Latest news with #RideOfSilence
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Shop hosts silent ride in honor of bicyclists killed
GOSHEN — A small procession of bicycle riders wound their way through Goshen on Wednesday as part of the international Ride of Silence, held every year in honor of cyclists who have been killed on the road. The group departed from Lincoln Avenue Cycling after they were led in prayer by owner Danny Jones. At the lead for the past 14 years has been Jeff 'Pedals' Chupp. 'Probably since 2011, I've been the leader. We just kind of treat it like a funeral procession in a way,' Chupp said. 'I always look forward to this ride every year.' Riding is important to Chupp as something that helped him lose a significant amount of weight. 'I used to weigh 425 pounds. I'm not quite 425 anymore. A life-changing hobby, really,' he said. 'That and weightlifting. Trying not to eat at Culver's every night.' But it can be a dangerous hobby because of the multi-ton vehicles that share the road with bicyclists. The Ride of Silence began in 2003 following the death of a Dallas cyclist who was hit by the mirror of a passing bus. 'They wanted to do something in honor of them, so they came up with the idea of going out and doing a 10-mile ride at 10 mph as a memorial ride,' Jones said. 'It kind of grew from there and then it's gone international.' National event organizers say the 2024 ride drew participation at 239 locations in 40 U.S. states and 14 countries. Goshen began participating more than 15 years ago. Jones said a customer of Lincoln Avenue Cycling first organized the local ride and the shop kept it going. He said it can be a personal cause for some of the participants, who may know a fellow rider who was killed. 'We usually have one or two riders a year that have somebody. According to the gentleman that helps do the research on this ride ... he mentioned we've had three killed this year already,' Jones said. 'There's quite a few that have been killed in this area. When we say this area, we count Elkhart, St. Joe, I think he goes into Kosciusko as well, as far as the neighboring counties. It's unfortunate, so it's mainly an awareness statement to remind motorists that bikes have a right to the road as well. But we also are appreciative of the bike trails that have been developed, so we try to encourage cyclists to use those wherever they can.' Deaths in and around Elkhart County this year include two riders who were killed in March when they were struck by an SUV west of LaGrange. Crash data kept by the Michiana Area Council of Governments show 71 accidents involving bicycles in Elkhart County since 2019 – four of them fatal – out of the total 163 bicycle-vehicle accidents in the four-county region in that period. Bicycle safety is a big focus in MACOG's Move Safe Michiana project, a safety action plan expected to be released soon. The draft version notes that public feedback they gathered indicates people would prefer to walk or bicycle to places if it could be done safely. Many Michiana area residents feel that there isn't enough separation between vehicles and non-motorized travelers such as bicyclists, walkers, and horse and buggy users, according to the plan. The plan lists several candidate projects for safety improvements, such as the Lincoln Avenue corridor in Goshen and Prairie Street in Elkhart. Both were identified as areas where 17 or more severe crashes occurred between 2019 and 2023. Goshen gave an East Lincoln Avenue bike path a trial run along a three-block stretch in 2022, with an eye to build a path between 8th Street and Indiana Avenue if it was deemed successful. Jones said the test run had a few flaws. 'It got used some, but ... I know some of the cyclists were not happy, because they put it where garbage cans were being put out and there was a lot of obstructions and parked cars,' he said. 'And because of where parked cars were, motorists were turning in on cyclists that were crossing intersections, so it wasn't the best placement necessarily for where they put it.' An open house to present MACOG's draft plan is scheduled for 3 to 4:30 p.m. May 29 at the Greater Elkhart Chamber, 418 S. Main St.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
'Enough Is enough': Cyclists ride in silence to remember those killed on New Mexico roads
May 23—More than 50 bicyclists stood quietly in formation Wednesday evening near Winrock Town Center. Helmets and reflective vests lined the pavement, and cyclists donned red and black armbands — symbols representing those they've known who were injured or killed by motorists while commuting. The cyclists joined others worldwide participating in the 23rd annual Ride of Silence. Hosted by BikeABQ, a nonprofit that advocates for cyclists locally, the annual event reminds motorists to be mindful of other forms of transportation. This year's ride carried a somber weight. In recent months, cycling advocate Chuck Malagodi was killed in a hit-and-run crash. Around a year ago, according to police, Sandia Labs engineer Scott Habermehl was fatally struck by a group of teens in a stolen car. Statewide, seven cyclists have been killed by motorists this year, three of them in Bernalillo County. Between 2019 and 2023, 39 cyclists were killed in New Mexico, including 15 in Bernalillo County, with nearly 1,500 cyclists being involved in a crash, according to New Mexico Department of Transportation data. Dozens of cyclists silently pedaled over 4 miles through the streets Wednesday night, escorted by police vehicles. At the center of the procession was a carriage carrying a ghost bike, a white-painted bicycle representing those riders, like Malagodi and Habermehl, who never made it home. Local leaders, including Mayor Tim Keller, City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn and Rep. Marian Matthews, D-Albuquerque, vowed during the opening ceremony to propose new juvenile crime legislation, referencing the death of Habermehl. Three boys, ages 11 to 16, are accused of striking the cyclist, telling the 13-year-old driver to "bump" Habermehl while recording video of the crash. "Enough is enough," Matthews said before the ride kicked off. "Change starts now, not in January before the Legislature." Habermehl's wife, Jamie Philpott, was also in attendance and said