Two Clevelanders honor Sylvia Bingham in cross-country ride

CLEVELAND - How do you honor a dear friend killed while she rode her bike to work?

Two Cleveland men answered that question by riding their bikes across the country.

Alex Nosse and Emelio DiSabato honored Sylvia Bingham by leaving Cleveland last summer and arriving in San Francisco 59 days later.

Bingham was killed at East 21st Street and Prospect Avenue in Cleveland when she was hit by a truck in September 2009. She left her home in Tremont and was struck before she could arrive at her job at East 40th Street and Prospect Avenue. A memorial bike still remains at the site of her death.

Nosse and DiSabato recalled their cross-country tribute in a presentation at the Slavic Village Neighborhood History Center Tuesday evening.

The bikes they rode were on display for visitors as they showed about 75 pictures from the thousand or so they took on their 3,709 mile journey. A picture of Bingham was shown before the shots of the actual journey.

“Thinking about her helped give me strength all along the trip because there were definitely times that were harder than others and I knew for her I had to just keep pushing,” said Nosse.

They recounted tales of kindness from strangers along their route along with memories of Bingham.

They had surprisingly few incidents along the ride, save their only two encounters with police on the same day in Folsom, California.

The weather cooperated as well, having to ride in the rain only one day. Nosse did have to fight through a recurring knee issues.

The two cyclists averaged 85 miles a day until reaching the Rocky Mountains.

The destination of San Francisco was significant as it was the childhood home of Bingham and it is where her family still resides.

“I was thinking about how to move forward and commemorate her, think about her in a respectful way and we both realized we were thinking about a bike trip, a long one. Alex said let’s go to her home in San Francisco,” said DiSabato.

Nosse would like the legacy of the ride and of Bingham as a lesson for cyclists and motorists.

“Safety, for cyclists to ride responsibly always and for drivers to respect cyclists’ rights which is something I don’t think a lot of drivers understand.”