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Carlos Rodriquez poses with the bulletin board that tracked his 262-mile bike ride with Tour de Force.

On September 8, Carlos Rodriquez decided to take a bike ride -– a three-day bike ride spanning more than 250 miles.

Rodriquez, a physical education teacher at the Goshen Intermediate School, participated in the Tour de Force 9/11 Memorial Bike Ride, riding his bicycle 262 miles beginning from the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia on September 8 and heading north to finish up on September 11 at Ground Zero in New York City.

The ride, which raises funds for the families of officers killed in the line of duty, is timed with the seventh anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“We live in an area with so many police officers and firemen, some who were affected by the terrorist attacks,” said Rodriquez. “This is my way to contribute back to all they’ve done for us and to keep the victims’ memories alive.”

Rodriquez also lost a close friend, an employee of Cantor Fitzgerald, during the attacks. He was encouraged to participate in the bike ride by a former student, who is now a New York City police officer. Only 10 civilians participated, and Rodriquez raised more than $2,000 for the cause while riding alongside four of his former students. All four have since joined the police force since graduating from Goshen.

“It was an incredible experience,” said Rodriquez. “The teamwork, the support – being a part of something like that was amazing.”

While on the ride, Rodriquez called the Intermediate School everyday to give students a full report about the ride. A bulletin board was created with a map of the ride’s route from Washington, D. C. to New York City. Rodriquez’s colleague, Kathryn Magid, gave daily morning updates, and Math Specialist Beth Carlino created math questions for students pertaining to the bike route. Students in Elizabeth Jung’s fifth class created “Welcome Back” cards for Rodriquez upon his return.

“The students truly embraced the cause behind Tour de Force with such enthusiasm,” said Rodriquez. “It became an interactive lesson and also raised awareness about the tragedies that occurred on September 11.”

The ride, in its seventh year, raised more than $200,000, said Rodriguez. For more information, visit www.tourdeforceny.com.

Welcome Back, Mr. Rodriquez!

Students in Elizabeth Jung's fifth grade class created Welcome Back cards for Carlos Rodriquez upon his return from Tour de Force. Here are a few of the messages that classmates Darcy Acevedo, Colin Foremny, Destiny Secor, Carly Smith and Joe Vitale wrote to their teacher.