By Leon Nguyen
masslive.com
WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Some 300 cyclists set off from the Irish Cultural Center in West Springfield Saturday morning on a 68-mile bicycle ride to local cities and towns in Hampden County and Connecticut to honor correction officers and emergency medical technicians.
The ride was launched in 2012 in tribute to Springfield police officer Kevin Ambrose and Westfield police officer Jose Torres, who died in the line of duty.
The ride has since expanded to pay tribute to all fallen police officers and firefighters over the course of 11 years.
A police motorcade kicked off the ride in West Springfield and escorted cyclists for the day.
The 2023 Ride to Remember made a stop at Hampden County House of Correction in Ludlow for a ceremony honoring correction officers and a lunch stop in Enfield, Conn. to honor Enfield police and correction officers.
Cyclists also made a rest stop in Westfield to honor Westfield Police Department.
This year, cyclists pedaled from the Irish Cultural Center in West Springfield, along the streets of Springfield through Chicopee and Ludlow. From there, the procession rode back into Springfield, to East Longmeadow, Somers, Conn. and Enfield, Conn., then to Suffield, Conn., Southwick, Westfield, and back into West Springfield.
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