When much-loved Sacramentonian cyclist Andy Yokoyama joined the big peloton in the sky in 2012, his death took the air out of the city’s tyres.
But instead of spinning their wheels in mourning, the community jumped back in the saddle to create a fitting tribute to the bikable fellow. The result is A Life’s Ride, an astonishing piece from local artist Terrance Martin that’s chained up near Sac’s famous Tower Bridge.
The titanic two-wheeler doubles as a bench, making it the perfect spot to not only reflect upon Andy’s inspirational existence, but to also watch the seals play merrily in the glistening Sacramento River. If you’re lucky, you might even see some homeless men have a knife fight.
Andy’s widow, Cathy, enjoys recycling just as much as he enjoyed cycling, and insisted the monument be crafted from materials found on her hubby’s farm. Thankfully that didn’t mean building it from wilting zucchinis and Brussels sprouts, with two-thirds of A Life’s Ride comprised from old tractor wheels and other bits and pieces her beloved once worked with.
“We asked Terry to use parts from the farm, if he was good with that idea,” Cath enthused. “He was!”
Isn’t it heartwarming to see everyone working in tandem!
The Ride of Your Life
It was Andy’s long-time friend and official spokesperson for the project, Carol Davis, who really set the wheels in motion. Not only was she the one who had to wheel with city council to allow the tribute to be parked on public property, she also approached the artist to gauge his interest.
“We told Terry we wanted a bench,” Cathy velodromed on. “Carol had seen his benches at the Sacramento Zoo [and probably a turtle]. We were thinking of the form of a bicycle because Andy really enjoyed biking.”
Señor Martin, surely inspired by similar prodigious pushies in Sydney and Lac d’Annecy, was only too happy to help.
“I want to do stuff that makes people walk up and smile,” Terrance told a star-struck journalist, and it seems like he wasn’t pedalling lies. “The next thing they’re going to start doing is talk to the person standing right next to them.”
Tragically the bike has been a regular target of vandalism over the years, with the dregs of society seeing it as a canvas in their futile battle against ‘the man’. Honestly, why not take the advice of the nearby Peace statue?
During my visit I encountered a gang of heavily-tattooed tough guys drawing crude depictions of genitalia on the bike. They simply didn’t get the significance of A Life’s Ride.
Filled with rage I stormed over to teach them a lesson they wouldn’t soon forget. When they pulled a gun on me I simply complimented their artistic vision and rode off into the sunset.
