Category Archives: Bicycling

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We Will Not Be Quiet

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THE RIDE OF SILENCE WILL NOT BE QUIET

Tomorrow, May 21, 2014 at 7:00 PM, the 11th Annual Ride of Silence will begin in North America and will roll across the globe.

Cyclists will take to the roads in a silent procession to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways.

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Here in the City of Radford, we’ll be hosting our 7th Annual Ride of Silence, an effort that was started when friend and fellow cycling advocate and enthusiast, Fess Green, was hit by a motorist and died from his injuries.  A Ghost Bike is placed at the site of the tragic accident each year a week or so before the ride.

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It’s a solemn, thought provoking event, and an incredibly powerful ride.

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In the next day or so, I’ll be posting a summary of this year’s ride.  Be sure to look for a Ride of Silence event in your area and check out this link to last year’s post for more information.

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Atlanta!

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My friend Ruth and I traveled to Atlanta, Georgia  this past weekend, the latest installment in our annual road trip to watch the Hokies.  As avid Virginia Tech Football fans (and basketball fans, too, for that matter),  we choose one away game to attend each year.  We’ve traveled to Chapel Hill, NC;  Huntington, WVa;  Morgantown, WVa; and to Washington, DC and Atlanta twice.  We try to find a town or place to explore along the way, and search out the historic downtown of any community we visit.  This was our 5th year in a row, and our 7th road trip overall.

We posed for the traditional start of the trip photo and then hit the road!

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The normal 6 1/2 hour trip turned into 9 due to a combination of Friday afternoon rush hour, labor day weekend, and football traffic.  A stop in Kings Mountain, NC and dinner at the Cherokee Grill was just what we needed.

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We finally saw the lights of Atlanta a little after 10pm.  I was so excited about finally arriving that I attempted to take a picture … with my cell phone … while Ruth navigated the interstate at 65mph!  This picture doesn’t reflect it, but the night skyline of Atlanta is beautiful!

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The next day dawned hot and muggy, but we had plenty of time to explore a few of the neighborhoods of Atlanta while waiting for game time. Theresa, our host for the weekend, was an excellent tour guide.

Photography on a trip with friends is a bit of a challenge.  How do you find time to shoot quality images while spending time with friends?  I definitely want to document the trip but I don’t want to spend all my time behind the lens.

We explored the neighborhood near Emory University and had a delicious breakfast at the Rise-n-Dine.

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Theresa drove us through the Krog Street Tunnel, which is known for it’s street art.  I jumped out of the car and had less than a minute to shoot what the locals call their “living bulletin board and urban art gallery”.

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The CNN Center and Olympic Park were both crawling with Tide and Hokie fans, although Virginia Tech fans were far outnumbered.

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Virginia Tech met Alabama in the Georgia Dome, and while we did not beat the #1 team in College Football, our defense was outstanding.  We held them to fewer yards and our offense gained more yards than most teams did in 2012.

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Sunday morning came quickly and it was time to head back home.  We briefly stopped in Spartanburg, SC and I wish we’d had more time to visit.  The downtown area, while quiet for a Sunday, showed evidence of historic renovation and revitalization.

Loved this Urban Art installation called Artcycle.

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The sun was bright at midday and the photos aren’t the best, but the artcycles were great!

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Locally owned businesses have the most creative signage and curb appeal.

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We were back in Radford in the late afternoon and had a short visit with friends who had gathered for labor day.  A lovely way to end the weekend … even if we did miss the music.

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Charleston: Cycling to the Sun

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One of the many great things about Charleston is that it is a community that bikes.  Everywhere you look, you see folks riding bicycles.  Unfortunately most are riding without helmets, but that story is for another time.   I loved this dedicated “bike parking lot”.

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A bookstore right in front of the bike parking lot uses cool combination advertising.

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One of the purposes of the trip was to bring my son a bicycle so he’d be able to join the other cyclists in commuting and in play.

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One evening, Andrew and I rode through Hampton Park and from there, found a curvy little pathway that led to the Ashley River.

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It was the perfect place to watch the sun set over the river.

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Such peace and tranquility … I was almost ready to move there!

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My Other Bike

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It’s no use denying it … since I fell in love with motorcycles, my other two wheeled bike sits unused and collecting dust.  In 5 years, I have ridden less than 100 miles on the bicycle that I chose carefully and used to ride almost daily, 12 miles before work and more on the weekend.  Charleston is the perfect place to explore by bicycle and I loved riding it over The Arthur Ravenel Jr Bridge.

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The Ride of Silence

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Last evening, the 10th Annual Ride of Silence rolled across the globe.

And I do mean literally … across the globe!

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This year’s Ride of Silence (ROS) was held in 368 locations around the world, in all 50 states, and in 26 countries.

During the ROS, cyclists take to the roads in silent processions to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways.  Although cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists, the motoring public often isn’t aware of these rights, and sometimes not aware of the cyclists themselves.

The Ride of Silence organization exists

  • To HONOR those who have been injured or killed
  • To RAISE AWARENESS that we are here
  • To ask that we all SHARE THE ROAD

We held the first Ride of Silence in the City of Radford in 2008, after the death of Fess Green.  Fess was a Radford University professor, and an active member of Pathways for Radford and the New River Valley Bicycle Association.   He commuted on his bicycle almost every day and was killed after being struck by a car on the way home one evening.  In his honor and memory, the two organizations created a Ghost Bike which is displayed for a week before and after the ROS.

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The 2013 Ride of Silence was the 6th one held in the New River Valley.  Individuals, families and folks of all ages gathered to receive pre-ride instructions, and to hear a few words from local leaders and cycling advocates.

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After a “Moment of Noise”, an opportunity to cheer and shout out our love for the ride, we descend into silence and begin our procession.  In the New River Valley we are fortunate to have the support of our local governments, and in particular, the Radford City Police Department.

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We ride silently, in a long slow procession to raise awareness … cyclists have a legal right to ride on public roadways.

We ride silently, to remember loved ones we have lost.  It is a solemn, inspiring event.