BOISE, Idaho — Ride for Rylan - that is what hundreds of people did today in honor of Rylan Hoob, a 14-year-old who was killed on Oct. 21, after being hit by a semi-truck while riding his bike.
Rylan was on the Eagle High School Mountain Bike Team. On Saturday, the mountain biking community from all over the Treasure Valley went to Eagle Bike Park to honor Rylan's memory with a tribute ride.
'Ride for Rylan' celebrated Rylan's life and his love of cycling, while bringing the community together after the tragedy.
"He’s a really personable kid, he was a great athlete, he loved riding his bike, he loved riding here at the Eagle Bike Park – and that’s why we’re all here today, just because it’s such a huge loss when someone like that is taken from us,” Lee Scott, head coach of the Eagle High School Mountain Bike Team said.
There was a memorial held to honor Rylan, where Scott and a chaplain spoke. After that, everyone did what Rylan loved to do - ride. Bikers took off up Rabbit Run to the top of the bike park.
"We’re here to celebrate Rylan," Scott said. "Celebrate his love of cycling and just bring the community together to kind of bring that energy and start the healing process. We’re gonna go out on a couple different rides just to celebrate the bike park, have everybody connect with the sport that Rylan loved to do.”
Scott described Rylan as someone who was great with the younger riders. He also said that Rylan was a bit of a practical joker, who would give other kids tasks to do during a race. Rylan also loved to wear crazy socks, so riders at the tribute also wore crazy socks to honor him.
“The mountain biking community here in the valley and in Idaho in general is amazing," Scott said. "To pair that down to the Idaho Interscholastic Cycling League, we have all these teams and all these athletes who have kids on their teams just like Rylan. And they know that really hits home and it hits really deep, and so for them to show up and support Rylan’s family like this, to know that they know who Rylan was without even meeting him, I mean there’s not any words that can express our gratitude for all these people here, and this mountain biking community that brings so many people close together.”
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