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Hundreds of people gathered before sunrise Sunday to cheer on cyclists departing from Philadelphia’s Ben Franklin Bridge to begin a 65-mile charity bike ride to Atlantic City.
The annual Ben to the Shore bike tour is the flagship fundraiser for Families Behind the Badge, a children’s foundation that raises money for loved ones of first responders who have fallen or been injured in the line of duty.
Jack Costello, associate director of Families Behind the Badge, said this year’s tour, as always, was a labor of love.
“There are people who have spent months training for this,” he said. “It is an awesome sight to see so many people who want to provide support to the first-responder community.”
Opening remarks began onstage at 6:30 a.m. to begin the tour at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 26, 2026. (Chelsea Lubbe/WHYY)
Costello’s father survived a shooting while serving in the Philadelphia Police Department and was inspired by the idea of supporting families who have gone through similar circumstances.
“First responders see things every day, and I never thought about it until I got to learn some inside baseball,” said Bob White, the foundation’s board president. “So to combine that with their normal family life and the stress, it is a lot.”