Champaign-Urbana Cyclists Ride to Remember Others Killed or Injured on the Road

There were lots of people out on bicycles Wednesday evening in Champaign-Urbana. But for some of those people, the ride carried extra meaning. 20 cyclists rode together in a Ride Of Silence to remember those injured or killed while cycling on public roadways. The group wore black armbands as they cycled together on an 8-mile route from the U of I Assembly Hall to downtown Urbana and back.

The cyclists included Urbana schoolteacher Frank Modica, who says both cyclists and motorists need to be alert for each other when on the road. He says that when driving, the most important thing is to drive undistracted. Modica says that means "don't drive around with an iPod in your ear. Because one of the major people we remember locally was killed because of a distracted driver, who was on a cellphone downloading ringtones." Modica referred to Matt Wilhelm, who was struck and killed by a distracted driver while cycling in Urbana in 2006. Modica says such accidents show the importance of NOT using cellphones while driving.

Susan Jones of the group Champaign County Bikes says this is the third year they've sponsored the Ride of Silence locally. It's one of nearly 300 such rides that were scheduled for around the country and the world on Wednesday, May 20th. Other Illinois cities scheduled to host the Ride Of Silence included Charleston, Peoria, Joliet and Chicago.The annual Ride of Silence began in 2003, in reaction to the death of a cyclist in Dallas.