I couldn't wait to get to the Pentagon, where I had been a Yellow Sector Officer for 21 hours exactly one year before. When we rode out of Baltimore I took the lead in front of the 'Flag Corp'. This group of law enforcement officers did not like having me up front. They got mad at me for passing them up and used profanity...oh, grow up fellas!
I finished the ride in the back with the nice people from the INOVA Health System. Now, they understood the meaning of teamwork!
My Fire Department Career
My Pentagon Story
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Mimi Konoza
We rode into Washington, DC in parade fashion after our last pit stop in suburban Maryland. The order of riders was law enforcement (police, sheriffs, Secret Service, etc.) first and firefighters, medical and military last.
Here we are riding past museums and embassies in the middle of Washington, DC on our way to the White House; there I am in my red, white, and blue
My favorite bicycle mechanic from The Bike Lane in Burke, VA, Quentin shows a little American spirit; everyone calls him 'Q'; he got me ready for the DC AIDS Ride in 1999; he just loves doing repairs to my 'lead sled' Huffy...not!
From the right: Elizabeth, James, Randy and Paul (Puffenbergers) next to 'Koz', an administrator for the INOVA Health System -- he's a real 'bricks and mortar' kind of guy!
This was a scheduled stop right by the Washington Monument for meeting and greeting with families and friends; the bathroom was still not open!! -- well, I made it open! (in long distance bike riding you live by the 'three 8s' -- hydrate, perspirate and urinate)
Here I am arriving at the Pentagon's North Parking Lot; we arrived at noon, missing the re-dedication ceremony by an hour and a half (please excuse my flourescent green ladybug socks -- I was clashing and the 'fashion police', Sandy, caught me...)
We were on the wrong side of the Pentagon; we did not get a chance to visit South Parking or the Heliport Side where the re-dedication ceremony had taken place; we were too far away, barely able to see the building at all (can you tell I was disappointed?)
