Father and Son Biking From Buffalo to Albany Stop in Central New York

Two men from Rochester hopped on their bikes this week for a ride they hope will raise awareness and money for a cause very close to their hearts.

Doug and Connor Dickman from Rochester lost, respectively, their daughter and sister, Sarah Han Dickman, to suicide last year. Connor told WKTV he came up with the idea for a cross-state bike ride to honor his sister a few weeks ago because many Out of the Darkness walks for suicide awareness have gone virtual this year.

"Connor wanted to do something in honor and memory of his sister, and this has not been a long-planned event, about three weeks ago right around a ride," Doug told WKTV. "And Connor said, 'Hey why don't you go with me?' So, it's not like we did a lot of crazy training for this or anything."

The father and son duo started their 344-mile ride from Buffalo to Albany on Tuesday, and made a quick stop in Rome Thursday evening. They hope to raise $10,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and they've already raised over $8,000.

You can follow Doug and Connor's journey as they finish their ride across New York on their Instagram page.