Aaron’s Freedom Ride*2011* Day 1 Ellijay, GA

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Aaron’s welcomed Freedom Ride 2011 to Gilmer County on Day 1 of the cycling tour that began in Atlanta and will end in NYC! The ride is to commemorate the lives of Firefighters and 1st responders lost on 9/11 on the 10 year anniversary of that tragic day. Twenty plus “Freedom Riders” will travel 1035 miles through 13 cities on 2 wheels on a journey ending in New York City on September 10th!Day 1 for the Freedom Riders ended in Gilmer County at Aaron’s where the riders enjoyed a huge welcome and refreshments. The riders were escorted from Dekalb County by the following Officers: George Ramirez, Terry Gilley, Kenny Dalton, and Bruce Hood. Fetchyournews.com spoke with Heather Akins, who had driven from Bartow County and awaited the opportunity to see her husband, Matthew Akins. Heather told us that Matthew is a firefighter from Pine Log Fire Department and is one of the cyclists en route to NYC.

Aaron’s Freedom Ride 2011

The Freedom Riders visited with the waiting crowd at Aaron’s, gathered around “Aaron’s Monster Truck” for photos with supporters, and then traveled over to the City of Ellijay for a wonderful meal. The Ellijay Fire Department, Chamber of Commerce, and Better Hometown of Ellijay, GA hosted a cookout type dinner with plenty of delicious food including a big basket of “Gilmer County Apples!” What better place for the cyclists to end day 1 than Gilmer County since beside being the “Apple Capital” it is also the “Mountain Bike Capital” of Georgia! A designation that came to Gilmer County in part because of the effort from Mike Palmeri, owner of Cartecay Bikes, www.cartecaybikes.com .

Aaron’s Freedom Ride 2011

FYN also spoke with Douglas Kerns, Team Captain of the Freedom Riders who told us something else Mr. Palmeri was responsible for and that being this admirable journey commemorating 9/11. Kerns told us that Michael Palmeri, an Atlanta Firefighter conceived the idea 8 years after the tragic attack and now that idea has become a reality. This journey from Atlanta to NYC will pay tribute to the fallen heroes and the courageous survivors. Day 2 for the cyclists began at approximately 7:30 am Saturday morning and the next stop will be Dillsboro, NC.

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The cyclists travel with a support convoy that assists with supplies and any other assistance needed along the way.

The Freedom Riders trip will take the following route: Day 1: August 26th • Atlanta to Ellijay, GA, / Day 2: August 27th • Ellijay, GA to Dillsboro, NC / Day 3: August 28th • Dillsboro, NC to Asheville, NC / Day 4: August 29th • Asheville, NC to Little Switzerland, NC / Day 5: August 30th • Little Switzerland, NC to Boone, NC / Day 6: August 31st • Boone, NC to Christiansburg, VA / Day 7: September 1st • Christiansburg, VA to Roanoke, VA / Day 8: September 2nd • Roanoke, VA to Staunton, VA / Day 9: September 3rd • Staunton, VA to Culpeper, VA / Day 10: September 4th • Culpeper, VA to Washington DC / Day 11: September 5th • Rest Day in DC / Day 12: September 6th • Washington DC to Denton MD / Day 13: September 7th • Denton MD to Cape May NJ / Day 14: September 8th • Cape May NJ to Atlantic City NJ / Day 15: September 9th • Atlantic City NJ to Long Branch NJ / Day 16: September 10th • Long Branch NJ to NYC

Fetchyournews.com will be staying in contact with the Freedom Riders and will continually update our readers on the day to day details and progress of these guys as they make this wonderful journey.

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