Dozens gather for Ride of Silence to remember fallen bicyclists and to raise awareness about bicycle safety

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Thousands of bicyclists are injured or killed in the US every year.

And on Wednesday night, more than 2 dozen people gathered in Wilmington for the 23rd annual Ride of Silence to raise awareness and honor them.

One of those people was Phil Honsinger, who has been a cyclist for many years.

During that time, he’s lost several friends who were killed while riding bicycles.

When he was 9 years old, his friend Billy was killed.

It’s a moment he’s never forgotten.

“I suffered guilt where, you know, was it my responsibility, you know,” Honsinger said. “Who suggested we go on the ride and who went. And there was quite a few stories about what happened afterwards. But I saw him, I know he was gone. There was nothing, he wasn’t revived in the hospital or anything like that.”

According to the National Safety Council, nearly 1,400 bicyclists were killed in the US in 2023.

The Ride of Silence began at Wilmington’s Empie Park, with the group of riders going down Randall Parkway, through part of UNCW, and then returning to the park.

During the entire 6-mile ride, none of the bikers spoke a word.

Tammy Swanson is an instructor for the Terry Benjey Foundation.

She said Benjey was killed while riding his bike in 2013.

Swanson said events like this aim to remind drivers about the importance of sharing the road with cyclists.

“To drive safe and to do things that are safe, to save that person and not to injure that person or kill that person,” Swanson said. “And I think about all the times I ride on these roads. I’m a mother, I’m a grandmother, I’m a sister, I’m a wife and I think about all of the people that would be affected if something were to happen to me on these roads.”

After his childhood friend was killed, Honsinger stopped riding his bike for years before joining Cape Fear Cyclists.

Now, every time he goes out on his bike, he says Billy is with him.

“Riding for my friends that have passed is, for Billy, he’s always been in my heart, you know. Cause the life that I’ve had, he never had any of that, never had any of that. So he stays with me.”

The Ride of Silence was also held across the country and the world, as dozens of states and countries saw rides held on Wednesday night.