Susanne Kramer was overwhelmed Thursday as she watched a procession of cyclists approach the place on the side of Britton Road where her grandfather was killed last weekend.

She felt joy and sadness as the first cluster of about 30 cyclists approached, followed by hundreds more.

“It was amazing,” Kramer said. “They just kept coming and coming.”

The local cycling community banded together Thursday night to honor Kramer's grandfather, Clyde Riggs, and Alan Spencer, a cyclist from Edmond. The men died after being hit from behind by vehicles during accidents last weekend.

Close to 400 cyclists gathered near 12500 Midwest Blvd., the place where Spencer was hit Saturday during a morning bike ride. They paused to visit a white bicycle memorial and share stories or offer condolences to family members and friends before traveling to a place near the 5200 block of E Britton Road, where Riggs was hit Sunday during a morning bike ride.

Some drivers waved or pulled their cars over to the side of the road like they would for a funeral procession.

Sarah Bell, a cyclist who organized the event, said the show of support was inspiring. Many of the cyclists did not know Riggs or Spencer, but everyone was upset by what happened to them, Bell said. They wanted to show support for the men's families and raise awareness in the community.

“We all travel the same roads,” Bell said. “This very well could have been any one of us.”

Rick Bacon and his wife, Cheryl, of Oklahoma City, said they hope drivers will start to pay more attention and share the roads with cyclists. Rick Bacon broke his neck and spent two weeks in a coma after a car hit him from behind during a bike ride about 16 months ago.

He is still recovering. He and his wife have been yelled at and honked at by motorists. Bacon said he hopes drivers will understand that cyclists have a right to share the road.

“All I really want is for people to watch out for us,” Bacon said. “A car is a 2,500-pound weapon.”

The ride was a somber, reflective occasion, but it was also a time for hope and happy memories. Family members said Riggs and Spencer shared a love of family and life.

Spencer, a homebuilder and developer, loved to help others, said his brother, Terry. One of his dreams was to go to Mexico and work in an orphanage or care facility for children with special needs, Terry Spencer said.

“Everyone felt like they were his best friend, and they probably were to him,” said Terry Spencer.

Riggs lived each day to the fullest, Kramer said. She said his funeral was packed with friends and loved ones who had fond memories.

Kramer said she is comforted by knowing that her grandfather died doing what he loved and by the show of support from the cycling community.

She and her friends lingered near the white bicycle memorial for her grandfather after everyone else had left Thursday. The bike was decorated with white roses near a field on the side of the two-lane road.

“It's such a unique and wonderful memorial,” Kramer said. “Anyone driving down this road will see this. They may not know exactly what it is, but his memory will live on."