Ride of Silence TONIGHT!

Dear Fellow Cyclists,

 

The Ride of Silence is tonight, Wednesday May 18th at 7pm (always the third Wednesday evening in May).

Tonight, cyclists in over 300 cities, in all 50 states and on all 7 continents will join their local Ride of Silence.

This ride is not about ability, or training, fundraising, or competition - it is about our rights as cyclists to share the road without fear of injury or death. This ride is to memorialize our fellow cyclists who were taken from us by distracted, drunk or otherwise impaired, negligent of just careless motorists. This ride is our ride to show, as a ROS organizer in Orlando so well summed up, that motorists must Share The Road!

The Chicago Ride of Silence will start gathering at 6 pm at the eternal flame in Daley Plaza. We invite you to bring an armband (black for all fallen cyclists and red if you are a crash survivor) to the ride with you. Everyone will be welcome to write the name(s) of a cyclist they want to honor tonight on tags that can be pinned to your clothing/bike. ROS buttons and reflective stickers will be available tonight ($1 donation welcome); Illinois Bike Attorneys will be distributing red blinkie lights as well - so no one need be caught without lights after dark.

There will be time for brief remarks and a prayer prior to departure, and then the ride will depart Daley Plaza promptly at 7pm. Last year we had nearly 200 cyclists, and we hope to have many more this year. Everyone who plans to attend should invite just one more person to join us this year; you will remember this ride.

In addition to the Chicago location, other IL communities hosting a Ride of Silence include Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Downers Grove, Evanston, Joliet, Oak Park, Peoria, and Urbana. Please join where you can or organize your own. Details (including a map) about all of tonight's local Rides are on the website www.rideofsilence.org/chicago


We all share the same roads. I've shared the roads with you. As both a daily commuter and weekend cyclist, I know first-hand the close calls we all face in our encounters with motorists.

The route is about 10-11 miles, departing from Daley Plaza and passing several ghost bikes - white bikes placed in memorium at the location of a fatal cycling crash. Our route concludes at corner of Damen and Wellington - at the ghost bike dedicated to Liza Whitacre. We will stay at a 10-12 mph pace. All cyclists of all abilities and bikes, and ages are encouraged to come out and share the moment, and make a statement. Afterwards, we will gather at Hamlin Park - an opportunity for fellowship and renewed friendships. Please pass this on to someone you know who rides, and we'll....

See You Out There Tonight!

And if it rains tonight... then we will be riding in remembrance "with the tears from the sky."


~Elizabeth

GROUP: http://www.thechainlink.org/group/chicagorideofsilence

EVENT: http://www.thechainlink.org/events/chicago-ride-of-silence

Views: 218

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by David Barish on May 18, 2011 at 9:24am
For those of you in the hinterlands, fear not, there are Rides of Silence for you as well. There are rides in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Joliet and Evanston.  Elizabeth, did I miss any?  I am leading the Evanston ride from the Chandler Neuberger Center near the Central Street L Stop. All Rides of Silence are at 7pm. The irony is I am riding up from the Daley Plaza to get to Chandler. Come ride with us.
Permalink Reply by Joe Studer 8.0 mi on May 18, 2011 at 4:12pm

During the ride tonight it was mentioned several times that there were similar rides all over the world, "on all seven continents."  I thought to myself: "Even on Antartica?  I doubt it.  Nice piece of hyperboole, though."

 

The ride at this location is by necessity (we have no road and no bicycles) conducted on two stationary bicycles in the second floor gym of one of the main buildings of Palmer Station, Antarctica. Our ride will lead off with the East Coast riders at 7PM sharp Wednesday 18 May. The one hour of silent pedaling will be split evenly amongst the number of participants. All participants will be offered a red or black crocheted wristband depending on their cycling 'experience'. Thank you for your continued approval of this unusual ride location and conditions. 

 

Nice ride tonight.  Particularly touching when you see the family / friends at the ghost bike.

Permalink Reply by Joe Willis on May 18, 2011 at 6:29pm
We had that same argument at the bar afterwards.
Permalink Reply by Ace Mann on May 20, 2011 at 6:33am
I have put up a video from Wednesday ride on YouTube. It is under username; J1970JAM or just search; Chicago ride of silence 2011. Thanks to all who came out for the ride.
Permalink Reply by dan brown on May 20, 2011 at 7:28am

my favorite comment was this (Elizabeth at Daley Plaza right before the start) "And the language is identical on all the rides tonight worldwide : *Silence*....".

