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| Paramedic Milsted and the other riders pose during a break at the Stoughton, MA Fire Department on Day #1. |
Once again, CHFD Paramedic Dave Milsted, the A-Group Medical Services Officer, is participating in the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride. This year's route will take Dave and nearly 100 other riders approximately 500 miles as they pedal from Boston, MA to Alexandria, VA over the course of 7 days. The CHFD will post updates from Dave as he sends them in. Here's Dave's recap from Day #1:
"This year we are riding for 7 days. Today we traveled 70 miles, burned 5000 calories, climbed 1500 feet and were on the bikes for 5.5 hours.
We started off from the Westin Waterfront Hotel in Boston. We road 2.5 miles to the Castle Island Park. This is where the opening ceremony was held. Speeches by several people including one of the originators of the ride. Then there was the reading of the names of the people we are riding for this year. One of the names is one of our own, Lori Mayfield. She died this year after suffering a pulmonary embolism. When it got to reading her name it brought tears to many.
I am riding this year for Michael Kenwood from Princeton NJ. He died last year in floods while trying to rescue someone from a car. I am wearing his dog tags for the entire ride. I will hopefully be able to present them to his family after the ride is over.
The weather was much different than last year. Last year we couldn't see the park we were in because of the thick fog and rain. Today it was sunny and warm, The temperature got up to the 80's. Sun screen was at a premium.
We were off in parade format, 2x2 for the entire 70 miles. We had stops at 4 fire houses. 1 was for lunch. There were not any accidents today. Several flats and a few other mechanical breakdowns. Some scrapes from people not clipping their feet before stopping, thus falling over. We started with 68 riders today. That number will be increasing throughout the ride. More than 100 are expected by the end of the week....
We are staying in Warwick, Rhode Island for the night. Dinner is in 15 minutes!!!
Follow the ride on Faceboook: Muddy Angels, Twitter: NEMSMBR or #2012NEMSMBR
Day 2 is scheduled for 82 miles, with the weather being sunny and warm. Till tomorrow...
Dave Milsted"
