CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It's a 420 mile ride in just four days. Some 70 law enforcement officers and some civilians are putting rubber to the road, and making the bike trip from Charlotte, to Washington, D.C.
"It's a baby Tour de France," said CMPD Detective Susan Manassah. "One hundred miles, you knock it out. Another hundred miles, you wake up and do it again.
It's a grueling trip; one that's meant to honor CMPD's fallen heroes.
"It's all in their honor and their memory. We're excited," said Manassah.
The annual ride started in 2007 after officers Sean Clark and Jeff Shelton were shot to death by Demeatrius Montgomery. Riders carry a list of every officer that's died in the line of duty in CMPD's history.
"We lost our first officer about a hundred years ago," explained Manassah. "We still remember the sacrifice that he made, and we want his family to know that."
Tuesday morning, the latest name on that list is Officer Fred Thornton. He died in February after a flash bang device he was holding exploded
His widow, Linda Thornton, was at the start line to begin the trip and encourage the riders.
The riders will end up at the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C. Friday evening. They'll then be bussed back to Charlotte.
