Issue date: 10/15/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Vanessa Sanchez / Daily Lobo Maureen Quinn addresses a crowd of bicyclists at a memorial ride for her son, James, who died in a bike accident on Sept. 15. About 200 bicyclists rode from the law school to Tijeras Canyon for the memorial service.

by Xochitl Campos

Daily Lobo



Almost 200 bicyclists rode around Albuquerque on Saturday for a ride in remembrance of student James Quinn.

Quinn was a law student who was killed Sept. 15 when his bicycle was hit by a vehicle on Route 66 in Tijeras Canyon. He was 28.

It started at the law school and ended with a memorial service at the site where he was killed. Many wore black ribbons to commemorate their friend and colleague.

Maureen Quinn, James' mother, thanked the participants.

"Let us remember Jimmy by the sun, his light shining all around us, fueled by his passion for peace and justice and his desire to change the world and make it right," she said.

Kate Quinn said her brother turned her on to bicycle riding.

"Jim was not only my best friend, but he was my cycling coach, too," she said.

Student Brandon Ryan said he did not know James Quinn, but it was important for members of the cycling community to show their support.

"Since we cycle every day on the same route countless times, it kind of hits home," he said. "You think it can happen to you."

As Albuquerque continues to grow, more people will ride bicycles to get around town, said student Matt Beck, who participated in the ride.

"It's a two-way street, and there are a lot of cyclists who think that they have more of a right to the street," he said. "But people have to become aware of the rules of the road."

Roland Penttila, vice president of cyclist advocacy group BikeABQ, said people need to be aware of the dangers bicyclists face.

"One thing that people have told me is that James Quinn was doing everything that he should have been doing," he said. "He was wearing the appropriate safety equipment. I don't think that there is anything that he could have been doing to have prevented this accident."

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