TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — After 950 miles and three weeks on the trails, 18 Cherokee cyclists crossed the finish line.
They completed an emotional journey that retraced their ancestors' forced removal nearly two centuries ago in the annual Remember the Removal ride.
WATCH: Cherokee riders complete emotional 950 mile Trail of Tears remembrance ride:
"I can't believe it's over," said Dugan Gibson. "It's a bittersweet feeling."
21-year-old Gibson from Talala was among the cyclists who embarked on the transformative journey along the northern route of the Trail of Tears. His emotional reunion with loved ones at the finish line captured the intensity of what the riders experienced.
"Having to cope with what our people went through and learn more each day while going through physical turmoil, it just adds up and adds up and it makes it really hard but it's fulfilling," Gibson said.
All of the riders trained for six months leading up to the start, logging nearly 1,500 miles in preparation.
"This is a way to really do a deep dive into Cherokee history and retracing the steps of our ancestors who were so brutally forcibly removed," said Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “You can tell that they’re impacted, connecting with their shared history and in many cases their individual history and genealogy as they go back to what is to the Cherokee Nation the old country.”
Hoskin said the ride represents something deeper than athletic achievement — it's a time for the entire Cherokee Nation to reflect and focus on restoration from their ancestors' traumatic removal.
"The preparation alone was a test, this journey's been a test, and I think what comes next for them in their lives is a deeper understanding of what it means to be Cherokee," said Hoskin.
For Gibson, the experience created bonds and insights that can never be replicated.
"This is genuinely a once in a lifetime opportunity," he said. "I'll never get to do the experiences I had again with the same people, with this family that I've built, and that makes it once in a lifetime."
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