THURSDAY UPDATE: I CHECKED THE NEWS 14 WEB SITE AND WATCHED THEIR COVERAGE OF THE RIDE (SEE IT HERE) AND THEY SAID THERE WERE 100 RIDERS AS OPPOSED TO MY ESTIMATE OF 150. I STILL THINK THERE WERE WAY MORE THAN 100, BUT THE TV GUY SAID 100 SO IT MUST BE TRUE, RIGHT? :-)
I attended the "Ride of Silence" tonight in Myers Park in Charlotte. It was held to honor those who have been killed around the world while riding bikes on public roadways.
This year the Ride of Silence is being observed at 7:00 p.m. in 200 cities around the world -- 7:00 p.m. in each time zone. So it is a movement that rolls around the globe for a 24-hour period -- pretty cool. Even some of the researchers in outposts in Antarctica participate by riding their stationary exercise bikes. (Is there a time zone in Antarctica? Not sure when it is 7:00 p.m. there.)
The ride in Charlotte covered the three-mile "Booty Run" in Myers Park (infamously named because so many of the Queens University co-eds use the loop as a safe jogging route as it runs through Charlotte's oldest and wealthiest part of town) -- three laps totaling nine miles, ridden in complete silence save for the clicking of gears. Pretty moving. I rode near the back hoping to get some pictures of the group stretched out ahead but there was never really a good opportunity. I didn't think it would be too cool to cause a crash while fiddling with my camera, so I let it go.
By my rough estimate I would say there were at least 150 riders if not more, though the pictures I took before the start don't reflect those numbers.
A local TV station (NEWS 14) was there doing interviews and shooting video. Sadly, none of the network affiliates showed up:
A small portion of the crowd gathered before the start. Notice the guy in the middle with the red Mt. Mitchell jersey (hard to read). Mt. Mitchell is in NC, the highest peak east of the Mississippi. There is an annual Mt. Mitchell climb, one of the toughest bike rides around. This guy apparently did it, got the jersey, and lived to tell about it.
More riders in this photo, but still just a small portion of the total number:
Glad I went. Hopefully it will raise awareness of the rights of bikers to use public roadways in the U.S. I have to say I've been favorably impressed with the courtesy and caution shown by drivers in Union County where I ride. That may have to do with two riders being killed in the county in the last year -- maybe folks are being a bit more careful.
I attended the "Ride of Silence" tonight in Myers Park in Charlotte. It was held to honor those who have been killed around the world while riding bikes on public roadways.
This year the Ride of Silence is being observed at 7:00 p.m. in 200 cities around the world -- 7:00 p.m. in each time zone. So it is a movement that rolls around the globe for a 24-hour period -- pretty cool. Even some of the researchers in outposts in Antarctica participate by riding their stationary exercise bikes. (Is there a time zone in Antarctica? Not sure when it is 7:00 p.m. there.)
The ride in Charlotte covered the three-mile "Booty Run" in Myers Park (infamously named because so many of the Queens University co-eds use the loop as a safe jogging route as it runs through Charlotte's oldest and wealthiest part of town) -- three laps totaling nine miles, ridden in complete silence save for the clicking of gears. Pretty moving. I rode near the back hoping to get some pictures of the group stretched out ahead but there was never really a good opportunity. I didn't think it would be too cool to cause a crash while fiddling with my camera, so I let it go.
By my rough estimate I would say there were at least 150 riders if not more, though the pictures I took before the start don't reflect those numbers.
A local TV station (NEWS 14) was there doing interviews and shooting video. Sadly, none of the network affiliates showed up:
A small portion of the crowd gathered before the start. Notice the guy in the middle with the red Mt. Mitchell jersey (hard to read). Mt. Mitchell is in NC, the highest peak east of the Mississippi. There is an annual Mt. Mitchell climb, one of the toughest bike rides around. This guy apparently did it, got the jersey, and lived to tell about it.
More riders in this photo, but still just a small portion of the total number:
Glad I went. Hopefully it will raise awareness of the rights of bikers to use public roadways in the U.S. I have to say I've been favorably impressed with the courtesy and caution shown by drivers in Union County where I ride. That may have to do with two riders being killed in the county in the last year -- maybe folks are being a bit more careful.
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Glad to see the event was well-attended. Here's the website for the movement I mentioned earlier.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ghostbike.org/
Thanks Dave -- I added Ghost Bikes to my "Sites Worth Visiting" links.
ReplyDelete