Silence is loud and clear

By Violet Spader Staff Writer

May 22, 2008 01:13 am

— Micah Stone, owner of The Bike Shop, hadn’t heard of Ride of Silence until about three weeks ago.
When he heard about it, he knew the event, which honors cyclists who have been injured or killed on public roadways, would be especially poignant in Enid.
“It’s important because a cyclist in Enid was killed recently,” Stone said.
David Lee Harrison, a 46-year-old physician’s assistant, died April 30, a day after he was hit while riding his bicycle on Oakwood. Another cyclist was injured just a week later.
“We want motorists to know we’re out there, and we need to share the road,” Stone said.
In addition to mourning cyclists killed while riding on public roadways and raising awareness among motorists, police and city officials, Ride of Silence also aims to show cyclists aren’t going away anytime soon.
With gas prices rising, Stone said he’s noticed people in Enid are riding bikes more often.
Cyclist awareness will continue to be an important issue in Enid, he said.
Lining up outside The Bike Shop, 202 W. Randolph, Wed-nesday evening, cyclists participated in a “quiet, ceremonious, five-mile ride,” Stone said.
Using hand signals only, the cyclists didn’t speak during the ride. Ride of Silence materials describe the event as “a safe, responsible, professional and mature response to the carnage on the roads we ride on.”
The first Ride of Silence was held in Dallas in 2003, according to rideofsilence.org, and, since then, cyclists in 272 cities in all 50 states, as well as 15 countries, have participated in the event.