Disrepectful to ride through a cemetery?

[60driver]

Didn't find anything in a search so here goes. I have no special story, just wondering the other day on a ride what the consensus was. Is it disrespectful to ride through a cemetery? I'm talking more about the big ones with a few miles of roads, not really the small rural ones.

[180]

Not IMO. They are a nice safe place to ride if you ask me. Maybe avoid an area if there's a funeral going on but outside of that I see nothing wrong with visiting the dead peoples once in awhile.

[MMinSC]

Nope...just stay on the roads, and treat the grounds with the reverence it deserves.

[mohair_chair]

I don't think it's a big deal if it's just you and you are just passing through. Don't bother anyone and don't turn it into a playground and do fast loops and hill repeats and so forth. And I wouldn't go through in a large group either. That's probably a bit much.

[rward325]

Heck in L.A we have guided tours and movie parties in them. Might as well ride through them also! I don't the dead people will mind at all. Like most have said be respectful and there shouldn't be any issues. Most of the big ones here have security guards and gates at the front entrance.

[robdamanii]

Why would it be? I used to ride through a cemetery to visit my grandfather's grave on occasion. Nobody ever said anything about it.

[brucew]

I go through the oldest cemetery in town on one of my favorite commuting routes.

I like it because it's a low-traffic bypass around some of the busiest road around, the hills were never graded so I can get some nice double-digit climbs in, and the newer section is broad and flat for higher speed and cadence work.

The one drawback is that it's full of joggers and dog walkers, so I have to careful of them.

No, the other drawback is that I have to watch the time on my commute home so that I'm not locked in when they close the gates. The one time it happened, I fortunately was on my unpainted Ti bike, so there wasn't any damage from hanging it from the iron spikes on the top of the gate while I clamored over.

I particularly like the cobbles this time of year when I channel my inner hardman in anticipation of the spring cobbled classics. It's pavé, every day!


The old chapel and crematory, just inside the north gate.



One of my favorite cobbled climbs



More cobbles.

[robdamanii]

Which cemetery is that Bruce?

[tystevens]

Wow, that is a cool place.

No, I don't think it is disrespectful to ride through a cemetery. I don't know about doing time-trial laps in one, though, mostly out of respect for others who may be in need of peace and quiet.

[Gimme Shoulder]

Don't know why you would, unless you have someone to visit there. It's not a park or a bike trail. Certain cemetaries designated as historical sites might be an exception. But then, you'd probably be getting off to check it out stone by stone. In any case, you'd certainly want to keep your speed down. Somehow, hammering through a cemetary, 'cause it's a nice quiet safe place to train, doesn't seem like the right thing to do.

[60driver]

Nice bruce . . . another benefit for us Ti bike owners (someone can add to the thousands of carbon vs Ti threads). Thanks for the responses. Granted, we are all cyclists here. There may be some non-cyclists out there who disagree, but its not really their opinions that matter to me. I didn't want to be the guy giving us all a bad name.

[Gimme Shoulder]

There's an example of a place that seems to have been embraced by the community as more park and historical site than cemetery. I can see myself riding through that one. Not so much our local "Forest Lawn".

On a side note...what do you do if you're riding through a cemetery and come on to a burial service in progress? Turn around? Cycle slowly past? Get off and walk past? Join the bereaved, while apologizing for all the bright colors and spandex.

[redondoaveb]

I've used them as a short cut before but only if I'm "dead" tired and don't feel like going around.

[Creakyknees]

I use one nearby as a low-traffic bypass, quite frequently. Avoiding funerals, of course. I wave at the grounds crews, they wave back. Gates are open, visitors welcome, and I just pass through anyway.

Related topic: "back in the day" before public parks were common, cemeteries were the place that urban people went to enjoy the outdoors - because, they were the only open, green spaces around. I've read that funeral homes would have open houses, host festivals, all sorts of fun times (good for business, etc, too).

I've often thought that some cemeteries would make for really fun race courses... free publicity for the owners... but of course we have this social taboo to overcome.

[gordy748]

In st Paul's Cathedral, in London UK, there is a cafe in what's called the catacombs (it's not that hard to find, but sounds cool). I found out one day the cafe is built on the top of 4 or 5 layers of bodies that have been buried there since the Cathedral was first built (i.e. the first one, not the current one).

If the church can build a cafe on top of a bunch of graves, I'm not sure that cycling through a cemetery is such a big deal.

[gtran1502]

I've ridden to my dad's grave site before, I don't feel it's disrespectful at all as long as I'm not laying my bike on top of someone else's site.

On the other hand, people with loud fart can subies and ridiculously loud harleys are pretty disrespectful in a cemetary (or anywhere for that matter).

[WTFcyclist]

No, they're all dead.

It's not disrespectful if you JRA.

[8toes]

Nope...just stay on the roads, and treat the grounds with the reverence it deserves.

This^^^

[8toes]

On a side note...what do you do if you're riding through a cemetery and come on to a burial service in progress? Turn around? Cycle slowly past? Get off and walk past? Join the bereaved, while apologizing for all the bright colors and spandex.

This, actually, is a pretty good question. I would dismount. walk to a discrete distance away from the ceremony and say a quiet prayer for the deceased....walk away to a point where I can no longer be seen, then continue my ride, all while being as quiet as i can.

Cheers,

Brian J.

[velodog]

There's an example of a place that seems to have been embraced by the community as more park and historical site than cemetery. I can see myself riding through that one. Not so much our local "Forest Lawn".

On a side note...what do you do if you're riding through a cemetery and come on to a burial service in progress? Turn around? Cycle slowly past? Get off and walk past? Join the bereaved, while apologizing for all the bright colors and spandex.

If you were in your car and there was room to drive around the service, would you drive around? If so, why not ride your bike around.

[tuck]

Is the cemetary full of dead-dead people? Or undead-dead people?

[Gimme Shoulder]

For me it's not about respect for the dead. Rather, respect for loved ones visiting. Regardless of what I may think or believe, I want to respect their beliefs, and their quiet time with their departed loved one. I'd rather not be a distraction. Cars are expected, and probably not noticed too much. Probably assumed to be other mourners/visitors. Unless the place is frequented by cyclists, I guess I would consider myself a distraction or intrusion. The question was sort of tongue in cheek, but I guess if I ran into a service, I'd discretely turn around.

[ecub]

Don't disturb them to a point that the dead rise up and take revenge by eating your flesh.

[OldZaskar]

For me it's not about respect for the dead. Rather, respect for loved ones visiting. Regardless of what I may think or believe, I want to respect their beliefs, and their quiet time with their departed loved one. I'd rather not be a distraction. Cars are expected, and probably not noticed too much. Probably assumed to be other mourners/visitors. Unless the place is frequented by cyclists, I guess I would consider myself a distraction or intrusion.

^this^

I don't care about the dead - they're dead. As an atheist, I'm surprised I'm in the minority on this topic - I don't think a cemetery should be a place to go for a bike ride. Out of respect for the mourning, I'd rather take my chances out on the streets... even if means I could end up IN the cemetery sooner. The mourners didn't bury their loved ones in your playground. Don't play in their graveyard.

[velodog]

Is the cemetary full of dead-dead people? Or undead-dead people?

If they're the undead it'd probably be wise to be carrying a shovel or some such club-like implement.