Charles City Ride of Silence remembers in the rain

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A cold but committed group of bicyclists gathered Wednesday evening, May 21, for Charles City’s annual Ride of Silence.

The chilly, drizzly weather was almost certainly responsible for the lower than usual number of riders taking part, but Bob Krueger, who has been organizing the event for about two decades, said he decided earlier in the afternoon that it was important for the ride to go on, despite the possibility of showers.

A fine mist began falling as Krueger started explaining the history and reason for the ride – something that most of the stalwart participants Wednesday evening had likely heard many times before.

“For 20 years we’ve done this. I think you’ve all been through it,” he started out.

“The Ride of Silence is a worldwide ride to honor cyclists killed or injured while cycling, and to promote sharing the road,” he said. “Since 2014, unfortunately, we’ve had three people killed.

“Brian Lauterbach was the first one. He sat in a pew just ahead of us and I don’t know if anybody knew Brian, but he was like the gentle giant. He was about seven foot tall and a really nice guy,” Krueger said.

“Bob Philips owned a grocery store in Nashua and he also was a lead singer at IC parish. So that’s how I knew him,” Krueger continued.

“And then of course, Ellen Bengtson. I worked with her out at Cambrex. She was an environmental engineer. And she also biked with us on Bike Around Tuesday a few times. And she rode RAGBRAI with the North Iowa Touring Club.

“And unbeknownst to me, she was really pretty involved in the whole community. She was a Rotary member. She was part of the municipal band, and she was a very active member of Bethany Alliance Church,” he said.

After Bengtson was killed in 2020, her parents, from Washington state, became very involved in the lobbying effort for a hands-free electronic device law in Iowa, Krueger said. Finally this session the Legislature passed it and the governor signed it.

“That’s just kind of the beginning to try and get safe roads,” Krueger said. “The Iowa Bike Coalition is continuing to work on getting roads safer. They’re working with the law enforcement to educate about the law.”

He said that just like when the law started requiring seat belt use in vehicles, it takes time to get people to be aware of it and for it to become routine.

Krueger said a next step is to lay the groundwork for a safe-passing law, requiring motorists to give bicyclists a wide berth when passing them on roads.

“And finally, we need to do our own part,” he said. “Follow traffic laws. You need to wear helmets and bright-colored clothing. And I’m really a proponent of the bright lights on the back of your bike, on the taillights.”

By the end of Krueger’s short talk the rain had gotten heavier, and after a blessing by Father Tom Heathershaw of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, the group of nine pedaled off on its unhurried, solemn – and wet – ride through the city.