Cyclists head down Abrego escorted by Pima County Sheriff
A Ride of Silence participant picks out a memorial wrist band.
Nineteen year old Albert Rich was a familiar face as a lifeguard at the Rancho Sahuarita swimming pool. He was pursuing education at the University of Arizona after graduating from Sahuarita High School. On July 3, 2013, he was bicycle commuting between his two jobs in Tucson and was swept under the wheels of a semi-truck that was making a right hand turn on Broadway Street in Tucson. Albert died soon after in the hospital. He was one of the twenty cyclists that lose their lives on the Arizona highways each year. Days after, friends and family of Albert gathered at Sahuarita Lake Park to remember his life.
The Ride of Silence honors and remembers cyclists killed and injured on our roads and highways. The ninth celebration of this event for cyclists in the Santa Cruz Valley area will be held on Wednesday, May 21. Cyclists are invited to assemble at the Green Valley GVR East Social Center at 5:30 p.m. for light refreshments and the solemn ride will begin at 6:00 p.m. Riders will ride single file and there will be no talking during the 45 minute ride.