Sunday, February 12th  marked the eighth annual Jim Rogers Memorial Bicycle Ride, which attracted just under a hundred riders this year, doing the 16 mile Lemond Loop out and back to the Tour of Nevada City Bicycle Shop. Jim Rogers, along with his cycling buddy Ron Miller, created Tour of Nevada City Bike Shop in Nevada City when they were only teenagers. Jim was an avid cyclist and rode throughout Nevada County since the early 1970’s.

Jim Rogers was killed on January 31, 2010. He was riding his bicycle on Highway 174 when he was struck from behind and killed by a distracted driver as he was ascending the climb out of Bear River Canyon. He was in her line of vision for over 6 seconds, but she never saw him because she was distracted, using her cell phone. Since his deth the ride has drawn attention to distracted driving and at the beginning of the ride the cyclists were asked to take an oath…

click to listen to Rider’s Pledge

The event was created as a special effort to bring attention to the dangers of distracted driving. Nancy Avila, one of the riders

click to listen to Nancy Avilla
Avilla says says lots of people still don’t get it that it’s not safe to use a cell phone while driving.

A Bicycle Benefit Lunch of sandwiches was available after the ride courtesy of SPD market.The proceeds will go to support scholarships given through Youth Bicyclists of Nevada County (YBONC). Jim’s passion for riding and his influence on young cyclists led to the creation of the Jim Rogers Inspiration Award, which the NU MTB team awards to the team member who exhibits the most “Jim-like” characteristics throughout the year.