Sterling Baer, the leader of the fine pack of cyclists who call themselves The Red Mountain Brumbys, send this heartfelt letter to all the cyclists in our posse yesterday. And I am reprinting it here for you. Join in the movement if you can.
On the eve of the 4th Anniversary of the death of our very own Brumbys cycling friend Wes Carnes, I received the thank you note below from the only sibling of Jay Fretz who was killed on his bike in May. From Wes' death, hit from behind in the bike lane while riding home from our morning ride 4 years ago tomorrow, sparked the ember of activism. Fanned by the winds of yet other victims, the little fire grew into the "Ride of Honor". Two years hence, the fire raging with the cries of "Not One More", a Non-Profit was born.
A giant bonfire now awaits the call to "Link the Lake". The Brumbys are now a community/family of 665 cyclists. Many other Clubs and Teams have committed their support. I expect every Brumby to clear their calendars on Sat Dec 4th. Unless you are signed up to do the MTB "Dawn to Dust", I expect all who can possibly make the sacrifice to be there. It does not matter if you have not ridden in a long time, show up in your car to support it. Bring your children to the Tempe Beach Park with their bikes and join us as we express solidarity to "Link the Lake" together for new legislation, to support Jay, Angie and Anika Fretz as well as Wes Carnes and countless other fallen cyclists.
"Sterling, I wanted to drop you a line to introduce myself. I'm Jay Fretz' Brother and also live here in the Valley with my family. Angie and my Mother have told me how generous you've been (Not One More) with your time and efforts with regards to getting the word out about Jay's tragedy, as well as organizing the "Link the Lake" ride coming up in December (4th). I feel slightly guilty for not contacting you sooner to at least thank you for reaching out to help our family but as you can imagine, the past five months have been an abrupt lesson in crisis management. I am personally beginning to get my legs under me again, and now trying to catch up on overdue tasks etc.
Regarding the December ride, are things progressing as planned? I believe the lake is being refilled now, so that hurdle should now be overcome. In short, aside from participating myself, how can I help you and the Foundation ensure the ride is a success?
A sincere thank you for the comfort you have provided my Family through your efforts over the past months. The selfless generosity demonstrated by yourself and so many others subsequent to Jay's death has helped restore my faith in human nature. Kevin Fretz"
Confirm you'll be there now and invite others to join us.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/
Sterling Baer
No comments:
Post a Comment