Finish the Ride, Finish the Run raises money for bike safety

In April 2014, Damian Kevitt finished a bike ride through Griffith Park that just a year earlier had nearly killed him. The finishing of the ride would launch a statewide organization dedicated to improving the safety of cyclists so that what happened to him could never happen again.  

 “In February of 2013, I was cycling in Griffith Park. I was hit, pinned underneath the car, dragged nearly a quarter of a mile from Griffith Park onto and down the [Interstate 5] at freeway speeds. My right leg was ripped off and about 20 pounds of flesh in two minutes. And miraculously, obviously, I survived,” said Kevitt. “As I recovered, I spent four months in hospitals and learned about how dangerous the roads of Southern California are. Especially how many hit-and-runs there are in Southern California. I started at an event… and the event was called Finish the Ride.” 

While Kevitt had already literally finished his uncompleted ride through Griffith Park, it gave birth to his organization called Streets are for Everyone – or S.A.F.E. —  which symbolically completes his ride as a cycling/running marathon through fundraising events such as the one at Heritage Park in Valencia on Oct. 30.  

“It was called Finish the Ride because it was me finishing the ride that I started that day and never finished. But it wasn’t about me, it was about making safer streets for all road users,” said Kevitt. “That event was so successful, more successful than we ever expected…  what was meant to be a one-up event became this whole movement for safer streets and they became Streets are for Everyone.” 

Kevitt said that since the organization’s inception, hit-and-runs in California have dropped by 16%. While literally finishing the ride eight years ago gave him some closure, Kevitt helping others in the cycling community has helped him recover in more ways than one.  

“I’m in terms of, you know, spiritually and mentally, for the most part I’ve healed. I’ve overcome those mental issues that come from such a horrible and horrific trauma. But to be able to say that I’m still helping people and I’m still doing things to make streets safer, and I’m still continuing on that mission is good. It feels good,” said Kevitt. “It’s definitely not for the money and I’m not making money off of this here, but I’m saving lives. And that’s what S.A.F.E. does.” 

Those who participated in the event seemed thankful that an organization, such as Kevitt’s, was working toward creating safer streets for cyclists in Southern California.  

“It’s great. I bike to work and so I’m very much invested in creating safer routes for bikers and pedestrians,” said Abby Archibald. “Southern California doesn’t really have a lot of protected bike lanes. It’s incredibly dangerous to be a biker here, so I feel very good [about this].”