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Ride of Silence Tomorrow Night Honors Princeton Anchor House Cyclist Doug McCune

McCune

Cyclists and Princeton area residents will remember Anchor House rider Doug McCune Wednesday night by participating in the 10th annual Ride of Silence, a worldwide cycling event that takes place in hundreds of locations around the globe in honor of those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways.

The Princeton ride, sponsored by Anchor House, is free and open to the public. Biking helmets are required. The procession will leave the Princeton Shopping Center at 301 North Harrison Street in Princeton Township at 7 p.m.

Cyclists who wish to participate in the ride should gather by 6:45 p.m. near the south entrance of the Princeton Shopping Center, next to the Princeton Rescue Squad building, where a pre-ride ceremony will take place.

After the ceremony, the cyclists will slowly pedal seven miles through Princeton in silence. The Route will bring them past McCune’s home, Princeton institutions of higher learning and the downtown area.

McCune, a scientist at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, was killed on the last day of the 2011 Anchor House Ride for Runaways when he struck a vehicle in Clinton Township. The beloved Anchor House rider was a long-time Anchor House cyclist and a top fundraiser for the charity that helps runaway, neglected and abused children and teens.

In addition to honoring those who have been injured or killed while cycling, the Ride of Silence works to raise awareness about cyclists. Although cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists, the public often isn’t aware of these rights, and sometimes not aware of the cyclists themselves.

Last year more than 320 rides were held in 24 countries. In 2003, Chris Phelan organized the first Ride of Silence in Dallas after endurance cyclist Larry Schwartz was hit by the mirror of a passing bus and was killed. The Ride of Silence takes place annually during National Bike to Work Week.

The West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance is also hosting a Ride of Silence for West Windsor ares residents Wednesday night. The 10-mile West Windsor ride will leave from the Municipal Center at 7 p.m. sharp and include a police escort and a funeral hearse courtesy of Mather Hodge. Cyclists are encouraged to wear black arm bands and turn on their front and rear lights. Organizers of the West Windsor ride ask that cyclists bring a bike in good riding condition and helmet, plus a water bottle, spare inner tube, ID, and cell phone.

For more information about the Ride of Silence visit www.rideofsilence.org.