Release provided by Adventure Wenatchee
Ride of Silence to be held May 20 in Wenatchee

WENATCHEE — The annual Ride of Silence will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 20, beginning at Pybus Public Market and continuing in a slow procession through the city. The free ride asks participants to move no faster than 10 mph and to remain silent during the procession — all as a way to honor those who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways, and to raise awareness that cyclists have a legal right to public roadways. Many motorists are not aware that bicyclists are legally required to ride in the streets and roads, and not on sidewalks. Wenatchee Valley Velo Club is again the local organizer of this event, now in its 13th year. Similar rides are taking place at the same time in locations throughout the world. In the United States, the ride is held during National Bike Safety Month and Week.

This year’s Wenatchee Ride of Silence is expected to attract more than 100 cyclists, who will follow a ride leader on a route through the community and then back to Pybus, returning at approximately 8 p.m. Cyclists of all skill levels are encouraged to participate. Apple Blossom Festival royalty will be among the riders. There also will be a Wenatchee Police escort. Wenatchee Valley Velo Club president Fred Munson said the group organizes the local Ride of Silence in part because it fits one of the club’s core missions — making bicycling in the community safer. “Our club members learn the rules of the road and bicycle laws,” Munson said. “And it goes both ways. We want our riders to be courteous to motorists while using public roads.”

The May 20 event will begin with a 6:30 p.m. ceremony at the south end of Pybus that will remember family and friends who have been lost or injured while riding their bicycles. The ceremony will be led by Wenatchee’s Dr. Ed Farrar, who was paralyzed while cycling several years ago.

Here is the route for the local 3-mile procession:

— Left out of Pybus onto Worthen Street

— Right onto Thurston Street