Glenwood family, friends mourn the loss of brother, friend after M4 cycling tragedy

TRIBUTES poured in for Glenwood cyclist, Jared Dwyer and his cycle buddy, Richard Da Silva, after the tragic cycle accident on Sunday morning.

The Dwyer family is finding it hard to come to terms with the loss of their son and brother who was knocked down by a VW Golf GTI.

The former Marist Brother’s athlete was clocking up mileage on a regular Sunday morning team ride when the accident occurred and he was killed instantly.

Sasha Dwyer, Jared’s older brother, speaking on behalf of the family, said, “Jared was an amazing son and brother. From the time he could talk he loved to hear people laugh, he was always taking the joke to the next level. He was our strength and through many difficult times he kept this family together and strong.”

Sasha said Jared’s “calm disposition” was the most unique thing about him. “My mum and Jared had an especially close bond and although our family nickname was Bub, because of my mum’s fondness for wolves, Jared would call her wolf Bub and in return she called him wood Bub because of his love for carpentry and creativity. Jared faced a lot of obstacles in his life but always strove for what he wanted and nothing could deter him. He lived a clean healthy lifestyle pushing the limits of his potential, with the combination of a strong mind and organic vegan-based lifestyle. There was no such thing as impossible to Jared and his life was an example of this,” added Sasha.

One of the quotes Jared lived by which his family feel truly encapsulates their brother was written by Og Mandino: “”I am not on this earth by chance, I am here for a purpose, and that purpose is not to shrink to a grain of sand but to grow into a a mountain, henceforth I will apply all my efforts to grow into the highest mountain of them all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy.”

“From his father Sandy, who is so proud of him, his mother Lee who misses him tremendously, as well as his five brothers and two sisters, we all feel that you achieved what this quote above embodies. This is not a goodbye you will always be with us,” Sasha concluded.

Jared’s former girlfriend of eight years, Maxine Keet, said Jared had an all or nothing type of personality. “He believed in always having a positive outlook and promoted a healthy lifestyle by leading by example. He loves sport and has always been an active person. He has paddled the Dusi five times, completed two full Ironmans and one half Ironman last year. But Jared’s passion for the bike has steadily developed over the years, he has been riding for about eight years. He particularly loved to spend hours riding in the saddle and became one of the few people in the world to have completed an Everest Challenge.

“In September, 2014, Jared spent 18 hours on his bike, riding up and down Margarat Maytom, in Durban North to reach a total elevation equivalent to going up Mount Everest. As a vegan athlete, his mission was to demonstrate raw human ability without drugs, stimulants or enhancers. He firmly believed in a drug-free sport and that you don’t need to consume animal products (to get protein) as a plant-based diet that was good for the planet and for animals could build a strong and capable athlete. Cycling become Jared’s main sport and passion because it allowed him the freedom to move without restriction. It also provided a creative outlet for him as he loved to build bicycles from scratch, sourcing parts and modifying designs to create a bicycle that he truly felt was aesthetically beautiful,” Keets recalled.

Keet said Jared was training for the double Everest challenge to spread awareness for the Vegan cause. “Jared was also extremely motivated by educating cyclists on safe riding and created videos to demonstrate the correct hand signals and etiquette for road cycling, for the safety of the individual and teams whilst out on the road,” she said.

Nadine Collett, a friend of Jared’s from Earthmother Organic said she fondly remembered Jarred because he came into the store everyday. “The one thing you noticed about Jared was he was always calm and peaceful. He had a serene presence about him, when he walked in. I last saw him mid-January before my trip to Australia and he said he wanted to hear all about it when I got back. I was looking forward to seeing him on Monday but was devastated to hear about the tragedy on Sunday morning. I didn’t know him long, but like everyone you fall in love with his presence, energy and humanness,” Collett said.

Memorial ride to pay tribute to fallen cyclists

The Durban cycling community made up of bicycle shop owners, bicycle clubs and the King’s Park Cycling club committee will hold a tribute ride on Sunday, 14 February at 6am starting from the Bike and Bean parking lot on the beachfront.

Sean Lucien and Greg Albert said they had worked with Metro Police and the municipality to arrange the ride. “There will be a police present to safeguard riders to and from the site of the tragedy, which is just before the Broadway bridge on the Northbound M4,” they added.

A memorial for Jared will be held on Thursday, 11 February at 6.30pm at Glenashley Beach.