TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Applications for the 2015 Remember the Removal Bike Ride are now available for Cherokee Nation citizens.

Applications are online at www.cherokee.org/remembertheremoval and must be completed by Oct. 31. The application requires an essay, three letters of recommendation and more.

The three-week ride in late spring teaches Cherokees ages 16-24 more about their culture and history as they cycle the same route their ancestors were forced to march 175 years ago along the Trail of Tears.

Participants ride more than 950 miles through seven states, testing their physical and mental endurance.

“The Remember the Removal Bike Ride is one of the most important events we do to memorialize the Trail of Tears,” said Remember the Removal project coordinator Joseph Erb. “We go back to our original homeland and meet up with the Eastern Band of Cherokees to travel this journey together. We are not recreating what happened but continuing to honor the ancestors we lost and the ones who survived. It is a life-changing experience that brings us together and strengthens our resolve to continue on as Cherokees today.”

To qualify, an applicant must be a CN citizen, be between the ages of 16-24 by Jan. 1, 2015, and must not have participated in the RTR ride before.

Also, applicants must have a permanent address in the tribe’s 14-county jurisdiction, must attend mandatory training rides and history courses and follow code of conduct policies.

Finalists will be selected by a committee to attend training and history courses. Those who meet the requirements will officially be selected as 2015 riders.

For more information, call Erb at 918-453-5198 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..