Bike ride honors Gardner on Saturday

Friends are organizing a bike ride in honor of Edwin Gardner, the downtown cyclist who died after an accident last Wednesday when his bike collided with a Jeep on Montagu Street.

The ride will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 31, at Cannon Park on Calhoun Street. The ride through downtown will include a police escort and will end back at Cannon Park with a breakfast and fellowship. Bike helmets are encouraged.

Peter Wilborn, one of the organizers of the event, says the ride is a way for the family and the cycling community to get back on their bikes. Tragic accidents can sometimes be a disincentive for cycling, Wilburn says.

“This happened, but it shouldn’t discourage us from using the streets as pedestrians and cyclists,” he says.

And he stresses that this isn’t just an event for the local bike enthusiasts.

“Let’s elevate this outside of the cycling community,” Wilborn says. “Biking is a facet of a vibrant community.”

He also notes Gardner will continue to be remembered long after the event Saturday. In the weeks before his death, Gardner helped to draft a list of bike-friendly measures that will likely be presented to city officials for consideration later this year.

“Charleston will never be the same after Edwin’s death,” Wilborn says. “And it will be immeasurably better because of him.”