ALTON, Ill. (WTVO) — Police officers and their family members are cycling across the state in honor of fallen officers as part of the 18th Annual Cycle Across Illinois.

The trip is a four-day ride that began in Alton and will end in suburban Chicago.

Money raised during the sponsorship ride benefits Illinois Concerns of Police Survivors, of which Kelly Kraeger is a fundraiser.

Kraeger said she chose to ride this year in honor of a loved one who died in the line of duty.

“At first I was actually resistant to coming because it means you have to make yourself vulnerable again and open old wounds,” she said. “But you realize, once you’ve been on here, that you never want to leave, because … you’re helping other people through their pain that you’ve already gone through. Not that all of our situations are the same, but we’ve all been through something and we all have a special connection.”

The riders will travel about 355 miles in total.