Roll In Peace

Last night, around the world, cyclists came together to pay respect to the fallen.  For the local edition of the Ride of Silence, the gathering was at the vaunted Rose Bowl, where three laps were turned in total silence, rolling two-up and at a 10 mph cadence.  Following a reading of names of local riders brought down in the roads - a thankfully short list - and a reading of the Ride of Silence poem - which sounds nicer in Spanish btw - we set off.  It was an unexpectedly emotional and heavy experience to be somberly pedaling in a large group absolutely silent save for the simple sounds of engaged drivetrains.  One unpleasant sound was the whistle of air produced when, 5 seconds before departure, I picked some debris from the front tire and discovered it was a thorn.  One and 1/3 laps in, and the shoe was flat.  C'est la vie - it was easy enough to make the change and wait for lap 3.  Vontz and I had elected to roll to and fro, rather than the customary Rose Bowl rider approach of driving the bike to Lot K.  Of course, this meant riding in heavy traffic with possibly the worst winds of the year, making for an interesting evening overall.  Special thanks out to the PAA club for organizing and to Corey/Ghost Bikes for making these angelic jerseys to raise awareness.  Video of Corey explaining the ride, via Susutio, here.  Ride on.