Survival

We survived the Great Blog Blackout last week.  Doesn’t it figure?  I take a brief hiatus, and everything seems to fall apart.  Seriously, the timing was lousy.  Just as I came back from an absence, blogger went down and went down hard.  Still, as I’m sure some of you (at least two or three) have noticed, we are back up and running strong.

RIDE OF SILENCE

On a bit more serious note:  Tonight we ride in silent remembrance.  We’ll participate in the event locally, as will many thousands globally.  It’s a time to honor and remember cyclists who have fallen.  I just got word about one of us.  She was hit from behind.  The motorist “didn’t see her.”  This was not at an intersection, or during a group ride.  The lady was doing it right, and she was struck.  Happily, with time, she will recover.  Others won’t.  Some will not rise again.

This is the grim side of cycling.  Sometimes it incurs the penalty of  injury or death.  It should not be so.  At another time, we can debate the merits of bike lanes, traffic calming devices, of the value of various techniques.  Tonight is not a time for that.  Tonight it is fitting that we ride in remembrance of all of those who have been injured or killed.

The Ride of Silence is a global event.  The mission of the world wide Ride of Silence is to honor bicyclists killed by motorists, promote sharing the road, and provide awareness of bicycling safety.  The ride starts in many locations, at 7:00 P.M. Eastern Daylight time.  Then it continues, time zone by time zone.  Each zone will begin its rides at the local 7:00 P.M.  For 24 hours, the ride rolls around the globe.  Our local part of the ride will take place tonight, at 7:00.  We will start from Peachtree City, from the front of the Library.  We will ride slowly, and silently.  We will remember.  Be there, and come early.