Community Corner

Harrison Man's Tribute Connects WTC and Flight 93 Sites

Rich Ruge's 24-hour bike ride from lower Manhattan to Shanksville, PA., serves as a tribute to those lost 10 years ago this week.

Early on the morning of the 10th anniversary of the darkest day in recent American history, Rich Ruge got on a bike in lower Manhattan to shed light on possibly the most inspirational story from Sept. 11, 2001.

Fueled by the memory of the brave men and women who most believe prevented even more bloodshed that day, Ruge, 55, got on his bicycle and started a 330 mile journey to Shanksville, PA., as a tribute to those who lost their lives aboard American Airlines Flight 93.

Ruge, a lifelong Harrison resident, said he hopes the journey will bring attention to the bravery displayed that day, and the fact that 10 years later the memorial in Shanksville remains incomplete, $10 million short of the funding necessary for a finished memorial.

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"(The passengers) knew they had to protect the country and however many tried to take down the plane or take down the terrorists it's not known, but they were definitely a group of guys who said 'we've got to do this'," Ruge said. "They knew they were going to die, I mean, it's tremendous."

It is widely believed that Flight 93 was headed for a building in Washington, D.C, possibly the White House or Capitol Building. To this day Ruge becomes emotional when asked about the bravery displayed by those aboard the doomed aircraft as it flew over Pennsylvania 10 years ago.

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He said he was inspired to start his trek when he found out about the memorial in Shanksville and the need for funding. Plans for a grove of trees representing each victim, a field of honor and visitor center remain unfinished 10 years later.

"It doesn't seem like enough is being done," he said. "There's so much more that they want to do to it, that they want to built it to, and it's not built. It's not right."

Ruge is an experienced biker, having traveled long distances before in other parts of the country. But for this trip he said he challenged himself, taking only a few breaks as he traveled through northern New Jersey, Route 22 into Harrisburgh, PA. and then on through hilly western Pennsylvania. 

"Me as a bike rider to do it over three days would be kind of easy to do," he said. "I wanted to do something to make it harder to visit for me."

Joined by his wife, nephew and best friend, who drove along in a van chronicling the trip whenever possible via blog posts, Ruge peddled the course of his journey in a total of 27 hours. He stopped only once, for a few hours, when a thunderstorm made continuing the trip too dangerous. 

He arrived at the crash site Monday morning at about 9 a.m.

"There were some brutal climbs," Ruge said. "Maybe it was just the emotions of the day and being sore, but the last 60 or so miles was to the point it was just painful."

Ruge said he doesn't know why the events aboard Flight 93 affect him so much to this day. His voice cracks when asked about what created a strong enough connection for him to plan a challenging trek through the dark hills of Pennsylvania this weekend.

He, like many Westchester residents, does have a personal connection to the attacks in New York City. His sister in law was neighbors with , a Rye graduate who died when the first plane hit the twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001. He also spent a few years working on the 54th floor of the south tower after college.

But Ruge said it wasn't really about his personal connections that inspired him, it was the unforgettable bravery displayed by so many Americans on that day, and the need for a memorial to never forget those who were killed in Shanksville.

"To me every member of Congress should be paying rent for the Capitol, because the men and women of Flight 93, they own that building, they gave their lives for it," he said.

When Ruge arrived at Shanksville he was allowed to enter the outside of the site for a quick photo, but the public has been kept out for the last two days to allow victims' family members the site to themselves. Ruge said he plans to return to the site another time, and hopes more of the memorial is complete by that point.

"I think a lot of it is public awareness," he said when asked about the memorial project. "That thing has got to be built, it shouldn't be another 10 years before it's 100 percent completed."

For more information on how to donate to the Flight 93 National Memorial, click here.


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