Chicago Ride of Silence
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20th Anniversary of the Chicago Ride of Silence (opening remarks)

5/22/2025

 
Welcome to the 20th anniversary of the Chicago Ride of Silence.

A few notes about the Ride tonight:

First, if you have not yet registered, please do so now. Please also grab a map/cue sheet.

We still have pins and stickers with the original Ride of Silence logo… available while they last. All donations support our website and updating our promotional materials.

Our route this year passes crash sites (past and present) – some without ghost bikes. Yet we remember. While we cannot visit every site, we invite you to visit our website for the full list of our fallen.

Our route will start by going south to Balbo and then return north along the lakefront path to visit a couple more sites, before exiting the path at Oak Street using the pedestrian underpass. Our route will conclude at a crash site from September 2024 in Lincoln Park.

We invite everyone for a post-ride gathering at a local spot around the corner on Fullerton – the Arrogant Frog – for refreshments and sharing.

Thank you to the Active Transportation Alliance and FK Law who helped make this event possible again this year. And to the SAFE Ambassadors and all serving as official ride marshalls in the hi-viz vests. They are here to keep us safe as a group tonight, so please heed their guidance. Thank you to Ashland Addison florist for the white roses and carnations. And a big thanks to all of you!
(pause)

We ask that no one get ahead of me at the lead of the ride; at the back of the group will be Ted pulling the Ride of Silence sign.
 
Tonight, we gather with communities around the world to honor our fallen loved ones. There are at least 12 events taking place throughout Illinois tonight.

Tonight also marks the 20th anniversary of this Ride of Silence in Chicago. We continue to ride each year because we still need to ride – we unfortunately continue to experience tragedies on our roads, and we always wish to honor and remember those who have been killed.

Tonight, we gather in community, some of us crash survivors … all of us here in support of each other.

Tonight is a time of shared community, shared silence, shared sadness, shared joy, shared roads.

As we do each year before we depart, I will now read the Ride of Silence poem by Mike Murgas:

Tonight we number many but ride as one
In honor of those not with us, friends, mothers, fathers, sisters, sons
With helmets on tight and heads down low,
We ride in silence, cautious and slow
The wheels start spinning in the lead pack
But tonight we ride and no one attacks
The dark sunglasses cover our tears
Remembering those we held so dear
Tonight's ride is to make others aware
The road is there for all to share
To those not with us or by our side,
May God be your partner on your final ride
- Mike Murgas
 
 
 
 

We remember all our fallen

5/19/2025

 
The Chicago Ride of Silence started in 2005, just two years after the initial Ride of Silence was hosted in Dallas, TX, in 2003. On our 20th Anniversary event, we wish to acknowledge and remember all the fallen we have honored over the years. Please let us know if we have missed anyone.

Crash sites visited along the 2025 Ride Route:

  • Gerardo Marciales (41), 2/28/22 at Balbo and DLSD 
  • Broderick Ade’ Hogue (32), 10/29/21 at Grand Ave and Lower DLSD
  • Jason Lundelius (21), 1996, memorial site at Oak Street Beach 
  • Blaine Klingenberg (29) in June 2016 at Oak and Michigan 
  • Clint Miceli (22), 6/9/08 at Oak and LaSalle 
  • Neill Townsend (32), 10/5/12 at Oak and Wells 
  • Robert “Bobby” Cann (26), 5/29/13 on Clybourn between Mohawk and Larabee 
  • Liza Whitacre (20), 10/21/09 at Wellington and Damen 
  • Robert “Bob” Levin (61), 9/2/24 at 2444 N. Ashland

Our Remembered Fallen:

