Bike Ride to Provide a Fitting Tribute to Carl Henn

Throughout his life, Carl Henn consistently lived his beliefs. He could be shy, but fearlessly spoke up when it came to talking about the environment, sustainability or multi-modal transportation.

“His foundational belief was he believed in his community and he wanted the best for his community,” said Nancy Breen, chairwoman of the Rockville Bike Advisory Committee. “He was a remarkable person."

Henn, a longtime Rockville resident and member of the Rockville Bike Advisory Committee, died last July after being struck by lightning. Members of the RBAC will remember Henn and his civic activism on Saturday during the .

The 11-mile ride will begin at 10 a.m. at . Free on-site registration will start at 9:30 a.m. Riders will stop at four community gardens. Henn’s wife, Carol Henn, is scheduled to donate a bike that day to Bikes for the World, a non-profit organization that collects bicycles and distributes them in Africa, Latin America and other areas.

“Carl was so sincere,” Breen said. “He not only believed things, he modeled them, lived them, practiced them.” He worked diligently to improve the earth and his environment, Breen said. Henn poured his soul into community gardens he helped start in King Farm and Fallsgrove. He passionately spoke on the earth’s diminishing natural resources and the great benefits of biking, recycling and living a more sustainable life.

In holding a memorial bike ride, organizers are embracing Henn’s passion for living such a lifestyle.

“All of Carl’s many environmental, cycling and gardening activities were connected by one common theme: to preserve and conserve this one, precious planet that we all call home,” Carol Henn said. “He sought to stop the creation of additional roads to mitigate our growing carbon footprint and spare already endangered species. He cycled as much as possible to avoid burning declining fossil fuels and the pollution that results. He worked to create community gardens to help people have access to local produce, become more connected to the Earth and foster cooperative relationships.

“The Carl Henn Memorial Bike Ride captures all of these important sentiments: It promotes responsible transportation demand management, encourages cycling as a viable means of transportation and draws attention to the beautiful and healthy community gardens Rockville citizens now enjoy. It reminds us all of the need to be better stewards of our environment and the connection between what we do locally and what happens globally."

For more information on the Rockville Bike Advisory Committee, go to www.rockvillemd.gov/recreation/bicycling/rbac.htm.