BIKERS SAY THEY `JUST NEED A BREAK' ON ROADS CYCLING TO REMEMBER FALLEN RIDER.Byline: CONNIE LLANOS llanos (yä`nōs), Spanish American term for prairies, specifically those of the Orinoco River basin of N South America, in Venezuela and E Colombia. Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, -- Some bicycled Saturday to honor friends and family members, others to pay their respects to a fellow fallen rider. More than 150 cyclists pedaled through Soledad Canyon Soledad Canyon is a long narrow canyon / valley located in Los Angeles County, California between the cities of Palmdale and Santa Clarita. Soledad Canyon contains the localities of Vincent, Acton, Ravenna, and Agua Dulce. , black bands wrapped around their arms. They traveled the same path 58-year-old cyclist Tony Estrin was on when he was struck by a car and killed. ``(Drivers) ... need to understand that there are a lot of us out here, and we just need a break,'' said David Madison, a friend and neighbor of Estrin. Madison and Estrin -- members of the 15-year-old Santa Clarita Velo cycling club A cycling club is a club or society formed by and for cyclists, and is usually focused in a particular geographic location, perhaps a region, town or city suburb, as well as national cycling clubs, such as the United Kingdom's Cyclists' Touring Club, CTC) and also internet based -- used to pedal along the city's recently built bike paths at least twice a week. ``The city has used grant money to build many bike paths,'' Madison said. ``The city is aware that we are here; now the cars have to get it.'' Estrin, a Granada Hills middle school teacher and active member of the cyclist community, was killed five months ago as he cycled along Sierra Highway Sierra Highway is a road in Southern California, United States. It runs from Tunnel Station near the north limit of the City of Los Angeles, where it intersects with San Fernando Road and Foothill Boulevard, as well as Interstate 5, and continues north to Mojave, mostly paralleling . He was a month from retiring and two months away from watching his only daughter get married. About 800 cyclists are killed along the roads each year, and about 60,000 are injured in vehicle-related accidents, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. data on Loyola University Loyola University (loi-ō`lə), at New Orleans, La.; Jesuit; coeducational. The university was established through a merger in 1911 of the College of the Immaculate Conception (opened 1849) and Loyola College and Academy (opened 1904). of Chicago's Health System Web site. Estrin's wife, Shellie, never cycled with her husband but said Saturday's silent ride by the cyclist community moved her. ``It is touching to my heart,'' Estrin said. ``These types of things are the only reason I am getting through this time.'' Estrin said her husband, like many cyclists, had been injured many times during his weekly rides, but his love for the lifestyle overcame any fear. ``He had a broken collarbone col·lar·bone n. See clavicle. and fractured shin. I would have never gotten back on a bike, but he would always get right back on,'' she said. Saugus resident Jim Sawyer said that when he heard about the bike ride at his local cycle shop, he couldn't resist participating to raise awareness about cyclists. ``Cyclists have the same right to be on the road as cars do,'' Sawyer said. ``They need to give us equal room.'' connie.llanos@dailynews.com (661) 257-5254 CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Cyclists make their way down Sierra Highway during the Tony Estrin Memorial Ride in Canyon Country Saturday morning. The ride was in honor of cyclists killed by vehicles. During the ride, bikers wore black armbands and did not speak. (1 -- color) Dave Miller, of Saugus, ties an armband arm·band n. A band worn around the upper arm, often as identification or as a symbol of mourning or protest. Noun 1. armband - worn around arm as identification or to indicate mourning onto Sandra Purzak, of Canyon Country. Hundreds bicycled from Canyon Country Park to the accident site and back. (2) Cyclists make their way down Soledad Canyon during the Tony Estrin Memorial Ride in Canyon Country Saturday morning. (3) Alan Klein of Canyon Country waits for Saturday's bike ride in memory of Tony Estrin and other cyclists killed by vehicles. Klein lost the use of his left arm after a collision with a car. Alex Collins/Special to the Daily News |
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