The 10th Annual Gold Star 500 will travel more than 500 miles across Illinois this week to honor fallen military service members and their families.
The five-day endurance bicycle ride begins today (Tuesday) and continues through Saturday.This year’s route follows much of Illinois’ historic Route 66 corridor as riders visit schools, veterans organizations, Illinois National Guard facilities and communities across the state.
The ride begins Tuesday in Chester, with stops including Steeleville, Mascoutah/O’Fallon and Vandalia before finishing the day in Granite City. Over the following four days, participants will travel north through communities including Edwardsville, Litchfield, Springfield, Lincoln, Bloomington, Pontiac, Joliet and Aurora.
The approximately 500-mile journey concludes Saturday at the Streamwood Veterans Memorial, where an end-of-ride ceremony will honor fallen service members and their Gold Star Families.
Gold Star Mission President Barry Tobias said preserving the memories of fallen military members remains at the heart of the event. The organization’s message is “Always Remember, Never Forget.”
Gold Star Mission was founded by Illinois National Guard members in 2017 and honors the nearly 400 Illinois service members killed since September 11, 2001.
Since its founding, the organization says it has awarded 357 scholarships in honor of fallen Illinois service members. Riders participating in Gold Star Mission events have logged more than 160,000 miles, while its Fallen Heroes History Project has produced 14 professional videos preserving the stories of fallen service members through interviews with family members, friends and fellow service members.
Saturday’s conclusion will coincide with Gold Star Family Weekend and mark a decade of the Gold Star 500 carrying its remembrance mission across Illinois. For more information about the Gold Star Mission or how to get involved, visit https://goldstarmission.org or email publicrelations@goldstarmission.org