 

how powerful and so true.

 

thanks again E A and all that helped. I was proud to leave my red-arm band and button on the handlebar

of Liza Whitacres handlebar and will remember it every time I pass by on Damen.

 

Dan

Joe Studer said:

During the ride tonight it was mentioned several times that there were similar rides all over the world, "on all seven continents."  I thought to myself: "Even on Antartica?  I doubt it.  Nice piece of hyperboole, though."

 

The ride at this location is by necessity (we have no road and no bicycles) conducted on two stationary bicycles in the second floor gym of one of the main buildings of Palmer Station, Antarctica. Our ride will lead off with the East Coast riders at 7PM sharp Wednesday 18 May. The one hour of silent pedaling will be split evenly amongst the number of participants. All participants will be offered a red or black crocheted wristband depending on their cycling 'experience'. Thank you for your continued approval of this unusual ride location and conditions. 

 

Nice ride tonight.  Particularly touching when you see the family / friends at the ghost bike.

Permalink Reply by Gary Gilbert on May 21, 2011 at 3:23am

What follows is a copy of the ride report sent by the Antarctica ride organizer for 2011.

 

# of Riders: 10
City: Palmer Station
State:
Country: Antarctica
Description: Palmer Station’s 4th Ride of Silence was, like its predecessors, embraced by our small community of 32.  Ten riders representing 7 states, signed on for the event held at 7PM in the station gym following a busy day for all.  Chuck Amsler (Pelham AL), wearing a ROS shirt from the 2009 Birmingham event along with Irina Mueller (Fairbanks AK) started off our paired stationary ride.  Twelve minutes later Mindy Piuk (Parker CO) and Christina Hammock (Livingston MT) stepped up to take over from the lead riders. Another dozen ticks of the clock hand brought Clair van Handorf (Covington KY) and Keith Reimink (Zeeland MI) to pedals.  The 12 minute intervals passed quickly as riders read the ROS poem taped to each bike and scanned previous Palmer ride reports and general info about the ROS mission.  Graham Colegrove (Boulder CO) and Kristin Obrien (Fairbanks AK) took the next pulls on the spin bike and Lifecycle.  Finally, saddling up for ride back to the ‘parking lot’ were Bamma Mellott (Newark OH) and me (Pelham AL).  Each riders’ day had been packed with cold work either in support of science and general station operations or doing science in or on the frigid waters surrounding our shore based, roadless polar station.  Each made the commitment to participate in the spirit of ROS on our stationary indoor bicycles to further the cause of safe cycling worldwide from this distant continent.
Respectfully submitted,
Maggie Amsler

 

Permalink Reply by Ace Mann on May 21, 2011 at 4:19am
Wow! That is awesome.

Gary Gilbert said:

What follows is a copy of the ride report sent by the Antarctica ride organizer for 2011.

 

# of Riders: 10
City: Palmer Station
State:
Country: Antarctica
Description: Palmer Station’s 4th Ride of Silence was, like its predecessors, embraced by our small community of 32.  Ten riders representing 7 states, signed on for the event held at 7PM in the station gym following a busy day for all.  Chuck Amsler (Pelham AL), wearing a ROS shirt from the 2009 Birmingham event along with Irina Mueller (Fairbanks AK) started off our paired stationary ride.  Twelve minutes later Mindy Piuk (Parker CO) and Christina Hammock (Livingston MT) stepped up to take over from the lead riders. Another dozen ticks of the clock hand brought Clair van Handorf (Covington KY) and Keith Reimink (Zeeland MI) to pedals.  The 12 minute intervals passed quickly as riders read the ROS poem taped to each bike and scanned previous Palmer ride reports and general info about the ROS mission.  Graham Colegrove (Boulder CO) and Kristin Obrien (Fairbanks AK) took the next pulls on the spin bike and Lifecycle.  Finally, saddling up for ride back to the ‘parking lot’ were Bamma Mellott (Newark OH) and me (Pelham AL).  Each riders’ day had been packed with cold work either in support of science and general station operations or doing science in or on the frigid waters surrounding our shore based, roadless polar station.  Each made the commitment to participate in the spirit of ROS on our stationary indoor bicycles to further the cause of safe cycling worldwide from this distant continent.
Respectfully submitted,
Maggie Amsler

 

RSS

Groups

© 2008-2016   The Chainlink Community, L.L.C.   Powered by

Disclaimer  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service