Bicycling | Life on the Bike and other Fab Things

The first Ride of Silence (ROS) took place in 2003 in Dallas, TX, after endurance cyclist Larry Schwartz was killed by the mirror of a passing school bus. Out of that tragedy grew an annual international event where cyclists worldwide participate in a silent slow-paced ride in honor of those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways.

We have been holding a Ride of Silence event in my community since the death of our friend Fess Green 9 years ago, and I’ve written about it twice. The posts here and here offer more history and photos about the ROS.

Cyclists take to the road at 7pm their local time, and this year there were 416 Registered Events, from all 50 states, all 7 continents, and 38 countries. The Ride of Silence – NRV is one small part of that massive international ride. It’s incredible to know that thousands of people the world over, are riding at the same time, for the same cause.

Our small locality has had as many as 100 cyclists, of all ages, turn out to ride. This year the cold temperatures and drizzling rain kept some folks at home. The 35-40 riders who showed up despite the weather were safely escorted through the ride route by officers from the Radford City Police Department. We are fortunate to have the support of the local government and police department year after year.

We ride in silence, at a slow, reflective pace and whether on bright, sunny evenings, or when it is chilly and damp, it truly is a powerful experience.

I’m thankful to have a passionate group of people on the planning committee who believe in the mission of this organization, and work together every year to make the event happen.

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

http://www.rideofsilence.org/

The 7th Ride of Silence in the New River Valley (NRV) of Virginia was a great success. We had over 100 participants in this annual event to honor and remember those injured or killed while riding on public roadways. I’ve not seen the total numbers from around the globe, but I do know that there were 313 rides held in the United States alone. It is incredibly powerful to know that you are riding with people from all over the world … on the same date, at the same time. It is also incredibly sad to think that these events have to be held.

The Ride of Silence – NRV began, as always, with a very brief program. Advocacy news and updates, and then instructions about the ride are given. I’m proud to serve as one of the event organizers (of all my volunteer interests, this is one of my favorites) and amateur photographer (clearIy need to work on the photography of moving bikes)

Cyclists of all ages and riding ability are escorted by local police officers in a slow procession through the city, sending a message that we will not be silent about those injured or killed on the road.

We do ride in silence and it’s an incredible moment. One of the riders wrote about the event in her blog The Chronicles of Cort the Sport. I encourage you to check out her account. Cortney commented that “Cycling is therapy, it’s transportation, it’s freedom, it’s happiness. But sometimes it’s also tragic. This ride, with the ghost bike of killed cyclist Fess Green, was both a reminder of the dangers and a celebration of the community. I’d encourage others to take part in (or start one!) a Ride of Silence in their community next year”.