Go to your calendar - pen this ride down. Don't do it for me. Do it for yourself. This is your chance to make a real commitment to your sport and life choice. Damn, that's preachy. Then, forward this email to every contact you have who rides. Get it posted on every web site. Go by your bike shop and put it up. If you live outside Seattle, organize this ride in your community. Okay, this is preachy. One of my dearest and oldest friends got cratered by a careless taxi. Another was run down by an uninsured rider who ran a light. Another, one of the most noble souls that I knew, got killed by a crazy out of control driver near Redmond. Another club leader, more recently, was massacred by a driver doing a drag race. Let's not forget the wonderful man who got knocked over and almost killed in South Seattle by a driver and his passengers who found the even "funny." The list is long and each of us has had a near death experience. It's time to stand up and get noticed. It's time to remember those who were killed and those who have nearly been killed. I am tired of being attacked by cans and apples, by cars who feel that we don't belong and see it as a game to get right next to us and scare the living hell out of us, by cars who honk while we are trying to proceed carefully through traffic, or the drivers who see us as impediments to their right to get to a corner seconds before us and turn without signaling or without thought to us. Please come to the Ride of Silence and let everyone know about it. Invite all of your fellow riders, teammates, colleagues, etc. If you belong to a team or special group, please circulate this to them. I am not the "leader." I am just a volunteer. Louise K got me involved, and we are working together with other volunteers to get this organized. We need day of ride coordinators, folks to contact officials and clubs, etc. Wednesday, May 17 - Ride of Silence Ride Start and Finish: Gas Works Park Please do not park at Gasworks - ride to the start and park at least a quarter of mile from Gasworks. We want to use as much of the parking space at Gasworks as possible to gather what we hope will be a very large group. Meet at: 6:30 p.m. There is no sign up, no t-shirts and no sponsorship. This only done for us.
Start at: 7:00 p.m. Distance: 14 Miles.
Pace: Limited to 12 mph - slow and silent Terrain: Flat
Rain Policy: No cancellation
Cue Sheet: No
Ride Leaders: No official ride leaders - we will use volunteer ride coordinators to assist.
Ride Description: This 14 mile loop from Gasworks to Downtown Seattle to the U District will hopefully become the largest participatory cycling event ever to take place solely within Seattle. On May 17 at 7:00 PM, the Ride of Silence will begin all over North America and roll across the globe. When it started in 2003, 1000 riders participated in Dallas to honor a bicyclist killed on public streets. Cyclists will emerge from Gasworks in a silent procession to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways. Although cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists, motorist often are not aware of our rights or sometimes not even aware of us. This is a national event, http://www.rideofsilence.org/main.php. This ride is supported by the Seattle Bicycle Club, the Cascade Bicycle Club, Bicycle Alliance of Washington, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, and many other bicycle clubs, teams, organizations and most importantly volunteers. Please tell your friends. We want as many cyclists to participate as we possible. Volunteers are welcome. Just let Louise Kornreich (louisek@jtnews.net), Ken Kato (denshion@gmail.com) or Gary Strauss (gstrauss@gsblaw.com) know if you are willing to help. We want to make this ride widely known. We want all of you to write your federal, state, county, police and city officials, ask them to join the ride, tell them about its mission, and ask for their support of bicycle, pedestrian and other alternative transportation options.
Start at: 7:00 p.m. Distance: 14 Miles.
Pace: Limited to 12 mph - slow and silent Terrain: Flat
Rain Policy: No cancellation
Cue Sheet: No
Ride Leaders: No official ride leaders - we will use volunteer ride coordinators to assist.
Ride Description: This 14 mile loop from Gasworks to Downtown Seattle to the U District will hopefully become the largest participatory cycling event ever to take place solely within Seattle. On May 17 at 7:00 PM, the Ride of Silence will begin all over North America and roll across the globe. When it started in 2003, 1000 riders participated in Dallas to honor a bicyclist killed on public streets. Cyclists will emerge from Gasworks in a silent procession to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways. Although cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists, motorist often are not aware of our rights or sometimes not even aware of us. This is a national event, http://www.rideofsilence.org/main.php. This ride is supported by the Seattle Bicycle Club, the Cascade Bicycle Club, Bicycle Alliance of Washington, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, and many other bicycle clubs, teams, organizations and most importantly volunteers. Please tell your friends. We want as many cyclists to participate as we possible. Volunteers are welcome. Just let Louise Kornreich (louisek@jtnews.net), Ken Kato (denshion@gmail.com) or Gary Strauss (gstrauss@gsblaw.com) know if you are willing to help. We want to make this ride widely known. We want all of you to write your federal, state, county, police and city officials, ask them to join the ride, tell them about its mission, and ask for their support of bicycle, pedestrian and other alternative transportation options.
