So did everyone stay up late watching election returns from Wisconsin?
- Yeah. So that's what the helmets will look like.
- A pair of Alexandria firefighters, Dennis Short and Jason Wehmeyer, are heading to New York City to participate in the World Police and Fire Games.
Short, who founded the Capital Region Fire and Police Cycling team will take his Cannondale Supersix.
Meanwhile Wehmeyer will tackle the single tracks on his cross country mountain-bike.
"I like being out in the woods, being out in nature," Wehmeyer says.
Smiling, he says, "I don't deal so well with traffic."
Wehmeyer says the Washington region is home to great trails for mountain biking and there are lots of benefits for first responders.
"With cycling, especially with mountain biking, there are direct and immediate consequences for either making the wrong decision or inaction, and that kind of parallels with our jobs."
Short says the cycling club is open to all first responders, and he invites anyone who's passionate about cycling to come along on a training run. He promises he'll go easy on you "because we don't want to run anyone into the ground... We don't want them to be discouraged."
If you do take Short up on the offer, you will have to wear a helmet. While there are raging debates about just how much protection helmets offer in the cycling world, Wehmeyer says, "We've seen it on the job. Helmets save lives."
The story got even better! When I interviewed them, firefighters Dennis Short and Jason Wehmeyer neglected to mention something that happened during a mountain bike race in Wakefield Park..so I followed up. Check it out on the WTOP.com site, and get more on my blog. A really great story that'll leave you feeling great.
Posted by: Kate Ryan | August 10, 2011 at 05:42 PM