Cyclists; road, recreation, commuter, race, triathlon. All who legally share the road.
The Blessing of the Bicycles followed by the world wide Ride Of Silence™ bike rally
Wednesday, May 20, 2015, 6 PM Blessing of the Bikes, 7PM Ride of Silence
9 mile route beginning and ending at Union Street adjacent to Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 917 W. Jefferson, West Central, Fort Wayne
THE BLESSING OF THE BIKES will occur at 6PM. Pastor Thomas Eggold, Senior Pastor at Emmanuel Lutheran Church will perform the blessings.
THE RIDE OF SILENCE WILL NOT BE QUIET On the third Wednesday of May, at 7 PM local around the world, cyclists will take to the roads to raise awareness that cyclists have a legal right to use the roadways and to mourn the passing of fellow riders who were killed by motorists.
Chris Phelan organized the first Ride of Silence in Dallas in 2003 after endurance cyclists Larry Schwartz was killed by a passing bus mirror on an empty road. The Ride Of Silence is a free ride that asks its cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph for no longer than an hour, and remain silent during the ride.
PARTICIPANTS ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR HELMETS The ride hopes to raise cycling awareness during bike safety month to: motorists, police, traffic engineers, insurance companies, and city officials. The ride is also a chance to mourn, in funeral procession style, those who have already been killed.
This is a worldwide event, with more than 300 locations in the US, Canada, Mexico, throughout Europe, South America, and more.
This is the 5th year that Fort Wayne has participated in this event. We expect between 50-100 riders this year. The Ride will travel West on Jefferson to Lindenwood to Main. East on Main to Columbia to Forest Park to State. East on State to Kensington, then Anthony to Washington. West on Washington to Union. The ride will be escorted by FWPD and will be led again this year by the hearse from DO McComb and Sons.
The local event is being coordinated by Bicycle Friendly Fort Wayne and 3 Rivers Velo Sports. For more information, contact them at 260-409-6197.
