The Ride of Silence (RoS) takes place annually every May. I have always wanted to do this ride....especially now...since we have lost two of the Princeton Freewheeler's in recent years. First we lost Joe McBride and last year Erich W. Both were riding their bikes when they were taken from us. The reason I have not done this ride in previous years was that it started too late and I didn't have a front light for my bike. Problem solved as it does not get dark in FL until after 8PM.
The ride in this area of SW FL was out of Cambier Park in Naples. The group met for a pre-ride ride of 10 fast miles down Gordon Avenue and back to the park. Since my bike computer broke last week I don't know how fast the ride was and I had to ask someone for the mileage. It was a quick, fast , hot workout before the RoS. The temps were in the high 80's at 5:30 PM!
The RoS was not well attended. John from our group who did the ride last year said that there were many more people last year. It was sponsored by Naples Pathway Coalition and the main speaker called out names of riders who have perished in the last year on their bikes. They also played taps via a pre-recorded tape.
We rode 10 miles at 10 mph. That wasn't the hard part. The hard part was being silent for one hour during the ride. Anybody who knows me knows I like to talk and it was definitely a hard thing to stay silent. What the silence did do was allow me to think about Joe McBride and Erich W and remember things about each one.
Joe McBride was very outspoken as those who knew him would attest to in remembering Joe. His use of the "F" bomb was his way of greeting you. If he didn't use that work in the first five minutes of meeting up with him for a ride.....it meant that it was going to be a pretty crappy ride.
Erich W. on the other hand....was very soft spoken. The only time you heard him raise his voice was to sing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" which he did so eloquently at Dan Zorvich's house when Dan provided lunch for us after a Wednesday ride. How melodic was his voice. In fact I sang that song back to Erich in silence as I rode the ride last night.
Each of these deceased riders were intelligent and gave back unselfishly to others in their line of work. That's the way life should be, no? I can't say that for myself. Maybe that's why I retired so early....to find purpose in life....or just to relax and get away from the rush of the Northeast. It is definitely a relaxed pace here in SW FL.
At the end of the ride the riders said their farewell and went on their way....some home...and some to Cafe Luna...to raise a glass of wine or other beverage to their fallen friends.
Some photos from the RoS
This was taken by the local news station.
Here is a link to the event with photos.
http://www.news-press.com/picture-gallery/news/2015/05/20/over-150-honor-fellow-cyclists-in-ride-of-silence/27688739/
On a separate note I have to say that I am so glad that some of the NJ Team Social Security riders came to Florida for a few months this year. I felt blessed to have such a great group of NJ friends to ride with during my transition from NJ to FL. I so enjoyed our time riding here on new roads and at a reasonable speed!
However, like butterflies coming out of the cocoon, they flew away ....back to NJ and I felt a tremendous sadness and loss when they left. It was a security blanket of familiarity for me. Bob Wood, who is here permanently, has big shoes to fill and is doing a great job in between construction in his new home in Naples. We ride together as often as we can between construction and weather permitting.
Bob Smith has returned for a few weeks and I was happy to reconnect with him and Meg for a Bob for a ride and also a very yummy dinner at their condo in Marco Island. Even my two girls, Tracey and Cindy , took a ride in the car and came for the dinner celebration but I didn't allow them to take part in the meal other than staring at us while we ate. Bob Wood and I will be joining Bob Smith next week for a ride from his condo in Marco before he and Meg head back to NJ.
It's seem to be part of life here with people coming and going back to their "real" home for several months and then returning back to FL. Right now my community is a ghost town and I will be glad to see some of the faces return during "season" as they call it here. It's certainly a gypsy sort of life.
Thank you to all who read this blog. I look forward to seeing you all in mid June when I return to NJ for a few months. I too have become a gypsy...at least for this year!
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