TAHLEQUAH â Four cyclists and two mentor riders from the Cherokee Nation will participate in the 2021 âRemember the Removalâ Bike Ride in June, retracing an estimated 950 miles along the northern route of the Trail of Tears by bicycle.Â
The ride spans from Georgia to Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma over nearly three weeks.Â
This yearâs CN riders are Shace Duncan, 18, Stilwell; Whitney Roach, 22, Tahlequah; Melanie Giang, 21, Claremore; Kaylee Smith, 20, Tahlequah; Ronnie Duncan, 48, Stilwell, mentor rider; and Tracie Asbill, 39, Tahlequah, mentor rider.
The cyclists began training in December 2019 and were originally scheduled to participate in the ride during the summer of 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused the 2020 ride to be canceled. The program is now implementing a number of safety precautions this year to allow the participants to complete the journey.Â
The 2021 Remember the Removal Bike Ride cyclists.
The Cherokee Nation announced last week that the annual Remember the Removal Ride, where participants retrace the Trail of Tears, will resume this June.
After taking a year off due to the pandemic, the 950-mile bicycle ride along the northern route of the Trail of Tears will go ahead with COVID-19 precautions in play.
All the participants have had their vaccinations and will be accompanied by trained medical staff along the ride.
Four cyclists and two mentors will participate in a ride that spans from Georgia to Tennessee, to Oklahoma. They began their training in 2019 and will cycle around 60 miles per day along routes used by their ancestors.