London - will you join the ride

Eilidh memorial ride March 7th 2009.

I'm heading down to this ride - would anyone like to jump on the train with me, and take to the streets to show our respect for such a tragic loss.....

Ive been meaning to get down to london for a ride around, was hoping itd be for some cheery fun event but I guess this could do.

thinking..thinking...

I was so sad to hear about this. I'm going to go down to london on the 7th anyway for graduation (in the morning I think) but would like to go on the ride in the afternoon. Will be getting early train though (welcome to join!) or maybe see you down there?

Why do you care? Maybe if it was someone that I knew, but it's not. Why is it tragic?

because a) it's a premature end to a life, b) cyclists appreciate the dangers of cycling on the road more than the general public as it's something we deal with every day, and can identify with how vulnerable we are compared with motor vehicles, c) forums like this create a sense of community and solidarity amongst cyclists (as a minority road user group)

Interesting point Ben.
Maybe you've got a lot to learn about loss, and it's effect on others.

edit: forget it - pointless trying to explain.

go from moor street to london marylebon, it's only like £15 return on the day :). I might be up for this but not 100% sure, decide nearer the time

Why do you care? Maybe if it was someone that I knew, but it's not. Why is it tragic?

Wow.

maybe your unfortunate to have gone through life so far without being challenged to think about others outside your personal remit. for that i feel sorry for you but when it happens (oh and it will), you'll understand.

I may be in london anyway that weekend so I would definitely be up for joining whoevers going.

the chiltern bham-marylebone train is £19.50 return (the one that used to be £15 back in the day). bastard inflation.

So, I'm guessing that you all went on a memorial ride for Asif Sindhu after he was killed by a car while on his bike out in Balsall Heath in 2006? Someone from our city, who rode the same streets as us, who you may even have nodded at?

So, I'm guessing that you all went on a memorial ride for Asif Sindhu after he was killed by a car while on his bike out in Balsall Heath in 2006? Someone from our city, who rode the same streets as us, who you may even have nodded at?

Tell me more about that incident, I live round there and never actually heard about it.

I 100% see where your coming from Ben, people die all the time in unfair ways and we dont bat an eyelid. But just because this girl had a supercoolfixiebike© and from londons famous london there seems to be an unbalanced amount of hype/hysteria about it.

But you see Ben, there is nothing wrong with caring its what makes us human, we could have a fuck the world attitude about everything but our immediate families etc. But most people thankfully aint like that, what do you think drives people to become aid workers, doctors,give to charity, become counsellors, and even join the army.

Its largely an empathy for others, obviously most of us cannot dedicate all our energy to every fateful event/cause. However shallow we tend to prioritise with whatever is 'close to home' or 'one of our own'

This girl & her boyfriend were part of this community, and however superficial, the fact she was about our age and rode a bike similar too ours - makes a connection, with at least some of us.Obviously not a great personal tragedy for us, but it is easy to feel for her and the sombre mood in the 'community' and the respectful human response to this is to get together and share condolences/make a sign of respect such as the memorial bike ride.

I for one am the first person the find a scene revolving around fixed gear city bikes a tad ridiculous. But its there none the less, and we are part of it. This Girl was the first to die on her bike as part of it, so she represents a lot more. She is like a 'Martyr' almost, for the 'cause'. The normally trivial care free cause of riding simple bikes around the city without getting run over by trucks.

So, I'm guessing that you all went on a memorial ride for Asif Sindhu after he was killed by a car while on his bike out in Balsall Heath in 2006? Someone from our city, who rode the same streets as us, who you may even have nodded at?

Ben, that's harsh mate. I'm unsure of how to respond, and what justification you require. I've experienced a devastating loss like this, in similar circumstances - and I can't even begin to imagine how Giles felt, whilst typing that crippling post on here, telling everyone that he had lost his soul-mate. I'm not sure what else to say.

before we all lay in to ben, can we stop and consider that he is 17. i sure said a lot of stupid/confrontational things when i was his age.

1. There's nothing wrong with caring . However, I don't see the point in caring about something that has nothing to do with me. I agree that caring can be a good thing, but don't be foolish enough to think that people do good deeds purely because they care. Do you think people would give anywhere near as much money to charity as they do if it didn't make them feel good about themselves? Would so many people want to be doctors if they didn't think that they were going to get respect and admiration from people for doing such a challenging job? Selfless acts are very rare, if they even exist at all.

2. You think I (or any of my fellow applicants who I have spoken with) am applying to join the army because I care? I want to go and fight in Afghanistan and that's all there is to it.

3. I can understand why London cyclists would want to go on the memorial ride, fair enough. The fact that we live in a different city makes the link too tenuous, to the extent where people just want to be involved in the 'tragedy' for the sake of being involved, not because they are trult upset by the event. The fact that people only want to go on a memorial ride when prompted by a thread on this forum proves this. It's not harsh, it's just the truth. If you really cared, you would have a memorial ride for each of the 130 cyclists that die on the roads every year. That loss is just as devastating to their families. Is this one woman more important because of the type of bike that she rode, or because her boyfriend was on a particular internet site? That seems disrespectful to the other 129 cyclists who will die this year.

4. Can anything really be a 'cause' with 'martyrs' if it's 'trivial and carefree'? That's just silly.

5. People die. Accidents happen. Some people need to grow a little more backbone, stiffen their upper lip and just get on with things.

