We’re making biking better in Kentucky through funding local bike projects, supporting pro-bike policies and legislation at the local and state levels and highlighting great hometown routes on Ride Spot. In fall of 2017, our Community Grant Program helped build the Sugarcamp Mountain Bike Park and beginner mountain bike trail in Prestonsburg. 

In 1984, when Will Chavez was 17, he signed on to participate in a month-long, multi-state, 950-mile bike ride. A member of the Cherokee Nation, Chavez grew up in Eastern Oklahoma where he’d spend summer days riding a one-speed motocross bike with his cousins, exploring nearby Marble City and the local creek, where they’d go swimming. By the time he was finishing high school, Chavez was invited to participate in the inaugural Remember the Removal Bike Ride.

Founded by Mike Morris and Mose Killer, the Remember the Removal ride was envisioned as a way to better involve youth in their Cherokee culture. The school in Marble City only goes through eighth grade and about a third of kids often drop out when it comes time to transition to high school. Morris and Killer saw a need to cultivate leadership qualities in Cherokee youth, as well as help them build self-esteem and confidence to face life’s challenges. The pair settled on a bike ride that would not only test the youth mentally and physically but also allow them to honor their shared history.

The Remember the Removal Bike Ride retraces the Trail of Tears, a forced displacement campaign from the U.S. government that doubled as a form of ethnic cleansing. Between 1830 and 1850, some 60,000 people from the Cherokee, Muscogee, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw nations were forcibly removed from their homes in the southeastern United States and relocated west of the Mississippi River. The relocation to less fertile land took months, and more than 4,000 people died from exposure, disease, and starvation.

The Trail of Tears is actually a network of different routes  — Remember the Removal riders stick to the northern route.

By recreating the original route as a bike ride, Cherokee leadership hoped to expose youth to the hardships their ancestors faced when they made the same trek on foot decades before. That first year, Chavez joined 19 other students and ride coordinators on bikes, while support vans and a school bus followed with tents, food, and other necessary supplies. The group visited historical sites as they followed in their ancestor’s footsteps, averaging 60 miles a day. For Chaves, the trip was life-changing. 

“Before the ride, my self-esteem was not good and I didn’t have much confidence — that all changed after the ride,” says Chavez. “I credit the ride for giving me the confidence to take on numerous challenges like joining the army, finishing college, and having a career in journalism. The ride changed me because it forced me to go past my limits – physically and mentally. So, afterward, I had the fortitude to not give up when things got tough or when it seemed like a task was impossible.”

For the last 27 years, Chavez has been an assistant editor for the Cherokee Phoenix, which was first published in Cherokee and English in 1828 in New Echota (present-day Georgia), then the capital of the Cherokee Nation (the paper’s offices are now headquartered in the new capital, Tahlequah, Oklahoma). In addition to his full-time position, Chavez has worked as the coordinator and trainer for the Remember the Removal Bike Ride for the last four years. 

In addition to the inaugural ride in 1984, Chavez also participated as a mentor in the second iteration of the ride, 25 years later.

“In 2009, the chief at the time decided to bring the ride back and he consulted some of the original riders, asking how we did things,” says Chavez. “Except for 2020, it’s been going consistently since then.”

Today, the ride remains a youth leadership program for tribal members aged 16-24, with applications opening each year in September (there are also two mentor riders each year, for those 35 and older). The program interviews are comparable to a formal job interview — applicants are scored and selected by a panel at the end of October, before attending orientation in November. 

"When I was chosen to be on the ride, I felt a sense of pride grow within me," says Whitney Roach, who completed the ride in 2021. "I not only get to represent myself and my family, but I get to represent my ancestors who were forced on the Removal…I [had] the opportunity to retrace their steps in remembrance of their strength and resilience."

Selected participants sign a contract, committing to six months of rigorous physical training, clocking miles but also learning how to clip in and use a bike with drop handlebars and lots of gears. There’s also a cultural training component that includes Cherokee lessons.

