LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An annual bicycle ride across Indiana honoring officers who've died in the line of service will return for a 23rd year this summer.

Cops Cycling for Survivors tours the Hoosier state every year. The first ride in 2002 went to Washington, D.C. to honor fallen officers. It has been held in Indiana ever since.

The group will bike nearly 1,000 miles over 13 days in July, honoring law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty and their survivors. 

Officials with Cops Cycling for Survivors said participating cyclists meet with survivors of officers who died in the line of duty to show their support as they continue dealing with the loss of a loved one.

This year, the ride will honor seven officers who died in 2023:

  • Deputy Sheriff Asson Hacker, Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office 
  • Master Trooper James R. Bailey, Indiana State Police
  • Maintenance Foreman Michael Robert Keel, Indiana Department of Correction 
  • Trooper Aaron N. Smith, Indiana State Police
  • Sgt. Heather Glenn, Tell City Police Department
  • Deputy Sheriff John Durm, Marion County Sheriff's Office
  • Deputy Sheriff Timothy J. Guyer, Johnson County Sheriff's Office

Organizers said any line of duty deaths in 2024 will be recognized through the 2025 ride.

The route starts July 8 in Indianapolis and ends July 20 at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.

The group will ride into Jeffersonville on July 17, then they'll head to Madison and Columbus before ending the tour in Indianapolis.

Community members who live in the cities along the route are encouraged to show their support as the cyclists pass through their areas.

Here's the route for this year's tour:

  • July 8: Indianapolis to Richmond
  • July 9: Richmond to Bluffton
  • July 10: Bluffton to Angola
  • July 11: Angola to South Bend
  • July 12: South Bend to Merrillville
  • July 13: Merrillville to Kentland
  • July 14: Kentland to Terre Haute
  • July 15: Terre Haute to Evansville
  • July 16: Evansville to Tell City
  • July 17: Tell City to Jeffersonville
  • July 18: Jeffersonville to Madison
  • July 19: Madison to Columbus
  • July 20: Columbus to Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis

Cops Cycling for Survivors said 2024 marks 200 years since the first known line of duty death of an Indiana law enforcement officer. That officer was Constable Robert Murphy of the Bath Township Constable's Office in Franklin County, who died eight days after being stabbed while trying to serve a warrant.

The nonprofit group also raises money for survivors. Proceeds from the annual ride go toward benefits, scholarships, camps and other ways to support surviving family members and loved ones. They also accept donations, which can be made by clicking here.

For more information about Cops Cycling for Survivors, click here.

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