22-05-2025
Downtown ride honors nearly 400 Iowa cyclists injured, killed in last year
DES MOINES, Iowa — The 21st Ride of Silence brought together cyclists who honored the 395 injured or killed cyclists in Iowa over the past year.
The ride originated in Texas but was brought to Iowa by several organizations that saw a need to honor the individuals involved in cycling accidents each year and raise awareness for needed safety regulations.
Since the 2024 Ride of Silence, 395 cyclists have been involved in an accident while on the road, sidewalk, and even trails. This resulted in six deaths since last year's ride.
More big checks from Des Moines' Big Grove Brewery
'It's a pretty powerful event. We've had folks show up to the ride. Where like, there's a guy killed a couple of weeks before they've been riding together. We get people on tandems and get hit and one doesn't survive. It's emotional, you're riding in memory of somebody. We've all been cycling enough, pretty much we've all come here, we all know somebody who's not here with us anymore because they've got hit,' said Scott Sumpter.
Sumpter, the founder of BikeIowa, says he hopes the organization's recent efforts in legislation, including the Hands-Free Law passing, will lower the number of injuries.
'We've got the Hands-Free law coming in July, which a lot of our cyclists get hit from behind. A lot of our injuries or fatalities are from people who are distracted, either with their phone or car stuff, or food in the car. A dog, got somebody last year, it was in somebody's lap. But its, it's getting better,' said Sumpter.
BikeIowa and other cycling organizations are now working on getting the Safe Passing Bill through the Iowa legislature. The bill proposes that a car should be required to fully change lanes when passing a bicycle, treating them like another car on the road.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
