Please ride with us on Wednesday, June 17th to commemorate the tragic deaths of three Boise cyclists, Jim Chu, Kevin Pavlis and Tom Bettger, and to increase driver awareness. Here's a recent Statesman article about these senseless and tragic deaths:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/eyepiece/story/800283.html
• The ride (about 20 mi) will start and end in Camel's Back at 6:45.
• The route stops by the places Jim, Kevin and Tom were hit. The proposed route:http://www.mapmyride.com/edit_route?r=743124500479959603
• Please wear black, and if you like, please write a message you'd like motorists to hear on the back of your shirt.
• Also, please bring flowers for Jim, Kevin and Tom to leave at the sites where they were hit.
We're all angry, but please bear in mind, the intention of this ride is not to piss motorists off, but to increase awareness and express our grief (as well as make a statement that we are here, we are outraged about these needless deaths, and we demand respect and the slice of road to which we're entitled). Keep that in mind as you go into this ride. My gut reaction was to have a true disruptive "critical mass" but after considering the email replies I've gotten, I think we might get our message out better if our level of disruption wasn't quite so overt. We want safer drivers who are more aware of cyclists and the recognition that there are a lot of us out there.
I think this will make a big statement, all of us riding together with flowers, in black.
This coincides with some of your group rides. Do this instead. Bring your friends.
This Wednesday, June 17
5:45 pm
Start and finish at Camel's Back park
Be there
click me!
WE HAVE ARRIVED
Well, it has happened. velocache.net is now a fully operational battle station. Prepare yourselves.
Before I digress, which I am known to do, let me start off by giving some credit and handing out some thanks. This would not have happened without you all. You know who you are. Thank you. The new site would not be in existance without Buttars, if you run into him, give him a hug and buy him a beer. HUGE thank yous to the veterans out there who have kept this afloat in times of trouble and triumph...I have personal things to say to you that will have to wait until we have a face to face.
At the pokercache party on September 19 I would really like to take a bit of all of your time and preach a little about "the game". We'll see, I will probably just get drunk and cry a lot.
SO. Go to the site. Familiarize yourself. It is different than the one we play on now but can do all of the things we do now AND MUCH MUCH MORE. You will need to create an account. It is free and always will be for players. I realize some of you have already been in and have looked around but it is time for everyone to come on board. Texting from a phone to the site works. E-mailing too. There is a great forum feature that we can all cache ourselves in as well. This site is still in beta. It is not finished so now is the time to see if we can break it.
For now, play around. Posting "real" caches is not off limits but I think it might serve us better to get really comfortable with the new toy before we go "live". Post pictures of your cats and dogs. Go to the forum and talk about bikes. Have fun.
LOVE to you all. -A. Mortician
Monday, June 15, 2009
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There are 2 different times posted, which is it?
ReplyDeleteHaving shirts with things such as "HUSBAND", "WIFE", "DAUGHTER", "SON", etc stenciled on may help get the point across that we are human, and not "just some cyclists".
Don't know for sure on the time - let me get back to you
ReplyDeleteI stopped and bought some iron-on transfers for dark shirts if anyone is interested. Heck, now that I think about it, I'm not sure I have an iron.
ReplyDeleteI have an iron you can borrow, if you need one.
ReplyDeleteI will probably be on call and working during this ride. I will be with you in spirit and mind. All three of these deaths could have been prevented by one thing, paying attention to the road. Being "aware" does not take much but apparently it's too much to ask.
ReplyDeleteunfortunately i will be schlepping pints and spicy grinders to all of the alive after five crowd as the memorial ride departs, trying not to let them drive home as well. i'll be with you all in solidarity of the community. hope you all make a wonderful representation of the cycling community and show our gratitude to all the folks that do have sympathy for our concerns of safety and let the less sympathetic know that we are here and deserve our spot on the road and our voice to express it.
ReplyDeleteA co-worker who just came in said another gal had just been hit off Emerald/Mitchell. Non-fatal being taken in an ambulance.
ReplyDeleteMakes me wonder how many accidents are actually occuring versus how many make the news.
Lanius - thanks for the offer, I borrowed the neighbors.
ReplyDeletePlease be extremely careful tonight. I have a very bad feeling about how drivers are going to react. The statesman today put out a lot of info about cycling and safety and I think that because this ride is now on the radar, you might encounter some really bad people. If you encounter any negative or hostile intentions tonight I IMPLORE you to keep your anger in check. I say all this and am not even going to be able to be there to practice what I am preaching. I can't get out of work and I feel incredibly guilty about that. Just know that we are all in this together no matter where we are.
ReplyDeleteFran, hey we wanted to know if this ride starts at 5:45 or 6:45?
ReplyDeleteI don't know I haven't received any more info?
ReplyDeletethe newspaper said 5:45
ReplyDeleteThis went well. A pretty easy pace that took about 2 hours. Chu's family was at the Camelback and the accident site and Pavlis's family was at his accident site. No one got hit, I only heard one "fuck you" from a cyclist directed at a car (although I am not naming names).
ReplyDeleteI saw you on the news Treker, you looked good. Thank you to all who did this ride. I was pretty worried about it becoming a debacle but after watching the footage I felt really dumb. Well done to all who participated and organized.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that. At least 4 channels had cameras there. I should have watched the news!
ReplyDeleteI see Wino is in the pic on the Statesman article. http://media.idahostatesman.com/smedia/200906/17/20/0-0618_local_pavlisride_11lr.standalone.prod_affiliate.36.jpg
Ill fess up, The "FUCK YOU" came from me and I am proud of it! What happened was some asshole driving his Mercedes who was slightly inconvenienced by our large group cowardly said out his window, "No wonder you guys keep dying"... I'm not sure what came over me, I'm usually not so forward and blunt, but I can just feel the anger emanating from people lately and I find it sad and pretty disturbing... Overall great ride.. the part I rode at least, and what an honor to ride with a group of people who just want to ride bikes and attempt to make this world a better place in any way we can! :)
ReplyDeleteGood for you in that case. I wasn't close enough to see what happened.
ReplyDeletemy favorite pic so far.
ReplyDelete