Cyclists honor victims of terrorist attacks

FARRAH MAFFAI staff Guy Moshe of Israel reaches Brick’s rest stop during the Face of America ride Friday.

The Face of America Ride, from N.Y.C. to D.C., passes through Brick

BY KARL VILACOBA

Staff Writer

All smiles, Guy Moshe glided into the Pioneer Hose Fire Company parking lot and pumped a tightly gripped fist in a short burst of celebration. He and a group of fellow cyclists just reached Brick from Sandy Hook –– about 35 miles — in less than three hours. Not bad, considering he pedaled with his hands.

Stricken with meningitis at the age of 3, Moshe developed gangrene in his legs, which required amputation.

"You can’t let it stop you," said Moshe, who counts skateboarding, kayaking and water skiing among his other hobbies. "Disability starts in the head. You have to push your limits sometimes."

Moshe was one of 23 Israelis and some 500 riders from around the world to embark on last week’s Face of America 2003 ride, which spanned the approximately 280-mile trek from New York City to Washington, D.C. The trip was both a tribute to the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and a fund-raiser for World TEAM (The exceptional athlete matters) Sports, a non-profit organization that organizes athletic events that pair the physically able and disabled.

Face of America organizers said its participants hailed from 10 countries, and spanned ages 10 to 80. Like the group’s demographics, their motives for riding were diverse.

Al-Qaeda’s deadly bomb blast in Nairobi blinded Kenyan rider Douglas Sibialo, but left him with a keen understanding of what America’s victims of terror have been through. Sibialo rode on the back of a tandem bicycle with a fellow participant from TEAM Sports.

"I’m in this ride to honor and show compassion for my friends, the victims of Sept. 11," Sibialo said.

"It’s about putting people with and without disabilities into society together, and working as a team," said Guy Salomon, of Israel. "That’s what we’re here for."

The Face of America Ride began early Friday morning in Manhattan, where participants traveled to New Jersey by ferry. The first night of their three-day trip ended at a Tent Village at Pinelands Regional School, Tuckerton.

Day two took them to Cape May, where they crossed to Delaware by ferry, then rode through Maryland before reaching the capital on Sunday. A sweeper van followed the pack in the event a rider was in distress, and over a dozen rest stops were set up along the way.

In Brick, members of the Knights of Columbus councils 8415 from Seaside Heights and 7926 from Point Pleasant manned the firehouse rest area on Route 35, offering refreshments to the cyclists. Some stretched out their limbs on padded tables, while others took a break and socialized with fellow riders.

Rebecca Coplan of Philadelphia said she made friends with riders from Turkey, Poland and Israel in the first few hours of the event. The second-time Face of America participant said she was struck by the support and encouragement offered by fellow riders and others she encountered along the way.

"It’s of great significance that some 500 people from around the world came together and said, ‘We’re going to come together as a team, remember the events of Sept. 11 and show that love is stronger than hate,’ " said Matt Van Tuinen, a spokesman for TEAM Sports.