Excerpts from the Ride of Silence Program:

"Tonight we honor cyclists from Contra Costa County:

1. Roger Russell, was 77 years old from Moraga. He was a retired nuclear power engineer and known to be a skilled craftsman. He was described by a friend as an “engineer’s engineer, who was car smart, nuclear power plant smart, real-world smart.” He was struck and killed 11/26/2021 while out for a bike ride in the city of Moraga. He is survived by his wife and 2 children.

2. Joe Shami, was 86 years old from Lafayette. He was a member of both the Mt. Diablo Cyclists Club and the Benicia Bicycle Club. Joe was well-loved, a local cycling icon, nicknamed the “Legend of Mt Diablo” as he had summited Mt Diablo on his bicycle weekly for 500 consecutive weeks, rain or shine, even at times through snow or gale-force winds at the top. He spearheaded local efforts to make riding on Mt Diablo safer through the creation of bicycle turnouts and warning signs. He was the only cyclist I knew that carried a wind gauge in his jersey and had an inclinometer on his handlebar to measure the grade he was climbing. He was a kind and generous man. He was struck and killed in the Olympic traffic circle in April 2021, where we will ride later tonight.

3. NFL Coach Greg Knapp was 58 years old from San Ramon. He was struck and killed last July while out for a ride. He is survived by his wife Charlotte and three daughters, one of whom received 2 awards tonight at her school assembly. Greg was a talented NFL football coach for over 25 years, who worked with multiple clubs including the Oakland Raiders, SF 49ers, and finally the NY Jets. He was a quarterback coach for such talented players as Peyton Manning, Steve Young, and Alex Garcia and helped the Denver Broncos win the Superbowl in 2016.

4. Christopher Bunag was 42 years old from Hercules and a core member of the Hercules Cycling Club. Chris was killed by a hit and run driver near the Crockett Overlook in 2018 while out on his evening “Happy Hour” ride, as he called it. He was a former sponsored skateboarder in his youth, a talented DJ, and an accomplished cyclist completing the Death Ride in the Alpine Alps with us in 2015. He had never been recognized by a Ride of Silence, so was included in this year’s ceremony.

5. Rolf Klenk age 76, was an avid recreational rider, riding ~6K miles a year, who lost his life while riding his bicycle in 2020 when a vehicle struck him while entering a freeway onramp.  Following his injury, he never regained consciousness. He was a Senior Engineer with IBM, Rolf continued to share his love for all things mechanical and his sense of humor with friends, family, and strangers. Rolf moved to California from Germany with his family in the late 1970s.. 

6. Jack Meehan 31, of Laguna Beach, died in a tragic bicycle accident in the early evening of October 26, 2016, in Santa Cruz, California. Jack was born October 15, 1985, and grew up in Laguna Beach. He played football at Santa Margarita Catholic High School, earned a BA in Spanish from San Francisco State University, and completed a BS in Marine Transportation at the California Maritime Academy. Jack worked as Second Mate of the Alaskan Frontier Tanker. Jack's larger-than-life spirit led him to many great adventures; surfing, snowboarding, traveling, and always making friends along the way.

In the novel Lord of the Rings, Frodo said to Gandalf the Wizard:

“I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.”

Gandalf replied: “So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

We ride tonight for friendship and solidarity.

We ride for visibility in the public eye and a safe place to exercise.

We ride to celebrate the lives of these fine cyclists and human beings, all taken too early.