“Most of our youth don’t speak Cherokee these days so that’s part of the training,” says Chavez, adding that the cohort’s formal introductions to the tribal council are always in Cherokee. “They learn the language, the culture, and the history of the Trail of Tears. They end up with a really good background of what happened so that they’re prepared when they go out on the road and people start asking them questions.”

Along the ride, which starts in Georgia, riders visit significant sites, including New Echota, the former Cherokee capital; Kituwah Mound, the original Cherokee homeland; Blythe Ferry, where Cherokees gathered during their forced removal; Mantle Rock in Kentucky, where the former Trail of Tears route is a hiking trail; and many, many unmarked grave sites. 

“There are so many points in history when the Cherokee people could have disappeared like some other tribes,” says Chavez, noting that in addition to surviving the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee survived a smallpox epidemic that decimated the tribe in the 1700s, the American Civil War in the 1800s, and the seizure of lands and destruction of tribal government the pushed the tribe into poverty in the 1900s. “Yet, we are still here today. From the standpoint of being a Cherokee person, the ride made me even more proud of who I am and even more proud of my ancestors for what they endured and survived,”

A body of research, published from 2020 to 2022, highlights the benefits of the Remember the Removal Bike Ride for participants’ physical, emotional, social, and cultural well-being. Past riders that were surveyed showed improvements in their diet and exercise habits, as well as their mental health, with reductions in things like stress, anxiety, depression, and anger. Perhaps most importantly, those surveyed also demonstrated improved social and cultural connection to one another, their Cherokee identity, and fundamental Cherokee values.

Participants from the 2019 Remember the Removal Bike Ride walk down a preserved section of trail used by Cherokees in Tennessee during their forced removal some 180 years ago.

Over the course of three weeks, the youth ride anywhere from 40 to 70 miles a day, some much more difficult than others (particularly those in Missouri, nicknamed “Misery” due to its constant heat, hills, and rough roads).

In 2021, the riders switched from using road bikes to gravel bikes, which makes traversing the mountains and backroads much easier. The Cherokee Education Department pays for rider’s helmets, shoes, sunglasses, a bike computer, custom cycling kits, and bikes, which are Fuji this year but have covered the gamut of quality brands over the last decade. To receive the kit, riders are required to pass a grueling 60-mile road test — friends and family are then invited to watch them receive their kits, an event with a strong ceremonial element. When participants complete the ride itself, they get to keep their bikes.

In an average year, Chavez takes 8-10 riders, although this year it’ll be a group of six, having lost two to injury. Interestingly, since 2018, the Remember the Removal riders have been trending female, and since 2021, the cohort has been completely female. 

This years Remember the Removal cohort, which will begin their ride on June 5.

“Elders and council members have been asking, where are all the boys?” says Chavez, noting that male youth just aren’t applying. “Obviously, the girls aren’t afraid to do it — it’s tough and these girls want to take on the challenge.”

At the end of May, Chavez accompanied the riders to North Carolina, where they met up with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, who also has a team of six riders. While the two tribes share a lineage, there are still a few differences in language, which can become apparent in the call signs used, all of which are in Cherokee. After a training ride together to get on the same page, the group will travel to Georgia, where they’ll begin the Remember the Removal Bike Ride on June 5, traveling nearly 1,000 miles through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

Upon completion, the riders will join more than 200 alumni, many of whom are still as committed to the ride as Chavez is, showing up to help with training, mentorship, or on-route support. It makes sense — after all, Remember the Removal is first and foremost a spiritual journey. Not only does it test the endurance and emotions of those who participate, but it directly connects them to their ancestors. In riding, they remember where they came from and find the strength to go on.

If you’re interested in following the riders’ journey along the northern Trail of Tears route, tune in to the official Remember the Removal Bike Ride Facebook page. 

This Annual Bike Ride Connects Cherokee Youth to Their History

We hope you’re gearing up to take some great rides in 2021. From oceanside coastal rides in the Pacific Northwest to gravel epics in Colorado to country road cruises in New York, we’ve compiled a list of 12 can’t-miss rides from 2020. Our new Ride Spot app will get you to each and guide you to great cycling experiences.

