Robert "Bicycle Bob" Silverman (30 November 1933 – 20 February 2022) was a Canadian cycling activist in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Biography

Silverman grew up in the

Snowdon Snowdon () or (), is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands. It is located in Snowdonia National Park (') in Gwynedd (historic ...

neighborhood of Montreal and attended the

High School of Montreal The High School of Montreal was an English-language high school founded in 1843, serving Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the area eventually known as the Golden Square Mile. It was less formally known as Montreal High School and from 1853 to 1870 was ...

and

Sir George Williams University Sir George Williams University was a university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It merged with Loyola College to create Concordia University on August 24, 1974. History In 1851, the first YMCA in North America was established on Sainte-Hélène S ...

. At the age of 25, with the financial help of his father, he opened a bookstore on Stanley Street. A

Trotskyist Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an orthodox Marxist, a rev ...

, he had no incentive for profit and often gave books away to customers, driving him into bankruptcy. While studying in

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in 1969, Silverman discovered great enjoyment from cycling. Encouraged by his wife, Edith, he rode his bicycle to his

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

lessons. Upon his return to Montreal in 1970, he purchased a second-hand bicycle during an era in which cycling in the city was rare. In 1975, he co-founded the group to fight for better bicycle safety in Montreal. In 1977, he attempted to organize an international cycling foundation, saying "Cyclists of all countries, unite. You have nothing to lose but your chains! Let's build International Cycling". He proposed the creation of a multilingual library and an international liaison bulletin. Silverman died in

Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts is a town in the province of Quebec, Canada, in the regional county municipality of Les Laurentides in the administrative region of Laurentides, also known as the "Laurentians" or the Laurentian Mountains (in English). Sai ...

on 20 February 2022, at the age of 88.

References

1933 births 2022 deaths Canadian activists Canadian Trotskyists Canadian communists Anglophone Quebec people Activists from Quebec High School of Montreal alumni People from Montreal {{Canada-activist-stub