Ride of Silence

4.15.2014

 

The day is near! 35 Days til Ride of Silence 2014



 The day is near!

by guest writer - Lacey Nickell
Clermont, FL Organizer and Advisor to the Board


We are only 35 days away from the 2014 RIDE OF SILENCE! This will be the 12th year for the event. Please make sure your event is included:  USA organizers go to this link; organizers outside the USA use this link.  If you find your event but need to add details please email our webmaster with your new notes in full and he'll get them updated ASAP.  Please remember to post reports after your event, this also includes past events that may have not been reported. Please feel free to share every detail or a brief summary for others to read including links to photos, videos, news articles and actual photos (upload them on pg. 2 of the form).  This is a great tool for current and future organizers & the media or potential sponsors to get a good idea of the Big Day.



How to promote your ride?

Social media is extremely effective. Create a Facebook page for your local event and invite everyone and their mother to join.  The global poster is ready to download and localize here (it's an Adobe PDF which can be easily modified using Adobe Reader and printed out as 8.5 x 11 or larger), or you are free to create your own poster.  (I'm honored that my local poster from our event last year was selected as this year's global poster; my good friend Charlene
Ruhge put my words into the graphical rendition you see).  Reaching out to local media sources such as your local paper and news channel will allow you to get the entire community involved.  There are many more tools for organizers to check out on this page.

Hong Kong 2013
There are no minimum or maximum number of participants for a ride. Whether your ride has 1 person (yes, we've had a number of solo events over the years!) or 3,000 people, please add your location. We all have family and friends in different cities and states. You never know who may show up at your event or who they will bring. Be creative with promoting! Ask local cycling and running stores to post your flyer. Add your event here. You can never tell too many people. Other than your specific location and distance, the details of the ride will always be the same:

When: The third Wednesday of May (May 21st this year). S. Hemisphere events pls. use May 24th, 10 am (also use this for a rain date)

Time: Ride begins at 7:00pm (ask people to show up 15-30 min early to sign in)

Why: To raise awareness and honor all cyclists that have been injured or killed by motorists.

What to wear: Red armbands if you have been hit, black armbands to honor those whom have died from a crash with a motorist. HELMETS ARE REQUIRED!

Who: EVERYONE is invited to participate. This is a slow (12mph) & short (8-12 mi) ride.



Donating

We are a non for profit organization. Donations are very much appreciated and needed. Although the ride only takes place one day a year, we have a lot going on behind the scenes. We have listed on our website a list of some of our expenses. Just as the organization is growing, so are more opportunities to raise awareness. Everyone involved in the Ride of Silence has felt pain one way or another due to the loss or injury of someone close. 


I lost my Daddy three and a half years ago; the pain is still with me. I wish I would have known about the ride before I lost my Dad. He would have jumped on the first opportunity to be part of this event. By allowing us to travel to the National Bicycle Summit, and other national and state events gives us the opportunity to get our information to committees, groups, organizations etc, and further spreading awareness.

We are silent in our memorial ride, but plan on making a loud statement about our safety. Donations help make these trips possible. You can donate to the Ride of Silence through this link . Thank you all for being part of this organization!

Keep checking the website for more information as it comes!

-Lacey