Cyclists ride in silence in memory of Clment Ouimet, other riders killed on Quebec roads

The annual event is called the Tour du silence. This year's honorary spokespeople are the parents of Clment Ouimet, 18, the cyclist killed while training on Mount Royal last October.

Hundreds gather in Pelican Park to ride together in silence, 7 months after Clment Ouimet was killed

CBC News Posted: May 16, 2018 4:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: May 16, 2018

Hundreds of cyclists raise their helmets for a moment of silence, just before taking off to bike along a route in Montreal's east end in memory of those killed on the roads. (Matt D'Amours/CBC)

About 300 cycling enthusiasts from across Montreal gathered in the city'sRosemontneighbourhood Wednesday eveningto ride their bikesin silence, to honour the memory of people who died cycling in the city and to call on everyone to be mindful while sharing the road.

Tour du silence observing a moment of silence, with helmets raised, for the cyclists killed on Quebec roads. @CBCMontreal pic.twitter.com/kKpZHZnXE6
—@mattdamours

The annual event is called the Tour du silence, and this year, the honorary spokespeople are the parents of Clment Ouimet, a promising competitivecyclist killed lastOctober while training on Mount Royal.

'If you do nothing, we will continue to die': Cyclists call for better road safety
Ouimet'smother,CatherineBergeron, said she was touched to see such a big turnout.

"It's a warm feeling. We just take it all in all the energy helps us a lot," she said right before the ride on CBCRadio One's Homerun.

Catherine Bergeron says the event helps to turn the tragic death of her son, Clment Ouimet, into something positive. (CBC)

Her 18-year-old son was killed last October on Mount Royal, as he wasdescending onCamillien-Houde Way, when a tourist made an illegal U-turn in front of him.

Bergeron's goal in acting as honorary host ofthis event is to make people think more about what they can do as individuals on the roadand take responsibility for their actions.

Clment Ouimet's girlfriend, Livia Martin, and her father Maxim, say they now think about road safety all the time and want drivers and cyclists to look out for each other. (Miriam Mokrusa/CBC)

"Take time;look around; be conscious of what is around," she said. "We are all impatient at one time.Say OK, relax."

Ouimet'sgirlfriend, Livia Martin, was at the event with her father,Maxime Martin. Both say they were deeply affected by his death.

"It puts everything into perspective. You see life differently," Maxime Martin said. "I used to be one of those car drivers who used to say, 'Damn cyclists, get out of the way.' But now when I see one, it just becomes clear that it's time to slow down and take deeper breaths and what's the rush?"

Last year, 11 cyclists were killed on Quebec roads.
More young people died on Quebec's roads last year, report finds

No charges for driver

In March, Quebec's director of criminal and penal prosecutions decided not to pursuecriminal charges against the SUV driver who struck and killed Ouimet.

Bergeron, a lawyer, said that although she thinks the fault is on the driver, "he didn't wake up in the morning saying, 'I'm going to kill a cyclist.' He didn't think."

That's the message she's trying to send: Take the time to think, and everyone will be safe.

She said the driver has not been in touch with the family, adding"maybe it's better" that way.

Clment Ouimet's friends say biking along Camillien-Houde Way was one of his favourite activities. He died in October 2017, when his bicycle struck an SUV that pulled a sudden U-turn in front of him. (Clment Ouimet/Facebook)

Photos
18-year-old cyclist killed on Mount Royal honoured with ghost bike

Cycling makes her feel closer to her late son, she said.

"I feel really close to him when I'm on my bike," Bergeron said. "I feel like I'm with him."

This evening's event startedat Pelican Park in RosemontLa-Petite-Patrie. From there, cyclists rode7.5 kilometres at a speed of 15 km/h in total silence.

"Silence can be loud," Bergeron said.