Cops, firefighters bicycle tribute ride to stop in Rock Hill

The Carolina Brotherhood of first responders raising money for those who died in the line of duty will bicycle through and stop overnight in York County and Rock Hill July 26.

The ride is July 25 through July 29 from Greenville to Raleigh. Rock Hill’s Elks Club will host the riders at the Elks Lodge at 344 E. Main Street with a finishing ceremony, meals, and a place to sleep at the lodge. More than 50 riders who are police, fire, and EMS workers from both states, are participating.

“We have had so many line of duty deaths that we just want to give back what we can,” said Elks Lodge member Kenny Martin, who recently retired from the Rock Hill Fire Department and still teaches at the S.C. Fire Academy. “All over the Carolinas, like the country, people in uniform have died protecting the public and we want to give our thanks and support to their families.”

The ride has even more meaning after the deaths of five officers in Texas July 7, Martin said. In 2016 at least 61 police officers and 37 firefighters in America have died on duty.

One of the riders is Asheville firefighter Landon Davis, who previously was a firefighter with the city of Rock Hill. Martin said.

The ride will be similar to the ride surrounding the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when hundreds of York County people lined the finish route into downtown Rock Hill to see first responder cyclists who rode from Florida to New York.

Police and fire departments from throughout York County will escort the riders from the Cherokee County line through York to Rock Hill on July 26. Riders are expected to arrive in Rock Hill between 5 p.m and 6 p.m. July 26, with the caravan heading east on S.C. 5 and Main Street into the city to the Elks lodge.

Lodge members will feed the riders dinner and breakfast before another escort leads them to the North Carolina state July 27.

This story was originally published July 12, 2016 at 2:50 PM with the headline "Cops, firefighters bicycle tribute ride to stop in Rock Hill."