May 18, 2012 (Montreal, QC) – Despite threatening thunderclouds, some 2,600 riders turned out on May 16 in various Quebec locations to take part in the Tour de Silence. The largest of these rallies, in Boucherville, attracted some 500 riders. Another Tour of Silence ride was held in Ottawa but we do not have a crowd estimate there. Similar Tour of Silence rides took place in different cities around the world.

“Participants turned out at some 30 sites 30 sites across Quebec,” said Louis Barbeau, director of the Quebec Cycling Federation (FQSC). The ride commemorates cyclists killed in motor vehicle accidents and stresses the need for mutual respect between motorists and cyclists.

The first Tour of Silence was held in 2003 in Dallas, Texas according to Wikipedia. Apart from commemorating those killed or injured, the ride helps raise public awareness of the need to share the road.

In Quebec, triathlete Pierre Lavoie (winner of the Hawaii Ironman in 1996, 2004 and 2005) served as spokesman for the event. “We don’t hide that it is dangerous to ride on our roads, but we are seeing a change in society. The coexistence [of cyclists and motorists] is slowly coming to be. We must therefore be careful and show respect. Each cyclist should behave properly. That is how we are going to help our cause,” said Lavoie.

In Quebec, the ride followed one day after the release of a coroner’s report into the deaths of three cyclists riding on Route 112 near Rougemont on May 14, 2010. The coroner, André-H Dandavino, blamed those deaths on fatigue on the part of the truck driver who struck the three women. Dandavino also made recommendations about paving the shoulders of highways used by cyclists and about awareness campaigns. Pedal understands that the driver, a volunteer fireman, has escaped criminal charges.

In Ottawa, the Tour of Silence was inspired in part by a horrific accident in Kanata in 2009 where five cyclists were injured in a hit-and-run incident. January of this year saw the driver responsible, Sommit Luangpakham, sentenced to two years less a day for of dangerous driving causing bodily harm and for leaving the scene of an accident.

In a release the FQSC reminded cyclists to wear helmets and respect the rules of the road. Motorists are reminded that when passing cyclists, they are allowed to cross over a continuous double solid line but only when this can be donesafely. The FQSC also thanked various partners who helped made the Tour de Silence possible.

Ottawa TdS Ride

Ride of Silence (Wikipedia) HERE.