Ride of rembrance

ABOVE: Cyclists on the annual Remember the Removal Bike Ride roll into Ware, Ill., on Monday after riding 53 miles from Metropolis, Ill. Twenty-two cyclists representing the Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians are retracing the northern route of the Trail of Tears. BELOW: Cyclists Marvel Welch, left, and Tighe Wachacha on the annual Remember the Removal Bike Ride relax in Ware, Ill. BOTTOM: Cyclists on the annual Remember the Removal Bike Ride load their bicycles in the trailer. Cyclists set out June 3 on the more than 900-mile trek through Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma. They will finish their trip June 21 with a homecoming celebration in Tahlequah, Okla.