills, it's not much, but for those who aren't prepared, it looks pretty daunting. Our last break of the day was on the NJ side of the bridge, where we held a ceremony for the Delaware Port Authority. They shut down the PA bound side of the bridge to allow us to cross and have always been gracious hosts for our breaks. Aside from thanking them for their role in our ride, we wanted to acknowledge and share in their loss of Corporal Christopher Milito who was struck and killed by a car on January 16, 2010 while investigating an accident at the Walt Whitman bridge.

No really interesting stats for the day. Overall it was a nice day to ride 90 miles on a bike.

Day 1 - East Hanover - Jersey City - Edison

One of the Motors is known for coming up with the word of the day. When I first started riding, the word was usually related to the current conditions, like "hydrate" on a hot day. For the past couple of years, he gives a word of the day that will ultimately become part of a sentence by the time we reach DC. Today's official word was "Together"

The topical word of the day however, was "Wind." The wind created havoc along the ride. The cross-winds made bike handling a bit tricky and the head winds made forward progress more difficult. From a weather stand point, it was not the best day ever of the Police Unity Tour.

Apart from the weather, there were other highlights. The send off took place in Jersey City. We got to honor Detective Marc Anthony DeNardo who was shot and killed on July 21, 2009. Detective DeNardo's brother is riding with us to D.C. We crossed into Newark, via the Officers Sean Carson and Robert Ngyun memorial bridge, with Taps being played on the bridge to honor them. We rode past Newark Police Headquarters and slowed as we passed their memorial. Turning south, we slowly rode past the spot where Officer Thomas Raji was killed last year.

Throughout the day, one of our riders, Officer Scott, created tons of photo opportunities by handing out small PUT flags to every kid he saw along the route. I even overheard a couple of kids say ''look, here he comes."

Stats for the day:

Bikes fixed - many. First breakdown was a broken chain a few hundred yards from the start and it only got worse from there.

Fingers broken - one (no, not mine). Wind, poor bike handling and not riding 2x2 was an issue today.

Miles ridden - 58

PUT Eve

Luggage tags are finished, bikes are built (mostly), refrigerator truck is stocked with water and sports drinks, food truck is full of fig newtons, Dennis is studying the thesaurus for tomorrow's 'word of the day' and the speaker is mounted on his motor...it must be the night before the PUT.

Although only 116 police officers were killed in the line of duty in 2009, 15 of them were killed in multiple-fatality incidents. 4 in Oakland, 3 in Pittsburgh, 2 in Okaloosa County Florida, 2 in Seminole County Oklahoma and 4 in Lakewood Washington. This year's PUT has a different feel because of these tragedies. Everywhere I turn, I see an Oakland patch or shirt remembering Daniel Sakai, Ervin Romans, Mark Dunakin and John Hege. Oakland has sent 50+ Officers to ride, both bikes and motors to honor them. The motors pictured above are only some of the ones shipped out by Oakland. Pittsburgh PD has one rider each to remember Stephen Mayhle, Paul Scioullo II and Eric Kelly. Lakewood PD has one rider each to remember Tina Griswold, Ronald Owens II, Mark Renninger and Gregory Richards.

It's time to ride for those who died.

Senate Joint Resolution 10-036

Famous last words...

"If the weather holds, I'll ride my bike down..."

That was the promise I made to another Officer who sent out a general invitiation/plea for Officers to come to the Capitol to hear the reading of a joint resolution for Police Week and Peace Officers Memorial Day.

Well, as those of you on the Front Range know, the weather didn't hold, but I rode my bike to the Capitol anyway. More than a bit wet and a little bit cold, I got there a couple minutes after they closed the door for the reading in the Senate, but got to stand on the floor of the House for the reading there. In addition to the usual "whereas" clauses, the Resolution included the names of each of the 236 Colorado Law Enforcement Officers killed in the line of Duty. Several Representatives related stories of the Officers they knew, but I was taken aback when the Speaker of the House stepped down to the floor, took the microphone and said a few words about "My friend Beth Haynes." Before going on to a career of making laws, he enforced it as a University of Colorado-Boulder Officer and was working on April 16, 1994 when Beth was killed.