INDIANAPOLIS — The annual 'Cops Cycling for Survivors' ride kicked off on Monday and will travel nearly a 1,000 miles over 13 days.
Riders will stop in counties where families and coworkers are honoring the memories of fallen officers.
This is the tenth year Stacey Miller is hitting the road with Cops Cycling for Survivors.
"They invited me that first year, and I was blown away by the comradery, and meeting the survivors and their families and their coworkers," Miller said.
Unlike many of the cyclists, Miller started riding with no real connection to law enforcement. "I just met the other cyclists, and went on the ride, and fell in love with it," she said.
Riders build relationships with survivors of fallen officers like Coleen Schultz. "I'm riding for my son, Nick Schultz. He was killed in the line of duty in September of 2014," Schultz said.
Nick Schultz was 24-years-old when he was shot and killed on duty.
"He was only on the street by himself for, I think, three or four months," Schultz said.
Schultz says this ride is a time for her to talk about her son. Not how he died, but who he was when he lived.
"He played college football at Franklin, actually, down here. He had a great personality, always had a smile on his face," she said. "He loved his family… his sister was his best friend."
Nick Schultz is one of many fallen officers these riders will honor on their 13-day trek. They started their ride with a ceremony recognizing the five law enforcement officers that died last year.
Along the way, they'll stop and meet with friends and coworkers of the fallen — riding nearly 1,000 miles to make sure all survivors feel they are supported.
The funds raised from the ride support families of fallen officers across Indiana through scholarships and memorials. If you would like to follow the riders and donate to the cause, you can visit the Cops for Cycling Facebook page.