6. I object to being written off purely for my age. I'm not saying this to be confrontational and my point is certainly not stupid. I have a valid opinion and I am expressing it.

7. Asif Sindhu : http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-12581193.html

1. There's nothing wrong with caring . However, I don't see the point in caring about something that has nothing to do with me. I agree that caring can be a good thing, but don't be foolish enough to think that people do good deeds purely because they care. Do you think people would give anywhere near as much money to charity as they do if it didn't make them feel good about themselves? Would so many people want to be doctors if they didn't think that they were going to get respect and admiration from people for doing such a challenging job? Selfless acts are very rare, if they even exist at all.

2. You think I (or any of my fellow applicants who I have spoken with) am applying to join the army because I care? I want to go and fight in Afghanistan and that's all there is to it.

3. I can understand why London cyclists would want to go on the memorial ride, fair enough. The fact that we live in a different city makes the link too tenuous, to the extent where people just want to be involved in the 'tragedy' for the sake of being involved, not because they are trult upset by the event. The fact that people only want to go on a memorial ride when prompted by a thread on this forum proves this. It's not harsh, it's just the truth. If you really cared, you would have a memorial ride for each of the 130 cyclists that die on the roads every year. That loss is just as devastating to their families. Is this one woman more important because of the type of bike that she rode, or because her boyfriend was on a particular internet site? That seems disrespectful to the other 129 cyclists who will die this year.

4. Can anything really be a 'cause' with 'martyrs' if it's 'trivial and carefree'? That's just silly.

5. People die. Accidents happen. Some people need to grow a little more backbone, stiffen their upper lip and just get on with things.

6. I object to being written off purely for my age. I'm not saying this to be confrontational and my point is certainly not stupid. I have a valid opinion and I am expressing it.

7. Asif Sindhu : http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-12581193.html

can of serious fucking ignorant worms.

...

Ben, I do agree that you have a valid opinion, but I think that voicing it this very moment is perhaps a bit hasty and that instead you could have chosen to be considerate to the fact that the family and friends of the girl that died may be reading the forum at the moment.

It is a wise thing when to know not to voice an opinion (no matter how valid it is), and I can't claim to being any kind of master of that wisdom as I recall trivialising 9/11 within hours and inviting a whole website to make "tsunami mixtapes" (Wave of Mutilation by the Pixies anyone?) a few days after tens of thousand of people had died.

I don't think there really is a valid position against what you are saying, indeed there have been a number of road deaths in the past and when it's firmly outside of your circle and reach it is hard to feel it's anything other than a statistic, so I can totally understand your position.

However, what you may well be under-estimating in this instance is the sense of community that this website has brought to London cyclists and the fact that for a lot of people this community extends to a lot of close friendships.

There are other factors too, such as how easy it is for us who class ourselves as more avid and experienced cyclists to dismiss statistics and to feel confident that it wouldn't happen to "us" (being the fixed gear cyclists with our smooth riding and feel for the road).

My first post in thread after the accident actually summed up both of these points... "I hope it's no-one we know". But it turns out to be someone we know... not quite my best friend, not a family member, but a girlfriend of someone who does belong to the community. This changes things, a lot. It's now someone within a few degrees of separation, it's someone that people on here know, it brings it a lot closer to home and that invincibility that we feel has just been shattered. No longer can we feel that we are immune, we aren't. We've had the strongest reminder possible that we are incredibly vulnerable.

Further, when grief is close anyone who has experienced loss empathises strongly with the person in grief, it is incredibly traumatic, as someone who has experienced loss several times I feel deeply for velcro.

On top of all of this, this is the first time this has happened within this community. It's new to this community, we have no precedent for coping and helping those much closer to Eilidh cope.

What I'm trying to say is that yes you have a valid opinion, but right now given the vast majority of the forum are in London and feel connected to this because of the sense of community and how that alters things... that feelings are running quite high about this and it's definitely a time for sensitivity and consideration. Just because you have a valid view does not mean that airing it is a good thing.

I don't think that anyone else should respond to you... this argument shouldn't be had now.

And I think that you'd do best just dropping it and walking away... your reputation won't survive fighting your viewpoint at this moment in time.

Fair enough VB, I'll drop it.

Sorry to continue this, just want to end the dialog on a more positive note.

1. You think I (or any of my fellow applicants who I have spoken with) am applying to join the army because I care? I want to go and fight in Afghanistan and that's all there is to it.
   
   
   
   

Behind that "I wanna blow shit up" attitude, I know you do. The same goes for your hopeful colleagues. Your willingly putting yourself in a very tough situation, risking your life in the name of peace, rebuilding a country and of course "Queen & Country"

And if you dont make it back, thats how you will be remembered.

I'm not sure how to continue into pushing this ride personally.
I'm going back home to London during the weekend of the 7th, with hope to catch up with my brother.
I will get the train down early on the 7th.
PM me if you fancy coming down.

Can we have a list of who's going?

Memorial ride video

Nice.

What can i say... what an impact that day had on me.
Nice one Mesenjah

The song in the background is by the 'killers'? Crikey, and some people call me insensitive.

The song in the background is by the 'killers'? Crikey, and some people call me insensitive.

Are you really so dumb that it didn't occur to you that there might be just a remote possibility that that song might have been chosen because it might have been one of her favourite songs?

I'm not saying that that's the definite reason, but it's a possibility you might want to consider.

However, you probably already thought of that, and are just taking the piss.

See you on Saturday, ride safely young chap :-)