Name: Ride of Silence
Start: 2026-05-20T19:00:00-05:00
Location: Wheel & Sprocket (1027 Davis St, Evanston, IL)

The Ride of Silence, held during National Bike Month, is a silent, slow-roll procession to honor vulnerable road users who have been killed or injured while cycling on public streets. Cyclists from across the globe take to the roads this night in unity. Although cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists, the motoring public often isn't aware of these rights, and sometimes not aware of the cyclists themselves.
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. You can read Jeff Balch’s article in the Evanston Roundtable about the 2024 Ride of Silence here: https://evanstonroundtable.com/2024/05/16/ride-of-silence-honors-cyclists-killed-while-biking/
This is a free ride that asks its cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph, wear helmets, follow the rules of the road and remain silent during the ride. There are no registration fees. We will depart from Wheel & Sprocket at 1027 Davis St in Evanston, traverse both Evanston and Skokie over a distance of approximately ten miles, before returning back to where we started. This event is held in collaboration with Skokie Bike Network.