In early August 2007, Leszek Wereszka died when hit by a truck while riding his bike on the Port Wakefield road 70 km from Adelaide. Leszek was on the last stage of a 20,000km ride around Australia
when he died. The Sunday Mail gave an account of Leszek’s ride and tragic death on August 19th.
When reading this story (August 19, pp 8-9), many South Australians were deeply moved. Leszek was the fifth cyclist killed on South Australian roads this year. Added to this of course, Leszek’s story seems even more tragic and compelling given he was killed on the very last day of such an epic journey
around Australia.
In the report, his Adelaide cousin, Janusz Wereszka, is quoted ‘We are just hoping one thing – we want to make drivers aware of cyclists on the road. If this can save even one life, then it is worth it…. Maybe one day someone can finish his journey – he only had 70kms left.”
In response to these comments a small riding group of friends based in Blackwood, decided to arrange a memorial ride for Leszek, beginning from the point where he was killed and finishing
in Victoria Square. 70 riders will complete the 70km journey, arriving in Victoria Square at 11.00am. The aims of this ride are to:

1. Honor Leszek and Celebrate his achievements (and cycling generally), by completing the last 70km of his journey for him.
2. Raise awareness amongst all road users about road rules as they relate to cyclists.

Janusz Wereszka, Anna Wereszka (Leszek’s daughter), SAPOL, Bike SA and other groups and individuals have joined together to plan for this ride.

The ride will be held on Saturday morning, December 8th, 2007.

A group of 70 riders will depart from the point where Leszek was killed on Pt Wakefield road and ride to Adelaide. This group will consist of representatives of cycling groups, sporting teams and other organizations and individuals supporting the ride.

Other riders who wish to support the goals of the ride, will be invited to join the 70 riders at 11am in Victoria Square where there will be speeches and other activities.

SAPOL will support the ride from the starting point 70km’s from Adelaide, ensuring the riders have police vehicle support and a controlled traffic / traffic light scenario through to Victoria Square.

Bicycle SA have offered to make available signage and a support vehicle for the ride, as well as their expert advice. They will also promote the ride.
Anyone interested in participating in the ride in any way should contact:
Leigh Cameron, lcameronadam.com.au, Mb: 0400 036 919

This entry was posted on Friday, December 7th, 2007 at 11:13 pm and is filed under events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.