Left Lane Cyclers.
Eleven members of the St. Thomas recreational cycling group, Left Lane Cyclers will be in Washington, D.C. this weekend to participate in the Juneteenth Celebration Ride sponsored by several of the metropolitan area’s cycling groups, a release issued Thursday night has made known.
Invited by the Major Taylor Cycling Club of Virginia, the Left Lane Cyclers will join groups from the MidAtlantic region in a 6.19 mile ride, traditionally only open to area clubs, in solidarity to represent the date, June 19th. Following that group ride, there will be two longer distance options comprising an 18 mile ride and a 65 mile ride, which represent the year, 1865, according to the release. Also during their cycle trip, they will ride on Sunday, June 20th, with the DMV Caribbean Radazz cycle group.
One of the group’s organizers, Diego Lima III, stated, “Left Lane Cyclers began as a small group of friends on St. Thomas who started riding recreationally as a healthy living choice. As our numbers increased, we became organized and really rallied around the idea of promoting recreational riding for good causes, including health and unity.”
The group encourages and welcomes any riders of any skill level to join them. Details on their daily riding schedule can be found on their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/left.lane.338.
Upon their return, they will be riding next on St. Thomas to benefit Ella’s Hope, a local nonprofit raising money to fund research for a cure for Rett Syndrome followed by a bigger ride October 1-3 on St. Croix in support of cancer prevention and awareness. The public is encouraged to support the causes and register for either ride. The St. Thomas ride will also incorporate family events as well as an adult cycling challenge. For details, visit https://www.cyclevi.org.
Juneteenth, which is also known as Emancipation Day, Black Independence Day and Jubilee Day, marks the 1865 date when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived with federal troops in Galveston, Texas, and issued an order freeing the nation’s last slaves. The action from Maj. Gen. Gordon came more than two months following the end of the Civil War and roughly 2½ years after President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in U.S. Southern states.
Major Taylor Cycling Clubs are named in honor of American bicycle racer Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor (1878-1932), widely hailed as the world’s first black sports superstar. He was world cyclin.
