Cyclists with Cops Cycling for Survivors rolled into Vincennes Thursday afternoon, marking Day 11 of their 13-day, 1,000-mile ride across Indiana in honor of fallen law enforcement officers.
The group, now in its 24th year, stopped overnight at Vincennes University’s Morris Hall for the first time in several years. Riders were provided dinner by Sodexo and left the campus just after 6 a.m. Friday morning. They rode to breakfast provided by the local Wendy’s before departing for their next leg toward Bloomfield and Bloomington.
Rider Nathan Peach, a Monroe County Sheriff’s deputy, says the ride is personal. “Early on in my career, we had one of our officers killed in the line of duty and at that point had no idea that this organization even existed.”
Peach said he first encountered the ride during a memorial event in Bloomington and joined in 2014. He added that Vincennes became a full overnight stop thanks to a connection from his time as a VU student.
This year’s ride honors four fallen officers: Hendricks County Deputy Fred Fislar, Newton County Corporal Brandon Schreiber, Indiana DOC Lt. Donald Neiswinger Jr., and DOC Officer Shawn Burnell.
The public is encouraged to support the group as it completes its journey, which began July 7 in Plainfield and ends July 19 in Indianapolis. All donations support scholarships and memorial foundations in honor of Indiana officers who died in the line of duty.