Ride Of Silence: Ride Report

It was a rainy raw evening, about 50 brave riders showed up to show support for those who have fallen while riding. It was a somber occasion, the ride was slow and silent. Pedestrians and people in cars read our signs and you could see them start to contemplate the meaning of what we were doing. Through the rain and heavy mist and cold temps the riders remained stoic. Riding in two perfect lines (when we were able to take a lane) they spread out and two lines of blinky lights announced our presence.

It was a very powerful experience to see riders like this. It reminded me of an honor guard, or a funeral parade. It was also uplifting, to see so many riders announce, “we are here and we ride for those who can not.” No one honked, and no one was rude. It was nice to see people in cars give us respect. Cyclists really do stick together, when one of us gets hurt, it is like all of us get hurt. I was so impressed to see such an outpouring of support, I can only hope that next year the numbers are even bigger.

At the end of the ride Eric Hunts father gave a heartfelt speech about his son. He said that Eric was an organ donor, and explained how tissues from his legs went to fix children with cleft pallets. He said that these children could smile because the sunshine of his life was gone. I found it appropriate that the strongest part of a biker was able to help the most people. I honestly couldn’t help but cry as I saw this man talk about his son. Even now I find it hard to even type this.

A young man also stood up. His face was visibly bruised. He told a tale of waking up in a hospital room with doctors explaining to him that he had been in a bike crash. He told about how he had purchased that helmet 4 days before, and how he had never worn one before then. His father had flown in from the west coast and had gone on the ride with him. It was hard not to think about the recent fatalities and how if not for a bit of luck and a helmet we could have lost one more young person.

There is simply no reason why anyone should die while riding a bicycle. We must understand that when anyone dies while cycling the streets of this city that we all suffer. A failure to protect everyone is a failure BY everyone. Seeing a father talk about the loss of his young son is all you need to witness in order to be convinced of the necessity of protecting everyone.

If you drive a car, remember, no matter what a cyclist or pedestrian might be doing, even if it is illegal, you are in a giant metal object, and that human lives are so easily extinguished. Remind yourself that you are not the kind of person that thinks it is OK to kill someone, remind yourself that everyone is someones child, and please be hyper vigilant. Driving a large automobile gives you a great amount of responsibility towards your fellow human beings. Right or wrong, fair or not, if you are not paying extra attention you can snuff our the life of a pedestrian or cyclists in an instant. Similarly remember on your bicycle you are fast, you are free, you are also not protected by a shell of metal.

Be safe our there people, wear your helmets, follow the laws, keep your head on a swivel.

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