May is National Bike Month, which aims to promote the health benefits and fun of cycling. But it’s also a time to remember those who’ve lost their lives while cycling, particularly with the Ride of Silence.
Tammy Swanson is the Education Chair of the Terry Benji Bicycling Foundation, named after a local cyclist who died in a crash in 2013. The group organized this year’s Ride of Silence.
“I'm taking part because I ride these roads," she said. "I'm out here. I'm a mother, I'm a wife, I'm a grandmother, and I'm on these roads, and it's important to me to be safe on these roads.”
Wilmington can be a dangerous city for cyclists and pedestrians alike. As previously reported by WHQR, there have been 75 fatal crashes involving cyclists and pedestrians since 2007.
What's more, cycling has become even more dangerous in the United States in recent years. According to the League of American Bicyclists, 2024 was the deadliest year on record for cyclists in the U.S.
To honor the fallen, riders took an hour-long ride together, cycling through Wilmington on the roads in complete silence. The long, slow ride took over lanes of traffic — which is the legal right of cyclists, Swanson said.
"So put down your distractions. Share the Road. Pay attention. Give cyclists rooms. The biggest thing you could do is never squeeze a cyclist and always pay attention," she said.
Traffic Safety Engineer Andrew Ooms attended the ride as well, and he said he was riding “to remember Sarah Legenkamp, she was killed in 2021 in Bethesda, Maryland.”
She was his sister-in-law’s sister, and died at age 40 when a truck turned in front of her on an unprotected bike lane.
"She was a diplomat in Ukraine, and was called back for her safety and was killed on the road about three months later, just biking home from from school," Ooms said.
He added that infrastructure often plays an invisible role in fatalities, but the average person often just blames the behavior of the driver, or more often, the cyclist or pedestrian victim.
“We need a culture of safety. We need people in cars looking out for everyone else. We need everyone following the rules, but able to have infrastructure that lets them follow the rules without half-mile walking detours and things like that,” he said.
And he added that the city should reduce speeds on roads where there are people outside of cars, and add in protections and facility separation where cars, cyclists and pedestrians share the same space. That would give people freedom and safety to choose to ride a bike, he said.
"The more infrastructure we have, the more of a bicycle network we have, the more people can ride to where they need to go," he said.
