Me and Bob Santaella at the bike ride
Here is an article that was in the paper about Saturday's ride. This photo above was on the front page.
Joseph Novotny, 43, had only lived for a short while in Santa Clarita Valley before his life was cut short by an alleged drunk driver.
But judging by the numbers of people who bicycled across Valencia and Newhall in his memory Saturday, Novotny had already impacted the lives of many - whether he knew them well or not - since his move to Stevenson Ranch in December.
"Joe had a huge impact because of the person that he was," said Bob Santaella, a cyclist who was with Novotny when he died. "He was so outgoing, always had a smile on his face and was a very, very experienced cyclist."
On July 11, an allegedly drunk Canyon Country driver killed Novotny and injured two others when his truck plowed into a group of cyclists on Bouquet Canyon Road, California Highway Patrol officials said.
On Saturday morning, about 175 bicyclists took off down Citrus Street, near the Westfield Valencia Town Center. Only the clicking sound of spinning bicycle wheels and pedals could be heard as the cyclists rode the "Memorial Ride of Silence" at 10 to 12 miles per hour.
Novotny's widow, Jill Kantos, rode in a sheriff's car escorting the cyclists down Magic Mountain Parkway to Railroad Avenue, up Lyons Avenue, across Stevenson Ranch Parkway and back down Magic Mountain Parkway to Citrus Street.
"I was just overwhelmed that people would take time out of their day to remember Joe," said Kantos, who is coping with her husband's death "day by day." Kantos moves back to the couple's native Minneapolis today to be closer to family.
Those who cycled along the 12-mile ride, hosted by the city of Santa Clarita and Santa Clarita Velo club, hoped their visual presence and escort by law enforcement vehicles would remind drivers of cyclists' rights to the road.
"We're hoping it will be positive," said Irene Johnson, president of the Velo cycling club. "As more of us get on the road, we hope it will increase awareness that we have a right to share the road."
As members of Velo know, taking a ride is not always a positive experience in itself.
In 2006, the club's Tony Estrin was riding along Sierra Highway when he was struck and killed by a drunk driver. Years prior to that, cyclist Chuck Pontius lost his life in a collision.
"I think everyone of us has been honked at, yelled at - some people have had stuff thrown at them," said Michael Angulo, a Canyon County member of Velo. "The fact that so many of us are on the road at the same time will bring awareness to the local community that the road isn't just for cars."
Angulo's employer, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, lost its vice president, Larry McQuien, after a cycling accident in Texas this week.
While a majority of the riders Saturday were members of Velo, cyclists came from as far as Burbank and Los Angeles to participate.
"Every one of us knows that anytime we mount up, it could be us," said Mark Jenkins, of Burbank, who rode with a group of non-local cyclists.
"The laws of physics say we lose, (cyclists) have no chance when you have a bike against a motor," he said. "So we have to get along. We have to coexist."
But when the driver turns out to apparently be drunk, that's when even the most avid of cyclists said they start to think: "It could have been me."
Novotny had bicycled ever since "he was a little boy," Kantos said.
The Minnesota native had won a couple of Minneapolis mountain bike races in his division and biked every weekend for two years while living in Brussels, Belgium. Last winter, Novotny moved with his wife to Stevenson Ranch for a management position with a liquid-filtration company.
Novotny had joined the Velo club not too long before his death. Those who rode with Novotny in Velo described him as an experienced and strong rider.
"I think anyone who usually rides up toward the front is usually noticed," said Velo member Steve Schlosser, of Stevenson Ranch.
"He gained the respect of some of the senior faster riders."
The man accused of killing Novotny, 21-year-old Marco Valencia, is charged with 12 felony counts for murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, felony hit-and-run and other charges.
He is set to appear in San Fernando Superior Court on Oct. 28 for a preliminary hearing.
Valencia, who had two previous DUI convictions prior to the July crash, could face life in prison if convicted.
