Ride Information

We had 8 total riders, however 4 of them ended up being Cascade Ride Leaders (a couple of other leaders came out for an easy spin). Note how everyone is bundled up with long sleeves and/or jackets, and full-length pants. This weather is getting to be a bit much. Come on summer, it’s mid-June for cryin’ out loud!

We rode through Kent Station (which was the only place I heard “oh, Ride of Silence” from 2 cyclists), and old downtown Kent. From there we went south on Central Avenue/Auburn Way, a 4 lane with a 2 way turn lane that normally clips along at 40-45. We took our lane, and held it at 11 mph past every car dealer in the valley. Felt great, and we had maybe one horn-honk at the intersection at 277th. Not bad.

Right turn at 15th NW in Auburn (Fast Food Row – it’s even labeled that in Google Maps), and right again at Emerald Downs Way. Here we had our second encounter with “The Press”, as the Auburn Reporter showed up to take pictures of our little procession. First encounter had been at the start, where a woman from the Kent Reporter had circulated amongst the cyclists, asking questions.

We were harassed once, by four yokels in a jeep that yelled for us to “get those bikes off the f’ing road!”… they were traveling in the opposite direction, unimpeded, with no other traffic. Despite our attempts to remain silent, their comic behavior was good for a couple of chuckles.

How many more of these will the boys in the jeep be able to take, before they too are riding bikes?

Thanks to everyone that came out for all the Rides of Silence tonight, particularly in my local burg. Thanks especially to my regular riding mates from the Green River Riders that came out and watched the back of the pack for me. You guys are the best.

• I had to drive up to “the core” to do this ride, as riding to and from Gasworks from home would have been schedule-prohibitive.
• I saw several folks struggling with the Seattle terrain on last year’s version, specifically the climb up Eastlake to REI, then the ride over the Dexter hump. Seattle doesn’t have a lot of “flat” options that would also meet the general “ride the streets in rememberance” theme of the Ride of Silence.
• Despite several elbows to the ribs of my riding compadres in the south end, precious few actually made the trip to Seattle for this event.
• Having spent a few years now vying for space with the automobiles in the greater Green River valley, I figured it was high-time to help raise awareness in my local communities.

Therefore:

DATE: May 21, 2008
TIME: 6:30 pm

WHERE: Kent Park & Ride: 902 W James St (N. Lincoln Ave & W. James St), Kent Washington
Also 100’s of locations worldwide, including Seattle and Tacoma Washington

I will be running a local version of this ride, for those that cannot make the trip from the Kent valley up to Seattle or south to Tacoma for the larger local versions of this ride. We will be starting from the old Kent Park & Ride just east of Hwy 167, between James and Smith Streets. The ride will begin at 6:30 p.m., but please show up early. Please note that there are no bathrooms available at the start location, so plan accordingly. The ride will be approx. 12 miles in length, almost completely flat. We will ride at 10-12 mph through downtown Kent, and down to a portion of Auburn before returning to the Park & Ride.

The Seattle ride will start from Gasworks Park at 6:30 p.m. If you live close to Seattle, you are urged to attend the Seattle event. There is also a well established version of the ride to the south, in Tacoma. All locations are listed on the Ride of Silence website:

Ride of Silence website