her husband's death highlighted "the ongoing failure" of the state's Children, Youth and Families Department and juvenile justice system to serve juveniles in need or deter them from committing crimes. "Chuck Malagodi was instrumental in supporting the Ride of Silence, and we thought he deserved to be honored in this manner, along with all the other cyclists that have fallen victim to motorized vehicle incidents," said Craig Degenhardt, co-founder and lifetime member of BikeABQ. "It's basically a funeral procession, a moment of silence that continues for the entire bike ride." David Harding, a volunteer who worked with Malagodi at Free Bikes 4 Kidz — a nonprofit that provides children with bicycles — attended the ride in honor of his friend and fellow advocate. Harding said he was "just aghast" to hear of Malagodi's death. Harding uses his wheels exclusively in the mountains, where he said it is safer to ride than in the streets. "With mountain biking, there is a chance that you'll go too fast around a turn or hit a rock funny, but in road biking, you can't really control other drivers that might be distracted texting or something else and could accidentally or intentionally kill you," he said. Leila Murrieta depends on her bike and on the Albuquerque Rapid Transit bus to get around. As events coordinator for RideABQ and a board member of the Greater Albuquerque Active Transportation Committee, Murrieta is focused on making streets safer for cyclists and wants to remind others that biking is more than just a hobby, but a mode of transportation. Murrieta has been hit by a car in the past, and said she frequently struggles with distracted drivers. "The amount of times I've seen people watching full movies while they're driving on the freeway... it's scary," she said. Despite the challenges, cyclists said New Mexico's infrastructure is ahead of many other states. "We have so many bike lanes, bike trails, and we are a silver-ranked city by the League of American Bicyclists, but we need to go for gold," Degenhardt said. "We can do that by increasing facilities like bike lanes and segregated roadways for cyclists, along with education for motorists and cyclists." During the 2025 legislative session, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a law allowing Idaho Stops, which allow bicyclists to treat stop signs like yield signs and red lights as stop signs to improve cyclist safety in intersections. Some cyclists participating in the Silent Ride want drivers to know that as of July 1, when the law goes into effect, it will be up to motorists and bikers to keep one another safe. "I want to remind people that everybody they see biking is a person who has family and people who care about them," said Ryan Harris, a member of RideABQ. "I wish people would value human life a little bit more."
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Cyclists gather to ride in remembrance, raise awareness of road rules
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Wednesday marked the 23rd annual Ride of Silence, an international movement honoring cyclists killed or injured while riding on public roadways. Cyclists gathered at Our Lady of Peace School in Clintonville to come together in solidarity. 'I've had one close call,' cyclist Don Supelak said. 'I had a rearview mirror on a truck just graze my left elbow, shoulder and it was enough to frighten me.' Hilliard, Grove City helping solve housing shortage in central Ohio There are countless stories of cyclists' dangerous encounters with cars on public roads. 'I've come close to getting hit a number of times, once by a school bus because we don't get seen and if you're on the roads, you're competing with big vehicles,' cyclist Dave Welsh said. Brian Estabrook is the board president of Yay Bikes!, the group that hosted the silent, slow, funeral-style processional. 'It is a ride of silence, but the message is a powerful, loud message and it is, 'We are here,'' Estabrook said. ' We have a right to the roads and we want to raise awareness about the damage that has been done to people that are not inside a 2,000-pound exoskeleton.' High jump novice aims for state title before heading to OSU According to organizers, the motoring public often isn't aware of cyclists' rights to the road, and sometimes isn't aware of cyclists themselves. 'I notice all the time when I'm riding my bike that cars will speed around me trying to get somewhere and saving ten seconds, and they're valuing that ten seconds of their time over, potentially, my life,' Estabrook said. Wednesday marked the first ride since Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were fatally struck while riding bikes last August in New Jersey for their sister's wedding. 'I have on a Johnny Gaudreau number 13 sticker on my helmet to always be with me when I ride and bike,' cyclist Connor Gilbert said. Estabrook said the Gaudreaus' deaths were a reminder of something anyone who rides faces. Estabrook was hit by a car while biking on West Broad Street last year. He said road violence against pedestrians and bikers is getting worse. He said when there's a crisis, it's important to respond to it with the appropriate interventions. Horror museum featuring haunted objects, 'last meal' restaurant coming to Ohio 'I think that that's going to require funding,' Estabrook said. 'It's going to require staffing. It's going to require infrastructure, and also, it's going to require drivers making sure that they are paying attention a little bit better.' Estabrook said he's very encouraged by what's happening at the local level to address bike safety. 'There's a lot of good stuff happening as well on a structural level, on a systems level,' Estabrook said. 'The city of Columbus passed a bike plus plan this year. The city, county and COTA are working on the LinkUs plan to build bus rapid transit lines. These are critical projects that we've gotten a lot of support from our elected officials.' Many central Ohio cyclists wore black or red ribbons on their arms while they rode their bikes. Red symbolized they've been hit by a car while biking. Black honored the lives lost. 'There are a million drivers, and it just takes one bad one to ruin someone's day or someone's life,' Estabrook said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
