BETHESDA, Md. — Hundreds of people spent their Labor Day remembering the life of a wife, mother of two and U.S. Diplomat who was killed while riding her bicycle. Sarah Langenkamp, 42, was struck by a flat-bed truck on River Road in Bethesda when police said the driver made a right turn. She was traveling in the bike lane.
“I’m blown away…I’m blown away,” said her widow Dan Langenkamp as he turned to see the nearly two hundred cyclists gathered to begin Monday’s memorial ride.
Just one day after laying his wife to rest, Langenkamp and his two sons felt the embrace and support of friends, family, and strangers who embarked upon a ride to remember - a ride for change.
“We can change this situation it’s not that hard,” said Langenkamp. “Some sensible barriers, some sensible rules on the road. Just demonstrate that saving lives is a matter of sharing the road.”
For about a mile and a half, they pedaled through the Capital Crescent Trail to honor the life of Sarah Langenkamp. The 42-year-old fled war-torn Ukraine for safety in Bethesda, only to be struck and killed while riding her bike three weeks later. She was returning from an open house at her sons’ new elementary school.
“I can’t identify the terrible loss that Dan is feeling I’ve never had to go through that, but I can identify with how dangerous the roads can be,” said family friend and State Department co-worker Nathan Boyeck.
Miriam Schoenbaum said the Action Committee for Transit offered to coordinate the memorial. “She was the 33rd person killed with a road vehicle in Montgomery County this year,” she explained.
Jennifer Longsworth has been riding since the 1980s and recognizes the improvements to bike safety but says more needs to be done to protect cyclists.
“I didn’t know Sarah, but I feel she deserves a tribute,” said Longsworth.
As cyclists made their way to the 5200 block of River Road and the very spot where Sarah lost her life, they gathered in front of a ghost bike with her dog Romeo seated in a basket nearby. Her husband showed the crowd her cracked cellphone. Her 10-year-old son recovered remnants of his mom’s diamond necklace on the road.
“It’s so sad that she’s gone because she was an amazing person that I looked up to,” said 12-year-old family friend Isabelle Andre.
“This is part of Sarah’s legacy,” added Isabelle’s mom Zandra. “To continue to raise awareness and to live your life and not be scared but raise awareness for safety so another family doesn’t have to go through this.”
“Our ability to march on does not provide an excuse, does not make it right, does not make what happened here okay,” Dan Langenkamp told the crowd. “That will not help my boys who will grow up without the hugs of their mom. Mother’s Day for us will be another small funeral.”
“Since now we have a giant hole in our hearts,” said her 10-year-old son Oliver. “If we all work together, I think, and keep on doing what she would have done I think we can fill in that hole with everyone’s love and support.”
“My mother and I joked the other day in order to live a happy life we should say what would Sarah do,” said the victim’s brother Matthew. At the end of the speaking ceremony, family members chained the ghost bike to a nearby pole and committed to doing what Sarah would do: live life to the fullest, continue riding and continue advocating for change.
“Biking is great because you power yourself to get where you need to go and this is the same thing,” said Dan Langenkamp. “We need to power ourselves to get from here to there in terms of this issue of bike safety.”
Langenkamp has raised more than $200,000 in a GoFundMe to continue to raise awareness, advocate for driver education and for safer bike lanes to include barriers.
Montgomery County Police said this is still an acting and ongoing investigation. No charges have been filed against the driver at this time.