Memorial Day Weekend: Cyclists Gather for Ride of the Patriots in Fairfax City

• PHOTO courtesy of Ride of the Patriots

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FAIRFAX CITY, VA -- Memorial Day weekend is almost here and it wouldn't be the same without a barbecue, American flags, the opening of area pools and a little thing called Rolling Thunder.

The 18th Annual Ride of the Patriots® to Rolling Thunder® XVIII will take place Sunday during the Memorial Day weekend. Patriot Harley-Davidson® and the Fairfax Va. chapter, Harley Owners Group, are preparing for this year's event, a police-escorted ride to the Pentagon to participate in Rolling Thunder's Ride for Freedom.

The Ride of the Patriots is a four-day event spanning the entire Memorial Day weekend. All activities for the weekend take place or begin at Patriot Harley-Davidson, located just west of Fairfax Circle on Fairfax Boulevard (see map). The Patriot Harley-Davidson parking lot is designated for bikes only from Friday morning until after the departure of the Ride on Sunday morning.

Visiting Patriot H-D on Friday (May 27) has become a tradition among out-of-towners looking to reunite with old friends and family. On Friday expect live music, Letterfly Pin Striping, Squealz on Wheelz and VA Rigging for your patch sewing needs onsite. On Friday at 5:30 p.m., the Chapter rides to the candlelight vigil at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Activities continue Saturday, with the Patriot Harley-Davidson open house (9 a.m. - 5 p.m.) where you may purchase a Ride of the Patriots 2016 commemorative T-shirt from the dealership and the Ride of the Patriots 2016 commemorative coin and pin at the Chapter H.O.G. booth (while supplies last).

The main event is Sunday at Patriot H-D when participants honor their heroes and ride to Rolling Thunder. The weekend finale is a chapter ride in the Falls Church Memorial Day Parade on Memorial Day.

This year is the 29th Rolling Thunder. The event grows larger every year and is now the largest single-day motorcycle event in the world.

Rolling Thunder not only honors and remembers those who fought in Vietnam, but also honors the servicemen and women in uniform who serve the nation, organizers say. Bikers’ participation in Rolling Thunder began primarily with Vietnam War veterans having a special focus on MIAs. The rider group has now grown to include more than 400,000 riders from across the country.

Spectators join in the event all along the route to the Pentagon and on the parade route thru Washington, DC to pay tribute and to honor our military heroes on this solemn occasion.

About 3,500 bikes from the DC metro region and around the country join the Ride of the Patriots. The bikers assemble heading eastbound along Fairfax Boulevard (Lee Highway) starting at Patriot Harley-Davidson and then with the help of police motor squad units from Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax and Arlington County are escorted to the Pentagon staging area to join 400,000 other bikers for Rolling Thunder.

The Ride of the Patriots to Rolling Thunder on Sunday (see the schedule) begins with a parade down Fairfax Boulevard and an opening ceremony that brings the community and the bikers together to recognize the significance of this day. City leaders, state and federal officials, the Fairfax High School Band, Fairfax City and County fire and police units, the Northern Virginia Firefighter’s Emerald Society Pipe Band, the American Legion, honor guards and more have active participants in the event on Sunday morning.

Spectators from the community line Fairfax Boulevard to recognize the riders and honor this Memorial Day weekend.