VERO BEACH — It happens every May: Bicyclists around the world hold solemn rides to remember cyclists killed by motorists or who are injured.
And bicyclists in Vero Beach will be joining their worldwide pedaling brethren this week, too.
Indian River County cyclists are staging a “Ride of Silence” on Saturday, starting with a ceremony at 8 a.m. The event was originally set for Wednesday evening but inclement weather is forecast.
The Vero Cycling Club has joined the international crusade to raise cycling safety awareness and to honor cyclists who have lost their lives while bicycling.
The ceremony is scheduled for the Veteran Memorial Island Sanctuary in Riverside Park, where five cyclists will be remembered.
— Kevin Adorno, of Farmington, Connecticut was nearing the end of his ride along the East Coast to Miami where he planned to become engaged. Kevin was tragically killed by an apparently deranged man when he stopped for a rest and refreshments in Vero Beach in 2014.
— Cole Coppola, a popular John Carroll High School student, was struck by a passing motorist as he and a companion rode home over the 17th Street Bridge in Sept. 2014.
— Valerie Jean Waters was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver just before Christmas last year.
The Ride of Silence will also honor two avid Vero Beach cyclists who died following organized bike rides. Indian River County Assistant Fire Chief Brian Nolan and longtime leader of the Indian River
Shores Public Safety Department died of cardiac arrest in 2010.
And Vero Beach resident Keith Gergely died from a cardiac arrest following a 2012 ride honoring another cyclist.
Following the 6: 30 p.m. ceremony at Riverside Park, bicyclists will ride silently and slowly. They will stop at the top of the 17th St. Bridge to remember Coppola and at a McDonald’s to honor Adorno.
All are welcome to join the ceremony and helmets are required if you join the bicycle ride.
If you would like more information about this topic, please visit www.verocyclingclub.org, www.rideofsilence.org or contact Tad Diesel at 772-999- 5110 or email at [email protected].
