Palisades Firefighter Pedals to Albuquerque in 'Ride for 9-11'

Jorge Ostrovsky, a paramedic firefighter at in Pacific Palisades, is cycling 3,300 miles to New York City in honor of the 10 year anniversary of 9/11.

Ostrovsky is joined by five other firefighters who departed from Hollywood on July 24. A motor home is following the "Ride for 9-11" team, keeping the firefighters company, providing relief from the road and snapping photos along the way.

The last time Patch caught up with Ostrovsky, he was doing laundry and resting up in Scottsdale, AZ. Five days later and more than 400 miles later, Ostrovsky gave us an update from Albuquerque, NM.

July 29 - Day 6

Ostrovsky and the team left bright and early from Scottsdale, AZ, at 5:30 a.m. en route to Payson, AZ. Ostrovsky said they traveled about 7,000 feet up through the mountains.

"My vision of Arizona is it was all desert," said Ostrovsoky. "But it looked like Mammoth. It was absolutely beautiful."

Ostrovsky mentioned the team got drenched from heavy rain during its ride to Payson, which was a drastic difference from the 120 degree temperatures through the western part of the state.

After roughly 100 miles on the road, the team members were guided into Payson by the fire department, where they were greeted by Mayor Kenny Evans. Ostrovsky said they stayed the night in their brand new station, which the Payson firefighters hadn't even used yet.

July 30 - Day 7

From Payson to Show Low, AZ, Ostrovsky hit a bump in the road … literally! While he was riding, he took one quick look behind, let go of the handlebars and then hit a pothole. The rest, as they say, was road rash.

"I got right back on the bike," said Ostrovsky.

For video of Ostrovsky's recovery, click here.

All spills aside, Ostrovsky said the climb was beautiful on the way to Show Low. They got up to 8,142 feet at one point.

"I felt like I was breathing like a canary!" Ostrovsky said about riding through the extremely high elevation.

Ostrovsky said the firefighters crossed the Continental Divide that day, which made for some stunning views.

After riding 87 miles, the firefighters earned their shut-eye! Ostrovsky said they spent the night at a local fire station.

July 31 - Day 8

During the eighth day of the ride, Ostrovsky said temperatures dropped and the rain wouldn't let up. The firefighters were riding from Show Low, AZ, to Quemado, NM, when the downpour hit.

"I've never seen it rain that hard in my life. We get rain in Southern California, but not like I saw," said Ostrovsky. "And there's not really much to protect you on a bicycle."

Ostrovsky said the town of Quemado was very small. He said he didn't recall seeing one stoplight.

But when the team stopped at a cafe, he said he realized the small town had a big heart. The largest thing on the cafe wall was a Flag of Honor that showed all the names of the victims of 9/11.

"Here we are in the middle of New Mexico and the biggest thing on the wall was a flag," said Ostrovsky.

August 1 - Day 9

After a night of rest, the firefighters geared up for a 105 mile ride from Quemado to Socorro, NM. And, apparently, so did the antelope! Ostrovsky said they saw a herd running alongside them during their trek.

When they arrived in Socorro, the fire chief opened up the brand new fire station for the crew to spend the night. The station hadn't been staffed yet, so they were the first firefighters to make use of it.

Ostrovsky said the chief was very hospitable. After letting the firefighters into the station, he came back with a plate of enchiladas!

August 2 - Day 10

More beautiful views and an even more unbelievable welcome were on tap for the riders during their 87-mile trip on Day 10, said Ostrovsky. When they headed into Albuquerque, Fire Station 13 members met them and invited the cycling firefighters to dinner.

Ostrovsky said he really needed to rest because his legs were exhausted, but the Albuquerque firefighters told him something that made him forget those sore muscles for a moment.

"They said, 'We're doing a good job representing not only our fire department, but fire departments across the country,' " Ostrovsky recalled.

August 3 - Day 11

This was when we got the update by phone from Ostrovsky. He said the group was enjoying the downtime, but was ready to hit the road toward Amarillo, Texas. He told Patch the amazing thing is that the firefighters have traveled 900 miles so far and the roads have been quite kind to them. In fact, he said they were in pretty good shape.

The firefighters are in great shape as well, he said. According to Ostrovsky, they are each burning about 900 calories per hour while cycling. And with eight-hour days on their bikes, they're losing far more calories than they're taking in.

"This has never happened to me before. I had a plate of enchiladas, rice and beans. I sat for a minute, and I had to get back up to get a hamburger … just so I could feel like I wasn't hungry anymore!" said Ostrovsky. "I had to go buy a belt so my pants would fit."

Ostrovsky and the riders will arrive in time Tuesday for a barbecue fundraiser in Amarillo hosted by the city's fire department. Patch will get the latest report from the road when the firefighters stop to rest once more.

• For the first installment of Ostrovsky's update from the road, click here.
• For video from Ostrovsky on the road, click here.
• For up-to-date information check out the Ride for 9-11 blog page. Click here to get linked up.

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