Here is a link to the Press Release in PDF form.

Here is the link to the Handbill PDF. Print it out and hand it out.

And here is the press release. Please send it to everyone you think would benefit from it. We are handling press agencies and the like but if you have any suggestions as to where to send it and how please let us know.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ghost Bike Memorial Ride to Honor Fallen Bicyclists

Minneapolis / St.Paul-October 2008 - This Saturday, the bicycle community will come together to honor the memory of cyclists who have been killed in recent accidents on Twin Cities streets. A memorial ride will visit the sites of three of the most recent crashes, where "Ghost Bikes" have been placed as a memorial to the victims. For more info on Ghost Bikes please visit http://www.ghostbikempls.org .

Family, friends and cyclists are invited to participate in this group ride. Organizers are asking that participating cyclists please wear a black shirt with orange ribbon around their arm or handlebars. Ribbon will be provided for those who need it.


What: Memorial Ride to Honor Fallen Bicyclists
13.6 miles for Twin Cities route (http://www.bikemap.net/route/89109)
14.3 miles extra for Blaine route (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2304032)
Where: Meet on the traffic island at Summit and Snelling Avenues in St.Paul
When: This Saturday, October 4th, 2008. The ride will meet at 10:30 am; depart 11:00 am
Contact: ghostbikempls@gmail.com or 612-276-1008

The ride will begin at Summit and Snelling Avenues near the ghost bike memorial for Virginia Heuer Bower. It will then head west down Lake Street to Excelsior and West 32nd Street, the ghost bike memorial for Jimmy Nisser. The ride will then head back up Excelsior/Lake, then northeast on Hennepin to the ghost bike memorial for Nik Morton.

There is an unrelated "group photo" event at 3pm at Gold Medal Park (the red square on the bikemap) and participants are welcome to continue on to be part of the "Unite Bike" group photograph: http://www.unitebike.com/

In the afternoon, another ride will head to Blaine in order to place a Ghost Bike at Central and Cloverleaf, where cyclist Dale Aanenson was killed.

Riders are expected to be orderly and respectful of traffic. If you are riding recklessly, you will be asked to leave.

More discussion on the memorial ride can be found on the community message board Minneapolis Bike Love: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=9557&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Information about the victims of these tragedies can be found here:

Dale Phillip Aanenson - http://www.legacy.com/StarTribune/Obitu ... =117902776

Virginia M. Heuer - http://www.legacy.com/StarTribune/Obitu ... =118137017

Nik Morton - http://www.legacy.com/startribune/obitu ... =118097033

Jimmy Nisser - http://www.legacy.com/StarTribune/Obitu ... =117453438

The guy's name was Dale Aanenson. http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_10539343

I'd be down for this on a weekend sometime. The big challenge would be to find out a safe route from the cities proper up to Blaine and back.

I think a memorial ride sounds like a good idea. I dont know how many bikers you were thinking about having on it, but if you want a large number of people i think that blaine should be the last leg of it.
it would be great to see as many people come out for this as possible. id hate to have the distance part of it discourage people from riding. but if it was the last part of it then they could feel comfortable riding to the few ghostbikes in mpls and then people that want to continue on can ride up to blaine.
maybe even have everyone try to wear the same basic color shirt or something too. seems like maybe it would make more of a statement.

I think a memorial ride is a very good idea, and would like to participate and to help get the word out in whatever way I can. I think doing this on a Saturday is the best day.

I also think this might be a good time to bring together a group of cyclists to speak with City officials (City Council? Law Enforcement?) about how we can improve safety and educate cyclists AND motorists on ways to share the road. I think this should be a different event than the memorial (I wouldn't want to politicize the deaths of those individuals) - but given that there has been so many accidents recently, and a lot more people on bikes, it seems like something needs to be done and a public conversation would be a place to start.

Considering I got hit by a car last week I am very interested in this. I will try pretty hard to make any ride you do, so long as it isn't break neck speed (I dislocated my shoulder when I rode on the cars hood and now I have a lot of trouble climbing out of saddle)

I'll be there.

this has become far to frequent.

"all it takes is one generation for a vice to become a habit..."

I road out to the ghostbike on Summit around 6:00. There were others there and two reporters as well. I told folks that the event was canceled and why and told the reporters that "the community" was planning responses to these deaths.

I think the press will be very interested in what we do about this.

I'd be up for the ride, definitely.
I can't remember a run of accidents like this, well, ever.
And I hope we never have another one.

Wonder if there's some way to tie a ride in with this:
http://www.unitebike.com/

I think a memorial ride is a good idea, as is Vik's suggestion here.

On a more immediate scale, how about something simple like a white ribbon on your arm or bike as you ride to work tomorrow? (maybe this should be in the "What can we do?" thread?)

-ryan

I'm going to email the organizer a link to this thread so maybe there can be some discussion as to the possiblity of ghostbikes being destinations for this ride. Maybe they're on here, for all I know.

If this happens, my opinion is that the group needs to have some way to signify that it's a memorial ride, not just a large group of cyclists or critical mass (the general public probably doesn't know that CM happens on the last friday of the month, you know?). Otherwise, the attitudes will flare. If drivers understand why the group is riding, maybe they would cool down and let it be.

We'll come if we can. God knows there have been enough close calls with us as well.

I agree that we need to make sure that we need to make sure that it's not confused with CriticalMass. I'm sure that talking with the media before and after would probably help with that.

What should the route be? St. Paul to Calhoun area, then to downtown? People that wanted to brave the trip up to Blaine could continue, otherwise it should be easy for most people to disperse from downtown.

Should we try to do tshirts or something to mark everyone as being on the same ride?

Why not just a white t-shirt? I think the Ride of Silence usually just does armbands.

That would work.

Rode to the memorial and found out it had been canceled.

I'm hoping I can attend this memorial ride. I would very much like to come along on this one.

Too many close calls these days..scary.