Riders hope to cycle more money to families of Sept. 11 victims

Stephen Curran

Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2002 | 8:30 a.m.

Like many Americans, Charles Cook took to the roads this Labor Day weekend.

But instead of being behind the wheel of a car, minivan or SUV, Cook was piloting a Harley-Davidson on a cross-country trek from San Diego to New York, a meaningful trip for the retired New York City subway engineer.

What makes the trip so meaningful for Cook is that it is part of a fund-raiser designed to help victims of the Sept. 11 tragedies overlooked by other charities. More than a thousand bikers are expected to join "America's Ride 2002" as it makes its way across the country.

His memories of clearing debris at ground zero for more than 100 days prompted Cook to write the $3,500 check to become a "Patriot Rider."

"I'm riding for the people who perished," Cook said while looking over snapshots of himself at the wreckage.

So far Cook is one of about 50 riders on the trip, but that number should increase as they move east, said Douglas Riddle, a retired Gainesville, Fla., businessman, who is now an adviser to the World Trade Center Charity Foundation, the ride's sponsor.

The riders stayed overnight Monday night at New York-New York after making a stop at a Las Vegas Harley-Davidson dealership -- arriving in a convoy behind a donated fire engine.

When the hungry, tired and sunburned riders parked their Harleys, BMWs, Hondas and SuperXs in front of the dealership, they were welcomed in true Las Vegas fashion -- with an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Of all the other Sept. 11-related charities, what makes this foundation different is that it raises money for families who were left out of other charities, Cook said.

"I'm doing this to show there are families who haven't received all they should," Cook said.

Those families include many of the service workers -- janitors and the like -- whose living situations did not meet the criteria of other victims' funds, Riddle said.

Many of these families were headed by unmarried couples who were not eligible for the benefits of other employees.

"Many of these people have never been recognized," Riddle said of the victims.

It isn't just individual riders donating to this charity. Arkansas engineer Kathryn Weldon has a corporate sponsor: Her company wrote the check for the longtime motorcycle aficianado to make the journey on her new 2003 Harley Dyna Wide Glide.

So far Weldon, a grandmother who lives in an age-restricted housing development in the Ozarks, is the only woman on the trip.

But for Weldon, the trip is about riding her prized motorcycle while raising money for a cause.

"I don't think more than three weeks go by without me wanting to go out and ride," she said.

"I think everyone felt so helpless (after Sept. 11). This way, one person really can help. I would've gone even if I had to front all the money myself," she said.

Stops still to come include a memorial service in Shanksville, Pa., the site of the Flight 93 crash, and a service in Washington, D.C.

The riders took off this morning for Grand Junction, Colo., and are scheduled to arrive in New York City on Sept. 11.