  • George Christensen (73), 4/22/24
  • Patrick Thomas Stack (26), 7/24/89
  • Kevin Clark (32), 5/26/22
  • Tyler James Fabeck (22), 4/20/08
  • Carla Aiello (37), 11/6/19
  • Douglas DeMott (52), 1/24/19
  • Raul "Raco" Ortiz-Gomez (41), 6/13/18
  • Louis Ray Smith (56), 6/5/17
  • Lisa Marie Schalk (50), 11/1/17
  • Jezniah (Jay) Smith (36), 1/12/17
  • Anastasia Kondrasheva (23), 9/26/16
  • Lisa Kuivinen (20), 8/16/16
  • Brian Schrader (13), 6/3/16
  • Joseph "Jay" Korner (78), 11/6/14
  • Hector Avalos (28), 12/6/13
  • Ryan Boudreau (49), 8/13/07
  • Jacqueline Marie Michon (25), 8/13/11
  • Dion Harris (16), 5/8/11
  • Amanda "Mandy" Annis (24), 4/30/08
  • Alicia Frantz (32), 6/3/05
  • Chuyan Qiu (18), 9/22/16
  • Virginia "Ginny" Murray (25), 7/1/16
  • Frederick "Dad" Kabriek (30), 8/23/11
  • Rob Heinbockel (49), 7/9/03
  • Jepson Livingston (32), 12/15/09
  • Lincoln/Damen/Irving (29), 2/28/08
  • Blanca Alicia Ocasio (19), 9/11/07
  • Isai Medina (50), 1/5/06

2024 Chicago Ride of Silence route preview

5/14/2024

 
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For the first time ever the Chicago Ride of Silence will have an official start outside of downtown. We will offer a remote start from Queen's Landing for riders to ride as a group up to the official ride start at  Dickens Greenway Plaza.

Look for Chicago's SAFE Ambassadors to leave Queen's Landing at 5:30pm to lead riders north along the lakefront path.

Black armbands and maps/cue sheets will be available at the ride start. The Ride asks all participants to register.

Ride will conclude with a post-ride gathering at Sleeping Village on Belmont Ave.

Our 2022 Chicago Ride of Silence returns in-person

5/20/2022

 
Despite rainy weather all day, the skies cleared and we had 100+ riders turnout for a solemn ride around the downtown area to highlight the crash sites of 3 of the 10 fatalities from this past year. Most of the local news stations also showed up and aired coverage of the Ride. Thank you to the organizations that sponsored the Ride this year and helped make it happen - Active Transportation Alliance, Streetsblog Chicago, FK Law. And thanks always to our ongoing friends and supporters - Keating Law (Illinois Bicycle Law), Ashland Addison Florist, Chicago Cycling Club, Vision Zero Chicago, Chicago SAFE Ambassadors, Chicago Bike Patrol Officers, and Ride Illinois.

Media Coverage of the night-of:
https://abc7chicago.com/chicago-ride-of-silence-bike-lanes-bikes-cyclists/11866339/

https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news/chicago-ride-of-silence-honors-cyclists-injured-killed/

https://www.nbcchicago.com/top-videos-home/chicago-vigil-remembers-bikers-killed-in-past-year/2836449

https://blockclubchicago.org/2022/05/20/ride-of-silence-honors-bicyclists-killed-by-drivers-in-deadly-year-for-chicago-riders/

LINKS TO PHOTOS:
From the Ride Leader/Organizer Perspective:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8756285@N06/albums/72177720299092668www.flickr.com/photos/8756285@N06/albums/72177720299092668

From the Active Transportation Alliance:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/activetransportationalliance/albums/72177720299087612www.flickr.com/photos/activetransportationalliance/albums/72177720299087612
2022 Chicago Ride of Silence Route Map
2022 Chicago Ride of Silence Route

Our 2019 Chicago Ride of Silence Route

5/14/2019

 
The Chicago Ride of Silence will gather at 6pm and depart at 6:30pm from Daley Plaza.
Thank you to the CPD's Bike Patrol officers who will support this event.

The Ride concludes at Keating Law Office at 825 Milwaukee with snacks and refreshments, plus opportunities to connect with the advocacy of the Active Transportation Alliance and Vision Zero Chicago.

​All are welcome.
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2019 Chicago Ride of Silence remembers...

5/13/2019

 
Since the 2018 Ride of Silence, there have been 5 known fatalities on the City of Chicago's streets. 

This year’s 2019 Chicago Ride of Silence will follow a route centralized around the city center, to both further emphasize the efforts of the Vision Zero Downtown campaign and to highlight the cycling and pedestrian fatalities from the past year in this area.

