By Rhonda Massad
www.thesuburban.com
Over 200 hundred people participated in Vélo Détente Laval’s silent ride joining hundreds of groups across the world on May 21, in a silent slow-paced ride (12 kph) to honor those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways. The ride covered 21 kilometres of municipal roadways.
The tradition originated in the United States in 2003, in Dallas, Texas, after endurance cyclist Larry Schwartz was hit by the mirror of a passing bus and was killed. Since then the ride has spread across the world touching each continent with over 350 locations. The event takes place simultaneously on the last weekend of May each year. Over 30 locations participated in Quebec alone.
A pin could be heard dropping at the different locations along the route where participants took a moment to stop and remember the victims. The cyclists ride in silence with police escorting them through the journey across the city.
The purpose of the ride is to promote awareness that cyclists have a right to share the road. Although cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists, the motoring public often isn’t aware of these rights, and sometimes not aware of the cyclists themselves.
Since the start of the 2014 season two cyclists have been killed in the Montreal region in accidents with motorists.
More information and how to join the next ride can be found at www.velodetente.com
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