ROCKFORD — A Rockford firefighter, on Wednesday will join a group of cyclists made up of firefighters and military veterans who are riding across America to honor first responders lost during 9/11.

Chris Kowalski, a firefighter with the Rockford Fire Department, will pedal from Dubuque, Iowa, to Rockford with the group as part of the Bay to Brooklyn 2021 ride.

The group will stop at the 9/11 Memorial at the corner of West State and Kilburn Avenue at approximately 5 p.m., before heading to Station 6, 3329 W. State Street, for dinner.

The Bay To Brooklyn 2021 ride began in California and will end in New York. Along the way the group is stopping to honor and pay respects to the lost souls and heroes at the United Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon before ending the 3,800 mile ride at the Brooklyn Bridge and 911 Memorial.

The Bay To Brooklyn group rides to remember and honor all first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice on Sept. 11, 2001 and those who continue to serve today whether they be fire, police, military or health care workers.