Pause to remember: this year’s Ride of Silence will remember Bendigo rider Jason Lowndes. Photo Dion Jelbart
By Edward Barkla
There are many rituals for remembering those we have lost. The annual Ride of Silence is how our cycling community remembers and seeks respect from other road users.
As parents of four children it was a natural expectation that our home was full of noise as the family went about its business as families do. Yet whenever a child was absent from home a distinct difference was evident. There was the silence of the missing child in the midst of the noise being made.
You could liken this silence to an orchestra that is missing the drummer with the deep rhythmic beat of the bass or the flautist with a sound like a singing bird in the early morning. The silence in taking a child from the family or a musical instrument out of an orchestra is evidence that something is missing that made our family, or the orchestra complete.
The Ride of Silence has a similar impact as we ride silently along the road. We are surrounded by the noise of the world: the traffic that flows past, the birds that sing, the toot of a horn, or the “doof doof” music of the P plate driver. Yet we are missing a member in our cycling community and their silence is deafening and wrenches at the heart.
A recent fatality of a young cyclist is foremost in our minds. There is a void left that reminds us we’ll no longer have the joy of hearing his “G’day Mates!”, his “Howdy Blokes!”. We’ll no longer have his friendly greetings, his encouragement beside us as we push into the head winds. His absence has left a mighty void. But he is not the only one we miss.
There are often other members of the cycling community who have been injured as a result of a road accident between the bike and another road user. These missing members also leave a silence. But at least we have hope that they will return and fill the void their leave of absence creates.
The Ride of Silence is in its 16th year. This year on the 19th May 2018 we have cause to remember many injured cyclists. Sadly, this is the third time we, as a community of cyclists, have had cause to remember the death of a member of our cycling community as a result of road trauma. The Ride of Silence is an international event that makes a non-political, non-biased statement to everyone who uses the road.
As cyclists we have an overwhelming desire to share the road safely with other road users. We want to acknowledge that we respect other users. We hope that we, and our space on the road, are respected in turn. That metre really does matter to us all. Never will the fallen members of our community of cyclists and their families be forgotten.
Looking forward to seeing you on the road soon God willing.
Life on a bike in Bendigo 