In many places, COVID-19 restrictions are loosening or being abolished altogether. This has resulted in a number of “firsts “: People are going places and doing things they haven’t seen or done in more than a year. Last night, I had my first sit-down dinner in a restaurant since the pandemic began. A friend treated me for helping her to buy, and fix, her bike.
Speaking of which: Club and other group rides are reconvening. For most cyclists, such rides are a time of joy, or at least relief.
They and other “firsts” can, however, be tinged with sadness and grief. A favorite cafe may have closed or a chef or server might be gone. So might some riding buddies.
Photo by Trace Christensen, from the Battle Creek Enquirer
Such was the case for a group of Michigan cyclists who rode together on Tuesday evening. As they embarked from Mike’s Team Active Bikes in Battle Creek, owner Mike Wood, who rode with them, reminded everyone of five riders who were not with them.
On that day five years earlier, Debbie Bradley, Suzanne Joan Sippel, Lorenz John (Larry) Pauli’s, Fred Anton (Tony) Nelson and Melissa Ann Fevig Hughes were mowed down by an impaired driver in a pickup truck. Four other cyclists who accompanied them survived the experience, but are still dealing with the physical and emotional trauma that resulted.
As with many other “firsts,” Tuesday’s ride in Battle Creek was a time to reconnect—and reflect.
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