And so it begins...again.The Newtown Bee that he and his two-wheeled companions will ride through states working to reduce gun violence - Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland - before arriving at the US Capitol on May 8 for a press conference at 2 pm.team26.org, facebook.com/sandyhookrideonwashington, or Twitter page: @RideOnTeam26.

An 8 am ceremony on the steps of Edmond Town Hall will precede the launch of Team 26 and another annual ride between Newtown to Washington, DC, that 26 hearty cyclists happily and willingly make to raise awareness of the public health crisis of gun violence, and to support common sense measures to reduce it.

Team 26, also referred to as "America's Bike Messengers," make the approximate 400-mile trip over four days in honor of the 20 first graders and six educators killed 12/14, and all victims of gun violence.

The men and women that comprise this year's Team 26 include educators, high school and college students, veterans, medical professionals, and representatives from many states including Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

Many are riders who have raced and won metals in the United States and internationally.

This year, team leader and Sandy Hook resident Monte Frank told 

"Team 26 will be delivering to Congress a petition signed by over 250,000 Americans to ban AR-15s and high capacity magazines," Mr Frank said in an advance ahead of the team's departure. "As is the case for each of our rides, Team 26 will be pressing for background checks on all gun sales, a measure supported by 97 percent of Americans according to the latest Quinnipiac poll.

"With a margin of error of 3.4 percent," he added, "virtually everybody supports this measure, yet partisan politics prevents Congress from acting."

Mr Frank said he sees that Congress remains mired in gridlock and continues to defy the will of the American people.

"However, what is clear from the recent marches and the incredible engagement of students is that people have had enough and are no longer willing to be sitting ducks because of a broken political system," he said.

With each pedal stroke, Team 26 will be figuratively sending a message that Congress remains complicit in the gun violence that continues to occur in the United States at rates that are unacceptable, said Mr Franks.

He and his team, and an overwhelming number of citizens, say Congress must act to prevent gun violence by passing common sense measures, including requiring a background check on all gun sales and limiting magazines to ten rounds.

"The dangerous efforts to pass federally mandated concealed carry must be defeated," Mr Frank said. "This legislation would allow potentially dangerous individuals to carry loaded, concealed guns in states that otherwise would have laws to prevent them from doing so."

According to a draft schedule, the Team 26 rolling rally will be stopping for events at city halls and universities, welcoming speakers including federal and state lawmakers, mayors, activists, students, family members, gun violence survivors, and others.

As in years past, Team 26 will be supported by many local and national gun violence prevention groups.

"Team 26 will be applauding their efforts to make our communities safer and standing with them in honoring those killed by gun violence," Mr Frank said.

Crowds are anticipated at some of the events, including this year's Edmond Town Hall ride launch rally, which will feature lawmakers including Senator Richard Blumenthal, Mr Frank,

Sandy Hook teachers, survivors, and students, along with Tyler Suarez - March For Our Lives organizer and nephew of Sandy Hook School Principal Dawn Hochsprung - and other gun violence prevention activists and organization representatives.

The balance of Saturday's leg will take Team 26 to Peekskill, N.Y., and Morristown, N.J. Sunday will find Team 26 skipping from a Trenton, N.J., event, to Philadelphia where they will hold a rally at Girard College before ending their day near Newark, Del.

Monday, the riders and their support team depart following a rally at the University of Delaware and head to Baltimore and a press conference on the steps of City Hall.

The final leg begins Tuesday, May 8, with a meet and greet rally in College Park, Md., on to a similar event in Southeast Washington, DC, and concluding in the US Capital's House Triangle at approximately 2 pm, where they will be met by federal officials.

For more information visit the team website