Ride Of Silence Rolled Through Acadiana Last Night (Gallery)

The Ride of Silence, a national ride that pays respects to victims of bicycle accidents and raises awareness of the "Share the Road" initiative, took to the streets of America last night.   Amy Thibodeaux Wright was on the Lafayette ride, and she was nice enough to share with us some of the photographs she took at the event.

The ride started at Mickey Shunick's "Ghost Bike" Memorial, near Blackham Coliseum, at 7pm, after a few words by Jon Langlinais.

About 125 cyclists headed towards Johnston Street and then hopped onto the bike path, following a 9.5-mile route to Parc Sans Souci.

Except for safety concerns, silence was maintained during the ride, in honor of the victims.

Most of the information I was able to gather about the event was pulled from Facebook and the Bike Lafayette website, along with first-hand reporting of the ride from Amy.

Bicycling is a great sport:  it provides exercise, can be a family event, promotes community, and draws people together for a common cause, but it can also be dangerous.

Local bike clubs encourage safety courses and making sure that people know the rules of the road - cyclists and motorists, alike.

If you are a cyclist, know the rules and always be safety-conscious; if you are a motorist, know the rules and always be safety-conscious:  lives depend upon it.

(Via Bike Lafayette and Ride of Silence)