Ride of Silence

Last night, I met up with about 30 to 40 other cyclist for the Nat'l Ride of Silence. One rides to honor those who have been killed or injured by motorists. The guy who organized this ride was himself almost killed by an inattentive driver hurrying to work one morning.

The ride started in the southeast parking lot of Foothills Mall, and did like a big oval--over roads I would normally never ride on because they're kind of busy and not friendly. We only rode about 10-12 miles and hour--and no one spoke--all rode in silence. I must say the effect caught the attention of motorists, as many looked on baffled at the speed and somber tone. As a pack of riders with lights (in was late evening) traveled on, I felt pretty secure. Riding slow gave me a chance to think about whom I was riding in memory of.

Megan was killed by a drunk driver. The woman driver had a prison record for drugs and DWIs, and her license was also revoked at the time. She just missed Dave, who was riding with Megan, and hit and killed Megan instantly. The case against the drunk driver was thrown out, and she paid no fine and served no jail time. The Marana Police Dept. lost the DWI or breath test evidence, so they say, and the case could not continue.

Everyone, including myself, was completely shocked--and Dave endured a good deal of the blame from Megan's friends for her tragic death. I remember at Megan's funeral the hateful glares he got, and the remarks, "There's the guy that got her into biking..." and "Why didn't the bike guy get killed and not Megan..." But Dave stood his ground and took all their best shots. In the end, of course, no one blamed him--how could they? He knew that he himself could have been killed as the drunk driver just missed him. He suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome for many months. Time has passed, and those days have faded. Thinking about them now I recall the courage Dave Glasgow mustered to press on and still remain one of the top ultra cyclist in the county. Has he ever spoken ill of the woman that killed Megan? No.

Cheers