'Ride for 9-11' Cyclists Take First Rest Day in Scottsdale, AZ

Six firefighters, including  of the Palisades' , departed from Hollywood on Sunday to ride 3,300 miles to New York City in honor of the 10 year anniversary of 9/11.

A motor home is following the crew during its six week trip, filled with a team of bloggers, riders and friends.

We caught up with Ostrovsky by phone during the riders' first rest day in Scottsdale, AZ, while the crew was doing its laundry and trying to rest its muscles for a few hours.

Day 1
After a send-off ceremony in Hollywood, the team departed for Yucca, CA. Ostrovsky said the riders were supposed to travel 129 miles, but they ran into a navigation issue. The cyclists were using a tool called "Map My Ride," which had their route ready. The trouble is, many of the roads the program said were there, were dirt roads. Plus, they ended up on the 10 Freeway quite a bit.

"That was one of the most death-defying feats I've experienced," said Ostrovsky. "But it just added to the excitement."

Ostrovsky said they climbed about 6,000 feet the first day heading into Yucca. And when they finally arrived in town, Ostrovsky said they were supposed to stay in the community center, but the air conditioning was broken. So, they stayed overnight in the town museum, sleeping beside the trantulas and other animals on exhibit.

Day 2
The second day had the team heading out for Parker, AZ, which meant cycling through the desert. Temperatures hit more than 120 degrees as the firefighters peddled while pouring ice over their cycling gear.

"Now I know why nobody lives in the desert," said Ostrovsky. "The plastic cleats on my shoes were melting in the heat!"

Ostrovsky mentioned that one of the firefighters became so dehydrated that the others had to administer an IV.

"Luckily, we're all paramedics!" exclaimed Ostrovsky.

The distance from Yucca to Parker was 132 miles. Once they reached the town, the crew stayed overnight at a reserve fire station, which Ostrovsky said had very nice accommodations.

Day 3
The team woke up and hit the road for Wickenburg, AZ, on the third day of the trip. Once the riders got close to their destination, Ostrovsky said fire trucks met the cyclists and escorted them into town.

It seems this team of firefighters has slept in the most interesting places. The cyclists spent their night in Wickenburg at an old jail that had been converted into a community center.

"They still had the bars up and everything," said Ostrovsky about the decor.

Day 4
Ostrovsky said the fourth day was a bit more of a breeze. They had only 60 miles to travel from Wickenburg to Scottsdale, AZ. Plus, they had a tailwind. Ostrovsky said it was a much-needed break from the long rides during the first three days.

Day 5
This is when we caught up with Ostrovsky. He said the team would be departing Scottsdale at 5:30 a.m. on Friday for Payson, AZ, which is 100 miles away.

The next rest day for the firefighters is in four days when they hit Albuquerque. We'll have an update when they arrive in New Mexico!

• For the full story on the send-off ceremony, click here.
• To get up-to-the-minute information from the firefighters riding across the country, click here.