Monday, 2nd May, meant more than only fun at the Webster Park. Around dusk that evening, The Anguilian chanced to meet up with a convoy of about ten motor cyclists – on their bikes – resting at a clearing near the side of the road, next to the traffic light in Stoney Ground.
We chanced go draw near and speak with them, for it seemed like they were discussing some plan, and we thought a conversation with them would make for a good story.
It was discovered that they were just chatting among themselves and preparing for the next leg of their trek around the island. Spokesperson for the group, Nurse Judith Owen, talked with us:
“We the Squad Riders Club, and we are just here cooling out before we continue our ride around the island,” she said. “We are having fun, as usual, as we take a ride throughout Anguilla.” When asked how often they did this, she replied: “We do an island wide ride occasionally, usually on a Sunday afternoon, but since it is a holiday, and the weather is cool and balmy, we are taking advantage of the chance to enjoy a good ride.”
We then asked her if they felt safe riding on the busy roads, and whether the other motorists cooperate with them. She answered: “For the most part, car drivers respect us, but there are some drivers who try to speed beyond us to cut us off. They don’t consider that we have rights to the road just as they do. You see, we comply with the speed limits, but some drivers are always in a hurry and may consider us on our bikes to be ‘keeping them back’. The truth is, though, that we are on bikes and they can never move faster than us. The bottom line is that some drivers ignore the speed limits. However, most of the time, we do feel safe while riding. We make sure we wear bright colour clothing and ride as a group together.”
We then asked Ms. Owen if they stuck to a regular route. She said, “Yes, we do. We go in the west first, from the center of the island, and then at the tip of West End we turn and head in the east. But we stop and rest along the way and talk with each other for a while, like we are doing right now. We usually start in the early evening and complete our ride around 7:30 to 8:00.”
We wish Nurse Judith and her fellow-bikers safe and enjoyable riding always. The Squad Riders Club was established in 2020, and is among other local cycling clubs such as Kool Riders, Thunder Cruise Cycle Club, and the De Rhumblerz Motor Cycle Club.
