Meet the Bay to Brooklyn Team

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Retired 29-year veteran of the Santa Clara Fire Department. Darrell is the originator and lead organizer for Bay to Brooklyn. 9/11 had a profound effect  and the reason for creating this memorial bicycle ride is to  never forget what happened on September 11, 2001.  This event would not be possible without the help from family, friends and the thousands of community members all across the US of A! Thank you to all of you. He has now completed this ride in 2011 for the 10th  anniversary  and 2021 for the 20th  anniversary of 9/11. The reason for Bay to Brooklyn is to connect firefighters and  the millitary and their organizations across the U.S. to share stories of what this ride means for everyone the team  meets. As we approach the 25th anniversary Darrell and the team look forward to the conversations and challenges this brings.

Dave is now retired  from the City of Santa Clara Fire Department in California. Dave was hired in August of 2001 and in his last week of his fire academy when 9/11 happened. When Bay to Brooklyn was put together in 2011 as a memorial ride, Dave stepped up a month before to ride. Dave also rode with the team for the 20th Anniversary ride in 2021. Now preparing for the 3rd time to be a part of the 25th Anniversary 9/11 Memorial ride, Dave will be 1 of 2 who has been a part of the ride from the beginning to honor and remember the 343 who died on 9/11. What is also important to note is the Specialized bicycle you see in this photo will have also been to Brooklyn 3 times, taking Dave  there, his trusty steed!  Dave is a US Air Force veteran and proud Air Force Academy alum, Class of 1993.

Phil is a member of the Merrillville Fire Department in Merrillville, IN. This will be Phil's 3rd time riding with us. We had the pleasure of having Phil with us in 2011 as our guide from Chicago, IL to Hobart, IN. I remember his excitement that year and when we arrived at Hobart's fire station, he disappeared. Little did we know that he felt it such an honor to ride for Bay to Brooklyn, that he drove home, picked up his family and brought them back to meet us. His wife and two daughters displayed great pride towards him. The above photo is of Phil placing their department patch on the support trailer door. 

In 2021, he met up with us and rode to Ligonier, IN and it was a pleasure to have him aboard, to be with him as he completed his 1st full century ride! He also arranged for our team to have a BBQ dinner at the Merrillville fire station. Phil has accepted the challenge to now ride the complete event from Santa Clara to Brooklyn. 

Welcome back Phil.

Frank is a retired Santa Clara Fire Captain. Retiring in 2000 after a 28-year career, made him  the oldest guy on two wheels in this group. He came from a family of firefighters; a big brother, three nephews, and a son. His brother John and nephew Bobby both died from occupational cancers. Their names are inscribed on the walls of both the IAFF Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Colorado Springs and the California Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Sacramento. 

Frank is a key individual when it comes to planning for this ride. His expertise and artistic background adds so much to this ride. Frank is responsible for our current logo in the Maltese cross. His son Kevin  is the artist who first drew up the sketch and between them finalized the artwork. Frank had a modest goal for riding in the 2021 ride and exceeded that beyond  what he imagined. At 72, he rode well over half of the days and completed back to back 100 mile days . Much of the FB posts come from him and as many have seen, his drawings and paintings of the 2021 ride, capture the essence of what was accomplished. The career of a firefighter and a ride of this magnitude has many challenges and Frank gladly accepts and overcomes those challenges. 

Jeff is a returning rider also after completing the 2021 ride with Bay to Brooklyn. Jeff retired with 33 years of service to the City of Santa Clara and retiring with 31 years as a firefighter. Quiet and un-assuming yet intelligent and quick witted. In the previous ride, he was part of a Father/Son team and came on board as a team planner. 

Being able to ride with him as added benefits. Jeff is a student at heart and has taken on the role of lead bike mechanic for the coming 25th anniversary ride. I have learned to rely on him and we have become close friends since his retirement from the fire department. His ability to think through a situation is invaluable for  an event like this.  

No doubt that as we train as a team and work through the challenges of this ride and the planning of it, Jeff will be right there with sound advice, a line that will make you laugh and the right tool to get your bike on the road. The Army Rangers have a motto “Rangers Lead The Way” but truth be known, it’s Jeff’s leadership that leads the way! 

