Montgomery participated in the Ride of Silence on Weds night. (www.rideofsilence.org) Turnout was nice. We had several urban hipsters, just plain "regular" family people, well muscled racing cyclists, Saturday only club riders, riders of various sizes and complexions, smooth and knobby tires, and handlebars flat, drop, trekking, and mustache.
The mayor's office sent a representative who rode with us, and we had a pair of motorcycle cops, one fore and aft of our group, doing intersection control. They used sirens to alert motorists, which disturbed the solemnity, but enhanced the safety. We did a 3.25 mile circuit of the downtown capitol area. Average pace was 7.5 mph. I rode it single speed, and the climb to start out gave me a little bit of a work out.
I reflected on those who have been hurt or killed while riding, and wondered about the perspective of others. For me, this is about remembering fallen friends, but also about making the motoring public "see" us. As we become an accepted part of the landscape, certainly our voices will be more persuasive for the items on a cycling advocate's agenda. Beyond that though, if drivers realize, "Hey, I should look around when I drive here, people may be riding," the roads will be safer to be on for pedalers and motorists alike.
Here, the mayor's rep is addressing the crowd prior to our starting off. Many club members wore their jerseys.
Here we are, taking off on the ride. The rider with the fat Q-factor is yours truly. It looks un cool, but it is so comfy! More pictures will be at the Advetiser website for a little while.
After the ride we congregated for chit chat near Cool Beans Coffee shop. Just like last year, "No Bagels for You!" the bagel Nazi exclaimed. Where's Seinfeld when you need him? I even emailed ahead to place my order, but the word never made it to the right quarters. Hey, it was great of them to open up after hours for rest room use and beverage sales. I did in fact re-carb there by purchasing a fresh baked choclate chip cookie.
Thanks for everyone who came out. Ride safe, ride a lot.
Tailwinds!
The mayor's office sent a representative who rode with us, and we had a pair of motorcycle cops, one fore and aft of our group, doing intersection control. They used sirens to alert motorists, which disturbed the solemnity, but enhanced the safety. We did a 3.25 mile circuit of the downtown capitol area. Average pace was 7.5 mph. I rode it single speed, and the climb to start out gave me a little bit of a work out.
I reflected on those who have been hurt or killed while riding, and wondered about the perspective of others. For me, this is about remembering fallen friends, but also about making the motoring public "see" us. As we become an accepted part of the landscape, certainly our voices will be more persuasive for the items on a cycling advocate's agenda. Beyond that though, if drivers realize, "Hey, I should look around when I drive here, people may be riding," the roads will be safer to be on for pedalers and motorists alike.
Here, the mayor's rep is addressing the crowd prior to our starting off. Many club members wore their jerseys.
Here we are, taking off on the ride. The rider with the fat Q-factor is yours truly. It looks un cool, but it is so comfy! More pictures will be at the Advetiser website for a little while.
After the ride we congregated for chit chat near Cool Beans Coffee shop. Just like last year, "No Bagels for You!" the bagel Nazi exclaimed. Where's Seinfeld when you need him? I even emailed ahead to place my order, but the word never made it to the right quarters. Hey, it was great of them to open up after hours for rest room use and beverage sales. I did in fact re-carb there by purchasing a fresh baked choclate chip cookie.
Thanks for everyone who came out. Ride safe, ride a lot.
Tailwinds!
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