The Murphy brothers--Kevin, Geoff and Dan (from left to right)--took part in the The Face of America 2002 bike ride from ground zero to the Pentagon in Arlington, where this photograph was taken. Visit the Photo Place

Stories touched cyclists

Three brothers ride from ground zero to Pentagon to share the time and honor those who died Sept. 11, 2001.

ROB HEDELT •   Rob Hedelt's archive •   E-mail Rob Hedelt

Date published: 9/26/2002

By ROB HEDELT

WHEN THEY look back on last weekend's three-day commemorative bicycle ride from ground zero to the Pentagon, the Murphy brothers have a wide array of memories.

Sure, the trio from Fredericksburg, Stafford County and Waldorf, Md., will recall the muscle aches, the head winds and the sheer exhaustion that dragged them down at times on the tough 270-mile "Face of America 2002."

They'll smile--and wince--at the problems their bike seats and friction combined to create, requiring an emergency stop one afternoon to purchase a tube of blister-soothing lubricant.

And they'll beam with pride at finding themselves ahead of three-time Tour de France champion Greg LeMond in the field of 1,050.

But what will stay with them forever are memories of the people they encountered with ties to those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.

"We met a really inspiring guy in camp on the first night," said Waldorf resident Kevin Murphy, a 51-year-old, who made the ride as a way to mark his retirement from the Air Force. "His story really touched everyone who heard it."

Murphy said the cyclist was working in one of the Twin Towers on the day of the attack, on a floor above the jetliner's impact.

The 14 people in that office immediately tried to get out through a fire escape, but found the door to the stairs jammed.

"This fellow said a man appeared who kicked a hole through the wall next to the door and pulled all 14 of the people in there through, sending them down the stairs to safety," said 46-year-old Geoff Murphy of Fredericksburg. "But when it came time for this rescuer to leave, he refused, saying there were others to check on."

The cyclist said that when he opened The New York Times several days later, he learned that the rescuer had died trying to get others to safety.

"This fellow telling the story was making the ride in honor of the man who'd saved them all," said 42-year-old Dan Murphy of Stafford. "That's just one of the many stories like that in this ride."

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Date published: 9/26/2002