In Baltimore yesterday, cyclists turned out for a remembrance ride in honor of Tom Palermo, who was killed while out riding last week when he was struck by a car driven by Bishop Suffragan Heather Cook.
Hundreds of cyclists rode to the site of the accident Thursday to remember Palermo — and, some said, to send a message to the wider community about the vulnerability of riders on city streets.
“I think a lot of regular drivers in the city just see groups of one, two, three cyclists,” said Hans Ruppenthal, a member of the Baltimore Bicycling Club. “But if we have 700, or a thousand people, maybe they’ll be like, ‘Wow, there’s more people riding bicycles than I thought.’ … Maybe it means a little bit more awareness for the average person going to work or running errands.”
The cyclists, many in bright racing gear, shut traffic down as they made their slow, somber procession along the 3-mile route from the Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation to the 5700 block of Roland Ave, the site of the accident.
“For the cycling community, this is kind of part of our grieving process,” said Nate Evans, executive director of Bike Maryland, which organized the event with Bikemore, a bicycling advocacy organization. “It gives us a chance to get out and celebrate a cyclist’s life.
posted by Jon White
image from Baltimore Sun