Plan to join one of the two local Ride of Silence events on Wed. evening May 21st to honor fallen cyclists and promote road safety.
What began in 2003 in Dallas as a spontaneous outpouring of grief for a friend and fellow rider, struck and killed by the mirror of a passing vehicle, has rolled across the globe to become an international annual event memorializing and honoring cyclists who have been injured and killed while riding.
Bike safety is not a fleeting issue, especially here in Florida which ranks as the very worst in the nation for cyclist safety with the highest fatality rate for nine years in a row. Just within the past four months, here in Lee County four cyclists have been killed in crashes.
Locally there are TWO Rides of Silence planned--downtown Fort Myers and Sanibel.
Sanibel Ride of Silence: Sponsored by the Sanibel Bicycle Club
What began in 2003 in Dallas as a spontaneous outpouring of grief for a friend and fellow rider, struck and killed by the mirror of a passing vehicle, has rolled across the globe to become an international annual event memorializing and honoring cyclists who have been injured and killed while riding.
The many
hundreds of events share the same goals:
"To honor fallen cyclists, to promote road safety, and to make a
difference."
Bike safety is not a fleeting issue, especially here in Florida which ranks as the very worst in the nation for cyclist safety with the highest fatality rate for nine years in a row. Just within the past four months, here in Lee County four cyclists have been killed in crashes.
The Ride of
Silence, in memorializing riders injured and killed, seeks to draw motorist's
attention to cyclist's legal rights to full use of the roadways, to inform
motorists that we are here, to watch for us--as if our lives depended on it. Please come out to show your support and send
the message that we deserve our right to operate on our own roads. We are not just bike riders, but friends and
neighbors and we must all Share the
Road.
Locally there are TWO Rides of Silence planned--downtown Fort Myers and Sanibel.
Sanibel Ride of Silence: Sponsored by the Sanibel Bicycle Club
- Arrive at 6:45 p.m., leaves promptly at 7 p.m.
- Ride begins at Sanibel Community Park (on Periwinkle).
- Helmets required.
- Ride will be 8 miles round trip over the Causeway bridges and islands, turning around at the underpass on the south end of the high span.
- Participants are invited to stop for dinner at Jerry's Restaurant after the ride.
- For further details, contact Patti Sousa: 395-1695.
[Note: there was a 4th bike fatality in April 2014--cyclist hit on 4/8 at US 41 and Halgrim died of his injuries on 4/18.]
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