Diane Taylor and Jan Walker of Knoxville, Tenn., as well as Betsy Stanfill Burden of Florida commemorated the 20th anniversary of 9/11, by biking 800+ miles on the September 11 National Memorial Trail as participation in the 3rd Annual September 11 National Memorial Trail Tour de Trail.
The 9/11 National Memorial Trail is a biking, hiking and motor-friendly trail that connects the three 9/11 memorial sites in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, New York City and the Pentagon, through six states, including Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
The September 11 National Memorial Trail Alliance’s 3rd Annual Tour de Trail more than doubled its participation with more than 140 bike riders from 16 states, from as far away as Maine and Florida, and included virtual riders from Wisconsin, North Carolina and California.
In Berks County, the September 11 National Memorial Trail travels through Hamburg, down to Reading, and across to Womelsdorf. In completing their 800+ mile ride, Taylor, Walker and Stanfill rode through Berks County on September 10th. For a detailed local map, visit 911trail.org.
The 9/11 National Memorial Tour de Trail helped raise more than $10,000 to support the 9/11 National Memorial Trail. More than $2,000 was also raised from Tour de Trail financial donations.
“We so appreciative of Betsy, Diane and Jan’s passion and commitment to help support the 9/11 Trail and remember those we lost that day,” said Tom Baxter, president of the September 11 National Memorial Trail Alliance in Pennsylvania.
The 1,300-mile, 9/11 National Memorial Trail is currently connected by off-road and multi-use trails, making it available for the public to complete the entire 1,300-mile route. The not-for-profit 9/11 National Memorial Trail Alliance relies on financial support from donors and grants to further develop and maintain the 9/11 National Memorial Trail.
The September 11 National Memorial Trail designation is now in the legislative process, introduced by U.S. Reps. Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Don Beyer (D-VA). Federal designation legislation was unanimously passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and now moves to the Senate for approval, to be eventually signed into law by President Biden.
The legislation process will lead the way for the Secretary of Interior to be able to authorize the designation as a national tour route that links the three 9/11 national memorials in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, New York City and in Arlington, Virginia.
The September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance is a not-for-profit organization, based in New Eagle, PA, leading the development of a 1,300-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail connecting the three 9/11 memorial sites. More than 50 percent of the 9/11 Trail is off-road, and the Alliance has been partnering with federal, state, county and municipal officials on 14 projects to connect more than 30 trails.
The route includes New York City’s National September 11th Memorial, the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
