(WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.)
With sweat-soaked backs and aching legs, more than 40 bike riders found brief relief during a Wednesday morning pit stop in Pfafftown, North Carolina.
The group paused to rest and refuel before continuing their multi-day ride from Charleston, South Carolina, to Roanoke, Virginia, to honor EMS first responders who have died, been injured in the line of duty, or fallen ill.
It’s a journey that hundreds of participants have taken across the country as part of the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride, a nonprofit organization that remembers and celebrates the lives of EMS personnel.
EMS|MC was asked by a client to played a small role in this larger mission Wednesday morning by hosting the Pfafftown pit stop at a local fire station.
As the riders pulled in, they were greeted with drinks, snacks, and, for some, the opportunity to fine-tune their bikes before continuing the 61-mile leg scheduled for the day.
Chief Client Advocacy Officer Kim Stanley and Senior VP of Operations Kate Pruitt were among the EMS|MC representatives in attendance.
“We’re more than a billing company,” Kate Pruitt explained as bikers paused to rest. “We want to get out there and show support for clients, non-clients… we truly care about the EMS industry.”
Pruitt and Stanley spoke with clients who were participating in the ride and learned why they were riding—or who they were riding for.
Around the necks of many participants hung dog tags engraved with the names, dates, and service details of those being honored through the ride.
In total, 110 individuals are being remembered during the 2025 ride.
“It helped us understand the heartache those families are enduring,” Pruitt said.
It’s those kinds of conversations that organizer Hope Lineberry hopes are happening across the country during these rides.
“Our mission is to raise awareness of EMS health and to promote physical, mental, and spiritual well-being through long-distance riding,” Lineberry said of the memorial bike ride. “It forces us to take care of ourselves so we can take care of the community.”
Each stop, each press of the pedal, each conversation is helping to transform the EMS industry. Which is why—even after a final stop on May 9 in Roanoke—there will still be miles to go before they sleep.