While the state of Colorado already hosts dozens of time-tested on and off-road cycling races, the new kid on the block, SBT GRVL, has quickly made a name for itself coming off its 2019 inaugural race. With four different races spanning from 37 miles to 144 miles, SBT GRVL offers fantastic routes for gravel riders of all abilities to enjoy stunning views of the Park Range of the northern Rockies.

This 33-mile tour winding through the streets of Minneapolis highlights the city’s abundant public artwork. Starting at a doughnut shop and ending at a bar, this ride is not meant to be completed as quickly as possible, but rather one that encourages multiple off-bike stops to take in the stunning murals adorning the sides of buildings across one of America’s best cities for biking. 

For those looking to practice their fly fishing cast in addition to enjoying a great multi-day nature ride, head to Hillsboro, Oregon, just 20 minutes west of Portland. This 60-mile (one way) ride sets the table for the perfect bike camping trip through the PNW’s coastal range. Beautiful views of the Willamette Valley along the Nestucca River make this ride one of our favorites for 2021.

With a slogan as simple as “Ride Bikes. Drink Bourbon.” you can’t really go wrong with the Bourbon Country Burn. A three-day casual tour through the rolling pastures surrounding Lexington, Kentucky, the Bourbon Country Burn offers daily rides ranging from 20 to 100 miles. Each ride includes stops at local bourbon distilleries — as many as six per day — and, of course, plenty of taste tests along the way.

We think the best way to see our nation’s capital is on a bike. This loop around Washington developed by PeopleForBikes staff adds an extra element— stops at some of the top breweries in D.C.’s booming craft beer scene. Hitting four different watering holes over a 15-mile ride, this brewery tour combines hops, history and even a short hiatus into Maryland.

A world-class mountain bike park in a town of only 50,000, Slaughter Pen offers a robust singletrack trail network accessible right from downtown Bentonville. Featuring flow sections, major downhills, technical rock gardens and huge berms, Slaughter Pen will excite any level of rider. It is also one of only 15 trail networks worldwide to earn an IMBA Silver Level Ride Center designation.

When was the last time your bike trip included a nautical component? Starting from the heart of downtown Seattle, this route offers an ideal intro to those looking to get their feet wet in the world of bike camping. After a short ferry ride across Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island, an easy seven-mile pedal to the Fay Bainbridge Campground gives riders an easy opportunity to get out of the city and into the magnificent Pacific Northwest.

When your friend describes a ride as “so beautiful my eyes hurt,” it’s one you probably don’t want to miss. Located just two hours south of Denver, this all-day ride follows the path of the dismantled Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad that carried gold from mountain mines to the valley floor. From staggering mountain vistas to rolling through an 1800s mining town all with gentle grades and little to no traffic, Phantom Canyon is one of Colorado’s best kept gravel ride secrets.

Usually held in March, Camp Tucson features three self-supported rides of varying length and intensity intended to show off some classic southern Arizona desert trails. It also provides those looking to tackle the infamous 300-mile Arizona Trail Race in April with valuable recon and training.

Take Metro North’s Hudson line from Grand Central Station north for one hour to access this 31-mile route between Peekskill and Cold Spring, New York. This two-county country road ride winds through the Hudson River valley and provides a refreshing break from the big city. Brooklyn-based 718 Cyclery chose this route as the inaugural ride for their Women’s Adventure Cycling Club.

No American must-ride bucket list would be complete without an oceanside ride down the West Coast. This picturesque 111-miler recommended by our friends at Leave It On The Road stretches from Reedsport to Gold Beach, Oregon, with remarkable views of the Pacific over your right shoulder the entire way.

While Stillwater, Oklahoma provides plenty of great options for a decent cup of coffee, our friends at District Bicycles decided to go a little outside the box (well, 35 miles outside the box) for their cup of joe. Located in Guthrie, OK, cyclist-owned Hoboken Coffee Roasters serves as an ideal mid-ride pitstop. Gravel and dirt roads deliver expansive views of the north central Oklahoma countryside.

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