Friends, family of Norfolk bike shop owner Michael Shipp organize memorial ride Saturday

Friends and family of Michael Shipp will gather on Saturday morning for a memorial bike ride to celebrate his life.

Shipp, the owner of East Coast Bicycles, was killed while riding his bike after being struck by a pickup on a highway in South Carolina earlier this year. East Coast Bicycles, the Shipp family, Bike Norfolk and the local bicycling community will hold the ride as part of a fundraiser for his family.

On Saturday, there will be three opportunities to bike alongside the group. One route is 6 miles as a family-friendly option, and another is a 20-mile loop. The longest route will be 31 miles.

All rides will start at 9 a.m. at Coalescence Coffee Company at 226 W. 24th St. in Norfolk. The entire group will do the 6-mile ride together and return to the coffee shop before embarking on the longer rides.

Parking will be in the gravel lot at the corner of Llewellyn Avenue and 22nd St. Other options include parking on 23rd Street and surrounding streets. Organizers will have signs pointing to parking and two volunteers will be stationed at the end of 24th Street to help guide riders. Helmets are required for all rides.

[ Michael Shipp, owner of Norfolk’s East Coast Bicycles shop, died doing what he loved: Biking ]

Shipp was a lifelong Norfolk resident and graduate of Granby High School. His first job was working at Colley Avenue Bike Shop as a teenager, selling BMX bikes and skateboards. He worked at Colley and for another local shop before opening his own in 1998.

According to friends, safety was especially important to him. Each week, East Coast Bicycles hosts bike rides through Norfolk, and Shipp always conducted a safety briefing before riders set off, telling them to stop at all red lights and stop signs and to call out potholes when they saw them.

The coffee shop will provide coffee before the ride and pastries after the 6-mile ride. Riders are encouraged to gather after the ride and stay for a raffle. T-shirts will be available before and after the ride for a minimum $30 donation.

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com