Ride memorializes bike-car collision victims

On Oct. 5, 2008, 43-year-old Dee Scott, an accomplished endurance athlete from Mesa, was following every rule of the road as she cycled north on McDowell Road near Recker Road.

She was wearing a helmet. She was riding in a dedicated bike lane. She was focused on the task at hand: Preparing her body for the rigors of Ironman Arizona.

But nothing could prepare the single mother of two for what happened next.

She was struck from behind by a hit-and-run driver. She had head-to-toe road rash so severe that it was classified as second-degree burns. She had a broken back, ribs, a head injury and a punctured lung.

"The accident changed my life forever," Scott said.

Motivated to help one of their own during her long recovery, East Valley cyclists - led by Mesa cyclists Sterling Baer and Dara Schulenberg, who was seriously injured herself in a bike-car collision - came together to help Scott and her sons with meals, groceries, household services and financial assistance. In the process they teamed up to create the Not One More Foundation, a nonprofit group dedicated to ending the alarming number of cyclist-vehicle collisions on Valley roads.

"Dara and I decided to do something to try and prevent these kinds of accidents through increased public awareness as well as create a nonprofit foundation which would serve as a vehicle to provide relief for others and also to fund and promote cycling safety and new protective legislation," said Baer, founder of the Red Mountain Brumbys Cycling Club.

To keep raising that awareness, the Not One More Foundation, Red Mountain Brumbys Cycling Club and the city of Mesa Transportation Department are planning a Ride of Honor on Saturday in memory of all cyclists who have been injured or killed in collisions with motorists.

"The city wants to teach cyclists and motorists about safely sharing the road," said Jim Hash, bicycle and pedestrian planner for the city of Mesa. "We require cyclists participating in the Ride of Honor to wear a helmet to increase awareness that a helmet is a cyclist's first line of defense in an accident. For motorists, an important safety law the city is promoting is Arizona's Three Foot Passing Law, which requires vehicles to maintain a minimum distance of 3 feet when passing a cyclist traveling in the same direction. What we hope to accomplish most with the Ride of Honor is less accidents between vehicles and cyclists on Arizona roads."

Organizers are encouraging all riders - from competitive cyclists on racing teams, to club riders, weekend riders, commuter cyclists and even children who enjoy riding their bike in their neighborhood or to school - to participate in the Ride of Honor.

"We hope that participants who participate will learn that riding can be dangerous, and it is imperative to use a helmet and use safe and defensive riding practices," Baer said. "We also hope that they will leave with an increased awareness of the legal rights of cyclists to share the road and become ambassadors of safe and courteous cycling among their teams and friends."

Baer also hopes that participants will become motivated to participate in a "rally ride on the state Capitol" that will be scheduled in January 2010.

"This ride will be associated with introduction of a new set of proposed laws which will enact stricter penalties for motorists who breach them and hit or seriously injure vulnerable users of our roadways," Baer said. "And ultimately, we hope they will reach out and help the victims who are injured and help relieve their challenges through engaging with Not One More."

Ride of Honor

What: A family-friendly educational event including a noncompetitive 11-mile ride as

a visual memorial to injured and killed cyclists.

When: 10 a.m. Saturday

Where: The ride will begin at Gene Autry Park, 4125 E. McKellips Road, Mesa, and make a loop using McKellips, Recker, Adobe and Lindsay roads.

Cost: Free. Riders do not need to register, but they can go to www.notonemorecyclist.com to print waivers to bring to the ride.

Information: (480) 710-4983 or www.rideofhonor.com

Not One More: To learn more about the Not One More Foundation, visit www.notonemorecyclist.com.