Cycling to a formal event

[Melalvai]

I absolutely love the funeral procession. And all the bikes with funereal flowers. How beautiful!

[lovelygamer]

I rode my bike to a funeral this past summer. I didn't dress in my nice clothes though because it was 100 degree weather. I changed in the chapel.

[shootingstar]

I haven't done cycled to any funeral yet. I'm not so sure I look forward in whatever transportation mode, to the funeral of whomever I will know.

Here is my partner chugging up a 12% hill with his mother's ashes in his panniers. Cycling to the airport (a 12 km. ride) where later they buried her ashes in another province. He did have to present the certificate about the urn of ashes. The airport official was not fazed. I guess it was not totally unusual to them.

A large chunk of this ride is through some pleasant residential streets. It was a beautiful fall day.

She was a lovely, gentle lady and it was a good mother-son relationship.

[Jaclyn]

A few years ago one of our long-time bicycling club members died, and his son - a former club president - asked that we a) wear our club jerseys to the funeral, and b) bicycle to the funeral. It rained, so almost everyone drove, but many were wearing their club jerseys. His bicycle was in the church lobby. We bicycled there on our tandem so were not only in cycling gear, but in wet cycling gear. We felt a bit awkward taking our seats in the church, wet, but it turned out to be the right decision.

We rode directly behind the hearse on the short ride to the cemetery, leading the rest of the procession of mourners. It was a sad but meaningful day.

I can't remember how many of his relatives and friends (including his wife, who had ridden many miles as stoker with her deceased husband) told us that we'd brought a lot of comfort to them that day by riding our tandem to accompany him on his last journey.

PS Yes, at our wedding our guests rode with us on our first ride as husband and wife after the ceremony. I'm sure they will do the same for our funeral.

[shootingstar]

One would hope that any long time cyclist would be pleased that they would be remembered by a bike ride to their funeral or some time during that day. For my partner, it was an unscripted memorial ride (since it wasn't part of any formal funeral) yet the best way he could probably deal with his grief.... a bike ride, cathartic and contemplative.