Riding a bike 300 miles over four days doesn't guarantee you'll reach your destination in top physical condition.

Just ask Mentor's Mike Rae, who took part in last week's Police Unity Tour, which traveled from New Jersey to Washington, D.C., as part of a fundraiser for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

Rae said he gained eight pounds over the course of the ride.

"It's because they feed us so well," Rae said with a laugh as he described the food the riders receive during breaks along the route.

But Lisa Jacques, a 49-year-old provincial constable with the Ontario Provincial Police, charts her calorie burn on her bike's GPS.

She said during Thursday's 96-mile section of the ride, she burned 4,500 calories. On Friday, when the riders traveled a little under 100 miles, too, Jacques said she was able to burn 3,500 calories.

At the end of Friday's ride, the group reached Annapolis, Md., where Rae's group of riders headed to a pier along the Chesapeake Bay for their annual visit to a pizza shop for a quick dinner before hitting the sack for the last part of the ride, into the District of Columbia and finally on to the memorial.

-- Laura Kessel
LKessel@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @Lauranh