Cyclists to ride in silence in memory of Clément 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 Clément Ouimet, 18, the cyclist killed while training on Mount Royal last October.

Parents of Ouimet, 18-year-old cyclist who died on Mount Royal last October, honorary spokespeople

CBC News ·
A ghost bike was placed at the scene of fatal cycling accident on Mount Royal. (Charles Contant/CBC)

Cycling enthusiasts from across Montreal will gather in the Rosemont neighbourhood this evening to ride their bikes in 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.

The annual event is called the Tour du silence, and this year, the honorary spokespeople are the parents of Clément Ouimet, a promising competitive cyclist killed last October while training on Mount Royal.

As Ouimet, 18, was descending on Camillien-Houde Way, a tourist made an illegal U-turn in front of him.Clément 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. (Clément Ouimet/Facebook)

Tonight's silent ride, which begins at 6:30 p.m., gives Houde's mother, Catherine Bergeron, an opportunity to carry on her son's legacy.

"Clement represented the son, the brother, the friend," Bergeron told CBC Montreal Daybreak host Mike Finnerty earlier this week. "We were all touched, even if we didn't know him personally."

Clement Ouimet was only 18 when he died. (Charles Contant/CBC)

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

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

No charges for driver

In March, Quebec's director of criminal and penal prosecutions decided not to pursue criminal 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.

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, which hundreds of people have RSVPed to on Facebook, is starting at Pelican Park in Rosemont—La-Petite-Patrie. From there, cyclists will travel 7.5 kilometres at a speed of 15 km/h — in total silence.

"Silence can be loud," Bergeron said.

With files from CBC Montreal's Daybreak

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