It's the time of the year when you see hundreds of bike riders zip by in white, teal and pink. The 'Ride for Missing Children' is Friday, and people are gearing up for the big day. Melissa Krull tells why the event is so special. 

Nearly 500 people. 80 miles. 10 hours. An event more than 20 years old to help raise awareness and find missing and exploited children. That's the Ride for Missing Children.

"The first ride was actually in '95 when Sara Ann Wood's father and six other men rode down to Washington, D.C. to just commemorate her disappearance and to raise awareness and bring light to the cause of missing and exploited children," said The Ride for Missing Children Media Coordinator Katie Reilly.

Sara Ann Wood was wearing teal and pink when she disappeared, and was never found.

Lewis Lent eventually pleaded guilty, admitting he killed her.

Now in her honor, hundreds of people wear those colors through Central New York on a ride from Oneida to New Hartford.

"A lot of people ask why the route isn't a closed route, why we don't start and stop at the same place. The reason for that is it represents that we never stop searching for those missing children. It's an open loop because the search is continuous," said Reilly.

The event is the biggest fundraiser for the local branch of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Money raised helps them print and distribute posters to find children.

"Since the inception, we've actually sent out over 10 million posters throughout the country to find these children. Last year alone, $400,000 was raised that led to the successful recovery of 399 kids," said Reilly.

On a mission to find children, and educate them.

"We work with schools around the region. We go in there and we teach them not about just stranger danger and those types of topics but also about internet safety because that's such a huge thing nowadays," said Reilly.

Rain or shine, as long as conditions are safe the ride will go on, and ride officials will be posting updates on social media throughout the day. 

Information about the Ride can be found here.