This year we especially remember ... 
​
Raul Ortiz-Gomez - 6/13/18 - age 41 - https://chi.streetsblog.org/2018/06/15/driver-fatally-struck-cyclist-raul-ortiz-gomez-41-in-west-town/

Luster Jackson - 7/28/18 - age 58 - 
https://chi.streetsblog.org/2018/07/31/cyclist-killed-on-stony-island-where-alderman-hairston-blocked-protected-lanes/

Angela Park - 8/9/18 -  age 39 - https://chi.streetsblog.org/2018/08/09/right-turning-dump-truck-driver-fatally-struck-female-cyclist-39-in-greektown/

Jimmy Lispier - 8/23/18 - age 42 - ​https://chi.streetsblog.org/2018/08/30/hit-and-run-driver-fatally-struck-cyclist-jimmy-lispier-42-in-west-humboldt-park/

Jesse Rodriguez - 9/23/18 - age 67 - https://chi.streetsblog.org/2018/09/24/hit-and-run-driver-kills-67-year-old-man-near-north-shore-channel-trail/

We ride on Wednesday, May 15, 2019, in unity with cyclists around the world to honor all of our fallen everywhere and advocate for safer roads for all road users. All are welcome to join us at 6:30pm at Daley Plaza this Wednesday.

Reflections on the 2018 Chicago Ride of Silence

5/17/2018

 
In the midst of a busy Wednesday evening in downtown Chicago, silence and stillness awaited the approximate 100 bicyclists who participated in the 2018 Chicago Ride of Silence.

For the first time ever, a professional photographer inspired by the Ride's cause volunteered to capture the event with a group photo of the participants at Daley Plaza just before the ride departed. The way this Ride touches the community - beyond bicyclists - is a testament to the power this annual Ride can make in the community.

This year's Chicago ROS partnered with the City's Vision Zero Chicago initiative to further raise awareness of steps being taken at the city level to eliminate traffic crashes that cause death and serious injury on the roadways.  The route took cyclists to the West Side where Vision Zero launched in June 2017. As the long line of cyclists paraded in silence down Randolph Street, onlookers took pause at the silent 'funeral-like' procession. Riders stopped to reflect at the ghost bike of Louis Ray Smith on Homan Avenue before heading back east to the West Town area to visit Lisa Kuivinen's bike on Milwaukee Avenue. The Ride traversed streets identified as high crash corridors to draw attention to these areas where using the road can be more dangerous.

Post-Ride participants signed the Vision Zero Chicago pledge and learned how Vision Zero aims to achieve its goals citywide through the equitable distribution of resources and inclusive community engagement. The Chicago community's cyclists came together on May 16, 2018 in a united effort that seeks safer roadways for all.

For photos of this year's Ride of Silence see:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmkGmUns
tps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aH_BAAev1XQ (4:26)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kastigar/albums/72157669110757468
https://www.relive.cc/view/1577101182

Thank you to Mike Oboza, volunteer photographer, for helping document candid moments of our 13th anniversary of the Chicago Ride Of Silence:

Our 2018 Chicago Ride of Silence Route

5/15/2018

 
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We cannot visit or list all the memorial ghost bike sites and names on this year's route map; join us online to learn more -- rideofsilence.org/chicago | ghostbikeschicago.com

Chicago ROS 2017 In the News and Photos

8/9/2017

 
Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2017 Chicago Ride of Silence. We had about 100 attendees and countless riders with us in spirit as we visited ghost bikes and commemorated the memories of our fallen.
Following are links to photos we took the night-of the event and several reports from participants. If you have photos or a blog post you'd like us to highlight here, please contact us.
  • A recap on The Chainlink: http://www.thechainlink.org/profiles/blogs/ride-of-silence-in-chicago-5-17-2017-1
  • Relive "Ride of Silence" Chicago (shared by Bob): https://www.relive.cc/view/993575139
  • Chicago Ride of Silence's photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHsm5uSMM6
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Our 2017 Chicago Ride of Silence Route

5/16/2017

 
Copies of this map and cue sheet will be available the night-of at Daley Plaza.
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