Hundreds of cyclists across the Triangle participate in Ride of Silence

DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — Hundreds of cyclists across the Triangle and thousands across the country participated in a Ride of Silence Wednesday evening.

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The silent ride is a demonstration to honor those who have been killed or injured while riding a bike.

“To feel the emotion, and the weight that sometimes we carry and we just push aside,” Executive Director of Bike Durham John Tallmadge said.

In Durham, cyclists like Patrick Craft rode the five-mile stretch.

“I was in an accident 35 years ago, had a head on collision with a drunk driver and was almost killed,” Craft said.

For two years after his accident, he said he could not ride his bike.

“Bicyclists are invisible, and you just have to ride very defensively cause people don’t see you. It’s not that they mean to miss you, people are just busy and there’s a lot of distractions,” Craft said.

It’s a situation Craft said has become too common.

A month ago, another deadly bike crash in Durham killed 15-year-old Jack O’Shea. Police said the driver was 26-year-old Joseph Savarino, the grandson of legendary Duke Basketball Coach K.

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Police said Savarino’s blood alcohol level was 0.11.

“Together, we can make change,” Tallmadge said.

The goal is to create a safer place for bikers, whether that’s larger biking lanes or sidewalks.

“So that if someone makes a stupid decision and drives drunk and doesn’t have good response time, it doesn’t end in a heartbreak of losing a child,” Tallmadge said.

Durham City Council member Carl Rist, who rode for former council member John Allore who was killed while cycling in 2023, said they are in the process of doing just that.

“We invested in a bond issue a couple years ago to build more sidewalks and bike paths so walkers and bikers are separate from where cars are going,” Rist said.

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