Hundreds of bikers gathered at St. Daniel's Church in Lyncourt today for the 29th annual Blessing for Bikes by St. Daniel's pastor Monsignor Yennock.
While it is the official start to motorcycle season, the unusually mild winter had bikes on the roads earlier than ever this year, and with that came more accidents, a tough beginning to the summer for many bikers. Today, the blessing meant a little bit more for the attendees.
"We've lost some friends already this year," Ann Gonyea says. "There needs to be awareness that stops people from getting hurt, and that's really why we come every year."
The bikers stressed that the road needs to be shared, and that because of the nicer late Winter weather, drivers weren't ready to see motorcycles on the road this year.
"The sooner people start thinking about motorcycles, the better it is for us," Mike Giarrusso said. "It's just as important for us to look twice too."
Giarusso also said that people need to put down their makeup, food, and cellphone and get rid of other distractions that not only cause accidents with motorcycles, but other cars on the road as well.
