More than 400 riders showed up for the Seventh Annual Lauren Katzenstein Celebration Ride last June.
The event celebrates the birthday of Lauren Katzenstein, a high school sophomore who was killed by a reckless, unlicensed driver while she and her father were participating in the MS150 Breakaway to Key Largo charity ride in 2003.
Lack of sponsors, increased costs end ride
Lauren’s father, David, posted the following message on the celebratelauren web site :
I regret to inform you that the Lauren Katzenstein Celebration Ride is to be discontinued.
Due to the loss of sponsorships and increased costs, the ride no longer seems possible.
I cannot begin to tell all of you how much my family and I have appreciated your participation over the last 7 years.
Sincerely yours,
David Katzenstein
Let’s ride in Lauren’s honor in June
I plan to hop on my bike June 30, Lauren’s birthday, in her honor. In fact, why limit it to one day a year? I never met Lauren, but I’m willing to dedicate the first pedal stroke of every ride to her.
Yes, too bad about the ride being cancelled this year. 400 riders is no small turnout, perhaps they will rally together and make the ride happen in some way or fashion on their own this year.
If I lived there I would attend. The least I can do is make a donation to the foundation, and I will.
“Consider a man riding a bicycle. Whoever he is, we can say three things about him. We know he got on the bicycle and started to move. We know that at some point he will stop and get off. Most important of all, we know that if at any point between the beginning and the end of his journey he stops moving and does not get off the bicycle he will fall off it. That is a metaphor for the journey through life of any living thing, and I think of any society of living things.” ~William Golding
I’d like to invite you to attend The Ride Of Silence, a free silent ride to memorialize cyclists.
According to the web site, to date there are rides in Brooksville, Clearwater/Dunedin/Palm Harbor, Ft. Myers, Jacksonville, Lakeland, Miami, Orlando, Saint Petersburg, Sebring, and
Sunrise.
The ride is unique because ALL rides throughout the globe are held on the same day, at the same time (May 19, 2010, 7 PM). It’s the only event to do such a thing. This will our 8th year.
As a grassroots organization, the entire event is put on by volunteers. There are no sponsors so the attention is on the cyclists.
Please consider this my personal invite. I Chris Phelan, the founder of the ride.
Thank you.
c
chris.phelan@rideofsilence.org