Takin' the Blog for a Walk
Join Waukesha resident Brien Lee and his blog, Sir Fido, as they explore the city and report on the interesting things they find.
Email Brien at howlinblog@yahoo.com.
Ride of Silence
Participated in the annual Ride of Silence in Waukesha, a bicycle ride to remember those killed or injured while riding a bike. Around the world, with over 300 rides in the U.S. alone, groups head out with no sound but for clicks of shoes locking into pedals and shifting of gears. They all leave at the same time, 7:00 p.m. local, so there is a connection to the bigger picture.
The ride was ideal for me, slow and short. No more than 12 mph we were told, and about 8 miles throughout the city of Waukesha. There was one other person without a helmet, but her tricycle couldn't keep up with the rest of us.
The area we travelled was familiar to me, but riding slow and in silence gave everything a fresh perspective. We had a police escort to help the peloton cross busy intersections, and we could pretty much hog the full lane. There were somewhere between 50 and 75 riders in Waukesha and finished before it got too dark for me to ride home from the State Bank parking lot.
The weird thing about this? A huge group of colorfully dressed bikers slowly riding through neighborhoods not saying a word. Did the kids and adults think it strange that no one answered at their inquiries as to what we're doing? It was quite the experience and worth the uncomfortable feeling of being the only one not wearing Spandex.
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