Memorial bike ride held in Vancouver for cyclist killed in dump truck collision

A memorial bike ride was held Sunday in downtown Vancouver to honour a well-loved cyclist who lost his life in a crash in the West End last week.

Agustín Beltrán, 28, was killed in a collision with a dump truck at the intersection of Hornby Street and Pacific Boulevard on Wednesday.

Beltrán was a first-year PhD student at the University of British Columbia. He studied environmental and applied microeconomics, according to the university’s website.

The memorial ride on Sunday started outside the Vancouver Art Gallery and went to the site of the deadly collision.

Cyclist Dara Poon said the city’s cycling community has been reeling since the crash.

“I’m saddened to hear of the death of a fellow cyclist,” she said. “It could have been anyone … It could have been me. I ride by that intersection all the time.”

She said the intersection where Beltrán died “is rather complex” for cyclists, despite having a bike lane separated from traffic.

Author and West End resident James Glave also attended the memorial. The daily cyclist said many of his peers’ deaths in the city are preventable.

“We came out today to celebrate the life that was lost this past week, but also, in a way, to recognize we have a long way to go still in providing safe infrastructure for people who are vulnerable road users,” he said.

“Anybody outside of a vehicle takes their life into their hands in much of this city, all of the time, every day — and there’s no way it should be like that.”

The director of UBC’s Vancouver School of Economics released a statement Thursday mourning the loss of Beltrán.

“We are shocked and devastated over Agustín’s death,” wrote Patrick Francois. “This is a tremendous loss for the UBC community and our tight-knit PhD program.”

Another memorial bicycle ride for Beltrán was held this weekend in Mexico City, where he earned his previous degrees.