GARLAND, TX (BRAIN)—The ninth annual Ride of Silence will bring together thousands of cyclists tonight to honor those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways.
According to the Ride of Silence website, 319 rides will take place tonight across all 50 states, in 25 countries and seven continents.
The silent, slow-paced ride, held during National Bike Month, also aims to raise awareness that cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists. It’s held at the same time at every location—7 p.m. local time.
Ride of Silence founder Chris Phelan organized the first ride in 2003 in Dallas, Texas, to honor Larry Schwartz, an endurance cyclist who was hit and killed by a bus driver while on his bike. Phelan thought the ride was a one-time event. However, as word got out other cyclists began to contact him with a desire to hold rides in their own communities. Now, the ride is held the third Wednesday in May every year, with new communities signing on to hold their own ride.
Those interested in participating in their local Ride of Silence, which is free, can go to www.rideofsilence.org and click on locations to find the nearest one.
Photo: Ride of Silence in Canada: A cyclist marks the places where cyclists have been
killed.
