About 70 cyclists gathered Wednesday, May 20, in downtown Des Moines to
remember cyclists who were injured or killed while biking on a public
roadway a spart of the Ride of Silence.
For the family of Dan Wisnousky, who was killed in a biking accident
in 2004 at the age of 37, Wednesday's Ride of Silence was more than
cyclists slowly biking for 3.27 miles around a chilly downtown Des
Moines.The Des Moines event was part of a global Ride of Silence
Day. Riders across the world gathered and rode bikes to honor those who
have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways.
About 70 cyclists gathered on the corner of Locust Street and Sixth Avenue for the Des Moines ride, one of five in Iowa.
"(The
ride) is also to raise awareness to motorists, elected officials and
the police force that cyclists have every legal right to ride on the
roadways," said Scott Sumpter, who runs bikeiowa.com. "It also signifies
the importance of staying safe and letting other cyclists and motorists
know that cyclists are not disposable."
Under Iowa law, cyclists are given the same rights of the road as drivers, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation.
The
Ride of Silence originated in Texas 11 years ago, but eventually spread
around the world. This year, 49 states, 22 countries and six continents
participated, Sumpter said. The ride began in Iowa in 2005, after three
cyclists were killed while biking on public roadways. Sumpter had a
connection with all three of the men — one of them was Wisnousky — and
decided to start the Ride of Silence in Iowa.
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