CORNELIA — Sixteen years after the tragic events of 9/11 altered American history forever, residents from across North Georgia want everyone to know they haven’t forgotten the sacrifices made that day.
"Ride to Remember", one of the largest memorial rides in the region, begins at Cycle World of Athens, stops in Cornelia, then makes its way to Blairsville, in Union County.
Mike Newell of Cycle World of Athens organizes and promotes the free event each year.
“I’m fortunate to be working at a dealership that allows me to do this,” Newell said. “They’re very patriotic, always have been. Public safety, military, veterans have always been a top priority for our dealership, so about 12 years ago we changed the name of this ride to ‘Ride to Remember’, and we ride for those who lost their lives on 9/11, and we also ride to honor the public safety who live on and serve our country, and to honor the military that serve and the military that lost their life fighting the War on Terror.”
Newell said participant response is always overwhelming, making the ride one of the biggest and most talked about rides in the area.
“This is a big, mass appreciation ride for all the people that work in public safety and those that serve in the military,” Newell said. “We had 972 bikes registered, but I think there was probably 200 or 300 more when we got here in Cornelia. We picked up several on the route, so we’re probably looking at between 1,200 and 1,500 motorcycles today.”
