The family and friends of Will Richter - in conjunction with Critical Mass - are hosting a memorial ride on Friday 31st October 2025, in honour of Will and in support of safe cycling infrastructure.On 22 September 2025, Will Richter was riding his bike to the University of Melbourne via Macaulay Road Kensington when he was struck and killed by the driver of a truck.It was his 19th birthday.Will's devastating death is the eighth on Victorian roads this year. It is the unfortunate but preventable case that many of Melbourne’s roads remain hostile, dangerous & deadly for people who ride bikes.Organisers hope the ride will send a clear message to road authorities - that people who ride bikes are deserving of a network of safe bike lanes - and are calling on authorities to make the necessary changes to our roads so that they are safe for all road users.Hundreds of riders from all walks of life are expected to depart from the State Library at 5:30pm on Friday afternoon and make their way to Kensington via West Melbourne.The riders will pause for a moment of reflection on Rankins Road, the site of Will’s tragic death.From there they will complete Will’s trip to the University of Melbourne via Macaulay Road, Arden Street, Wreckyn Street and Grattan Street.The ride will travel along roads with varying degrees of cycling safety, some where the City of Melbourne has recently implemented protected bike lanes, and others which warrant protected bike lanes but are yet to see them installed.The ride will finish at Carlton’s University Square where there will be a series of short speeches.Previous Critical Mass rides along Macaulay Road have attracted upwards of 300 riders and coverage on ABC, Channel 9, The Age and 3AW and social media.Quotes Attributable to Tim Richter, Will’s father:“Our family is shattered by the loss of Will - a life so full of promise and potential, taken too soon. We don’t want any other family to endure this heartbreak. We call for urgent improvements to make Melbourne’s roads safer for all cyclists.”Quotes Attributable to BikeWest:
“Everyone deserves to be safe on our roads, drivers, walkers and riders alike. As it stands our busy main roads fail vulnerable road users.”Additional articles:- In loving memory of William Richter- Download Media Release: Family and friends of Will Richter, in conjunction with Critical Mass, to host a memorial ride in honour of Will- The Age: Teen’s death sparks calls for long-awaited bike lanes in Melbourne’s west, 4 October 2025- VAFA: Vale Will Richter- Petition: Demand Labor approve safe bike lanes on Macaulay Road- Hansard: Legislative Assembly, Members statements: William Richter, 16 October 2025