Bike Week Pasadena, 2016 (File Photo – David Gatzen)
May is National Bike Month, and Pasadena and the world participate in a silent cycling procession to honor injured and fallen cyclists and advocate for safer streets for everyone.
By Katlyn Ong
The cycling community of Pasadena invites the public to join in for the annual Ride of Silence on Wednesday, May 21. This solemn event, now in its 23rd year, honors cyclists who have been injured or killed on public roadways and raises awareness about sharing the road safely.
The Pasadena Ride of Silence will begin at the Rose Bowl in the north end of Lot I, with registration and check-ins beginning at 6:15 pm, announcements at 6:30 pm, and white doves from White Dove Release will be sent off individually to honor the cyclists lost during the last year at 6:50 pm. At 7:00 pm, a police escort will lead cyclists en masse on a slow and silent 7-mile route to Pasadena City Hall, where attendees will observe a moment of silence to honor friends and family lost to traffic violence. The ride will finish at the Rose Bowl with free tacos for all registered participants.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that 1,105 cyclists were killed by drivers of motor vehicles in 2022, the highest number ever recorded since the federal government started collecting data in 1975. Experts believe the increase in fatalities is due to several factors: inadequate street designs to include safe lanes for cycling, larger vehicles such as pickups and SUVs, which are deadlier in size and shape, higher horsepower in vehicles, and distracted driving.
The NHTSA has finalized a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard to make automatic emergency braking (AEB), including pedestrian AEB, standard on all passenger cars and light trucks by September 2029. Making this safety feature standard (previously, it was bundled with expensive tech packages) is part of the Department’s National Roadway Safety Strategy to address the crisis of deaths on the roads and hopes to make U.S. roads dramatically safer for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists alike.
The annual Ride of Silence is a global cycling event, with thousands of cyclists participating in similar rides worldwide on the third Wednesday in May. The Ride of Silence began in 2003 at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX, after a local athlete, Larry Schwartz, was hit and killed by a school bus mirror while cycling. Schwartz’s friend, Chris Phelan organized a ride in 10 days which drew in 1,000 cyclists through word of mouth and email.
The event is now in 228 locations worldwide: 40 states, 16 countries, five continents, zero words spoken, and a million powerful memories.
For more information on the Pasadena Ride of Silence, including registration and route details, visit www.rideofsilencepasadena.org.
Bike Ride of Silence May 21, 2025 6:15 pm - 8:00 pm Location Rose Bowl Stadium 1001 Rose Bowl Drive Pasadena, CA 91103
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