Photo: Tim Dunn (WBZ)
YARMOUTH, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The largest gathering of motorcycles on Cape Cod returned for its 14th yearly ride Sunday.
Big Nick's Ride for the Fallen is an annual motorcycle ride in tribute to U.S. military members from Cape Cod who died fighting overseas in the War on Terror. The event was founded by Massachusetts Rep. Steven Xiarhos, whose son Nicholas was killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2009.
This year, over 1,000 motorcycles rode from the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office in Bourne, along Route 6A through Sandwich and Barnstable, before finishing at Sea Dog Brew Pub in Yarmouth for post-ride festivities.
16 fallen servicemembers from Cape Cod were honored, including Army Staff Sgt. Alicia Birchet, a Mashpee Wampanoag tribe member who was killed in action in Iraq in 2007. The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe were this year's special guests to honor Birchet and all Native American veterans.
"She went right in after high school, and all of us were really surprised because we’d seen her running and training everywhere," Birchet's cousin told WBZ NewsRadio. "We were like, where’s she going? She said, 'I’m going into the service.'"
Funds raised from the ride will go towards supporting veteran and community groups on Cape Cod.
WBZ's Tim Dunn (@ConsiderMeDunn) reports.
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