It was a historic ride for this year's 9/11 Memorial Ride, a motorcade of nearly 2,700 first responders and supporters who arrived in New York City Sunday on the last stop of their trip commemorating the lives lost on Sept. 11.
The number of motorcyclists participating this year far exceeded past years, according to organizers. Each year, the procession visits the site of the Flight 93 crash in Shanksville, Pa., the Pentagon and ground zero.
This year, each motorcyclist rode with the name of one person who died in the 9/11 attacks as a memorial to the victim.
Lisa Franklin, a participant who rode up from Virginia, who said this was the biggest ride she'd seen, called it a "moving experience."
The ride in New York City started at about 9 a.m. in Midtown at 53rd Street and 7th Avenue, and proceeded downtown to Barclay Street.
"This whole ride has been a big thank you" to the first responders of Sept.11, said a ride organizer who spoke at the post-ride ceremony downtown.
America's 911 Foundation offers scholarships to children of first responders.
