PHOTOS: 9/11 Memorial Cyclists Make Their Way Through Wine Country

About 250 bicyclists in the hit the tip of the North Fork from theMonday morning and made their way through Wine Country, on to Riverhead and points west. They started the journey in Boston on Saturday for the 11th annual ride and will end at the World Trade Center in Manhattan Tuesday.

The sunny and 70, slightly breezy weather through the flat and scenic vista of the North Fork made this leg of the trip a favorite of many of the cyclists, who come from police departments all over the country — Nevada, Florida, Texas, Colorado, and lots of places in the Northeast.

Jim Parker is one of the original riders in the Tour de Force bicycle ride to benefit families impacted by the tragic events of

“It’s going almost too smoothly this year,” he said. “We’re hitting the water stops early — the weather is great.”

This is the third year the group has taken the Boston-to-Manhattan route, Parker said. Some years the trek starts in Manhattan and ends at the Pentagon. For Katrina Spencer of New Hampshire, who was undertaking her sixth Tour de Force ride, Boston to New York is the best.

“How can you beat Long Island?” she said during a water break at in Southold. “It’s flat and the most scenic.”

In its 11 years of existence, Tour de Force has raised $1.5 million to benefit the families affected by the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Click here for more information: http://www.tourdeforceny.com

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