These are the dog days of summer, with heat and humidity plaguing much of the state, but in Richmond a determined group of cyclists defies the weather – riding in the heat to demonstrate unity in a time of national turmoil.
For three years, John Jason Cecil, Keith Ramsey, Haywood Bennett and Shannon Shaw have been biking around Richmond – pursuing what Cecil calls a long-time love of cycling.
“I think bikes are like the first bit of independence you get as a child," says Cecil. "Once you learn how to ride a bike, it’s like, ‘Oooh. We can go!’ I never really lost that.”
They called themselves the Bike Monday Brothers – meeting each week to explore the city.
“I’ve been in Richmond since ’96, and I’m like, ‘This is here?’ Ramsey says. "That’s the thing about riding bikes. You slow down. You’re able to see things you don’t normally see in a car. You’re paying attention to other cars. You’re not looking around. On a bike, you’re just riding around, slow pacing it. ‘Let’s go over here. Let’s go check out what’s down this street.’”
Then, Ramsey says, they heard the news that would spark protest and dialogue about race in America.
“When the protests started over George Floyd and everything started happening, I pitched it out to the guys and was like, ‘Hey, what can we do in this moment in time to get the community together?’”
They put the word out on social media – they would ride to express unity.
“We had absolutely no expectations, because you had protests going on," Ramsey recalls. "You had marches. People were busy doing their own thing, but when we pulled up to get ready to go, there were all these people on bikes. How many would you guess? Three hundred people! It was like, ‘You all came to ride with us?’ And everybody said, like, ‘Yeah!’ And me and Jay were in front, leading the ride, and the whole time we were like, ‘Can you see what’s going on? Did we do this?’"
"We went around the Lee statue. The peloton wrapped around the statue twice!” Cecil adds.
Since then, they’ve continued to ride and to attract a diverse group of people. You might think of cycling as a sport for young white men, but these guys knew better.
“Everybody is on bikes, but when it comes to representation, that’s what you’re going to see through the media and television and stuff like that," Ramsey concludes. "You’re not going to see a group like ours riding through the Fan in a Nike commercial. That’s not going to sell any shoes!”
Some participants are elite athletes. Others ride just for fun.
“You’ve got people like Chris over here. He rides from home, and I think he lives in Cleveland," Ramsey jokes. "You’ve got Monroe. I wake up and he’s already done 80 miles. Holly has a bike tourism thing, so she’s always pedaling.”
Everyone is welcome, and no one is left behind. We spoke with Matthew Klapmuts, Holly Gordon, Jason Brightwell, Chris Andrews, Eric Monroe , and Charles Gray.
“It’s definitely great to just get out together. People love seeing it, and it’s also a lot safer when you’re in a group together.”
“I lost my job at the beginning of the pandemic, and this gave me something to look forward to and community and got me out of the house, so it changed my life last year.”
“Things are more fun when you share them with others.”
“This morning I actually did 65 miles by myself, but I like the unity of the group and the camaraderie we build out here. We come out here and have fun together.”
“My fraternity brother here, he was posting the photos on Facebook, and I happened to see them, so I’ve been coming for a little over a year now.”
“I’m just excited to be out here and make some new friends and just have a good time cycling.”
The group is known around town, and their fame is spreading. Cecil recently got a call from a cyclist in another state – hoping to start something similar there.
“We’re worldwide," Ramsey proclaims. "West Virginia!”