As a second-generation firefighter, Mike grew up seeing the sacrifices and selfless service of the Fire Family. This was echoed from the Nipomo Fire Station as he  watched  first responders respond to the Twin Towers on 9/11, making the ultimate sacrifice. During his service as a Fire Medic, he has been blessed to see so many examples of the very best of the human spirit, and it has been his goal to pay that forward. Over the course of a career and a life, he has been affected directly by the impacts of trauma. If not for the compassionate actions of his family and the brotherhood of the fire service, he no doubt would not be here today. Mike recently promoted to Chief Officer and transitioned into their Employee Support branch, working directly with First Responders in Crisis. It is his honor to ride for those who responded that day, and to raise awareness for those who suffer silently from Mental Health and Post Traumatic Stress Injury. Mike  was also responsible for being the team medic for the 2021 ride, making sure each of us on the team was prepared each day to ride. Medical monitoring was continually carried out to make sure we were healthy  for the team and for the community we came in contact with to prevent any COVID issues. Mike is now preparing for the 2026 memorial ride as a rider and team  medic.

Chris is currently active as a Driver/Medic with the City of Rockford Fire department in Illinois. Chris was a rider who rode as part of the the team for a portion of the 2021 ride. He is now preparing for entire ride for our 2026, 25th Anniversary 9/11 Memorial event. Chris will also be one of two team medics responsible for our team’s medical needs. A family man and Firefighter committed to his community. He will also be our liaison with the City of Rockford Fire Department as one of our hosts during the ride.   

This ride will look very different for Aurelio! Our 2021 ride event  had the pleasure of skills as a support driver and what I called team mom. He went above and beyond what the role called for and out of it , came a new found reason for why he wanted to be a part of the 2021 ride. Now he has committed to being a rider for the 2026 ride. His energy and laughter is infectious. You’ll not find a more  true to self individual and instead of  seeing him every 10 or 15 miles, we’ll  be together every rotation of the pedals. 15 miles an hour for over 3000 miles. Welcome aboard as a rider  brother!

Say hello to Tony. A Retired Battalion Chief for Daly City Fire Department  and PIO for Bay to Brooklyn in 2021. We could not have had a better person for that job! Now he will train and ride for the 25th Anniversary ride along with PIO and Public Safety Liaison. His love for his community and humanity  has no boundaries and once you’ve met and talked with him, you have a friend for life. He took on what I call Mission Control for the last ride and from start to finish became someone who made the 2021 ride event a success. 

We welcome back Stan to Bay to Brooklyn and he too will hold a different position. Stan came through in the 11th hour for our 2021 event to be a support driver from Sacramento to Eugene. We had more bodies that seats,  he provided a vehicle and drove using his own time and money. Stan is a Retired Fire Chief from Redwood City, CA and also a Marine. 

That drive in 2021 gave him a taste of what an  event like this can be. He too now wants to ride the entire distance. He has taken this challenge very seriously and training like a "mad man" and no doubt will be one of the front riders! I look forward to many conversations and I appreciate him jumping in with both feet to help us succeed in 2026.

Welcome back to Jeremy! Jeremy rode for the 20th Anniversary ride he now completes the second father son team. Jeremy was just out of the Army on our last ride and and he didn't just play Army man but was a part of the 275th as a Ranger. Now for his career, he is a county sheriff in the Reno Area. The last ride, Jeremy brought a youthfulness that was very much appreciated on the team and glad we'll have it for the whole 3600 miles. Last time he was called away for a period of time and he wants it back! There is something about saying you rode the whole way and it's that Ranger spirit we need. There is a saying that Rangers Lead the Way so now he'll be in charge of making sure we are on track and always headed in the right direction.

Welcome Tony! Our newest addition to the team and he brings a new level of experience. I met Tony through a friend and had the chance to ride with him in Santa Clara.  He worked as a California Highway Patrol officer for 32 years, his entire career was in San Diego County. His first 10 years at the San Diego Field office were the typical road patrol duties which included helping firemen properly park their rigs on the freeway, followed by five years of admin duties at Border Division HQ and 17 more in commercial enforcement at the Otay Mesa Inspection Facility. He started biking in the mid 90s with his teenage son and has been an enthusiast ever since. Starting as mountain biker, he migrated to road riding in late '90s before catching the cross country bug in 2000. In 2000, he rode his first across country trip from Washington to Maine, in 2005, it was from San Diego to St Austin, FL. In 2006, he changed it up and rode with 11 police officers from Los Angeles, CA to the Police Officer's Memorial in DC with a stop over at Ground Zero. So this will be Tony's second bike trip to GZ, but under a different flag. In 2013, he road the coast from Canada to Mexico and his last across country trip was the Underground Railroad route from Mobile, AL to Niagara Falls, NY in 2021. When he retired in 2012, he started a bicycle touring company giving single day guided tours around San Diego. His other retirement enjoyment is being a ride leader with the San Diego Bike Club. With all his experience, leadership and involvement before and after retirement, expect Tony will be a welcome first time contributor on the ride.