Ride and Walk for Your Life Returns to Madison October 4, 2026To Honor Sasha Rosen, Demand Passage of “Sasha’s Bill”

Madison’s second “Ride For Your Life” will be held on Sunday, October 4, 2026 with a
bike ride, walk, and rally at the Wisconsin State Capitol to demand safer streets in Wisconsin and
nationwide. The 2026 event will honor Sasha Rosen, a 17-year-old high school senior who was struck and
killed by a speeding driver in February.
“Sasha’s death was not an ‘accident.’ It was a failure–a failure to adequately protect people that aren’t in
cars,” said Nadya Rosen, Sasha’s mother. “We can do better, and we aim to fill the streets to tell our leaders
that we must do better.”
Participants will ride 6 miles or walk 1 mile from Brittingham Park to the State Capitol, followed by a rally
with Sasha’s family and elected officials, calling on lawmakers to pass Sasha’s Bill (AB 655 / SB 659), which
would let judges require GPS-enabled intelligent speed devices in the vehicles of so-called super speeders
– drivers convicted of reckless driving or repeated or extreme speeding. At the federal level, they will
express opposition to efforts to remove funding for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.
The event follows Madison’s first Ride for Your Life in 2023, held in honor of Sarah Debbink Langenkamp,
which helped build Wisconsin support for the Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act
(H.R. 2011 / S. 944), now pending in Congress. 2026 events will also be held in Boston & Washington DC.
“No family should ever face the devastating loss the Rosen and Debbink-Langenkamp families have
suffered,” said Kirsten Finn, Wisconsin Bike Fed Executive Director. “Our streets belong to people, not cars,
and every person has the fundamental right to walk or bike without fear of traffic violence. Ride for Your Life
is more than a single event—it is a powerful movement demanding the safety infrastructure and strong
policies needed to protect all road users.”
The event comes as federal funding for biking and walking infrastructure faces new threats, despite the fact
that more than 75% of Americans support bike lanes in their neighborhoods, according to a 2025 YouGov
poll. It also comes amid a 65% increase in roadway deaths among people outside of vehicles — pedestrians
and cyclists — between 2010 and 2024, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
WHEN:
Sunday, October 4, 2026
1 pm – Check-in
2 pm – Ride and walk send-off
3 pm – Rally at the State Capitol
4 pm – Celebration, venue TBD
WHERE:
Start: Brittingham Park, 829 W Washington Ave, Madison, WI
Finish/Rally: Wisconsin State Capitol, Madison, WI
SPEAKERS (Requests to schedule interviews available):

• Nadya Rosen, Sasha’s mom, and Orion Wilson, Sasha’s friend
• John Burke, President/CEO, Trek Bicycle Corporation
• Kirsten Finn, Executive Director, Wisconsin Bike Fed
• State and local elected officials (TBA)
  INFORMATION/FREE REGISTRATION (fundraising welcomed): https://rideforyourlife.org/madison/
  Ride for Your Life, Wisconsin Bike Fed and Sasha’s family are calling on the Wisconsin legislature to pass
  Sasha’s Bill and on Congress to fund safer, more connected networks for walking and biking nationwide.
  ABOUT SASHA ROSEN:
  Sasha was 17 — a goofy, music-loving, high-school sophomore with plans for the future — when a speeding
  driver killed him while he was crossing the street on his way to school. His death reflects a policy failure: Too
  few measures to encourage safer speeds, cars, drivers, and roads. Too few measures to create streets that
  consider the needs of everyone who uses them.
  ABOUT RIDE FOR YOUR LIFE:
  Ride for Your Life was founded to honor those lost to traffic crashes and to galvanize individuals,
  communities, policymakers, and legislators to make roads safe for everyone. Through bike rides, walks,
  rallies, and other events held across the United States, the organization aims to serve as a catalyst for
  legislative, infrastructure, and policy change at the local, state, and national levels.
  ABOUT THE WISCONSIN BIKE FED:
  The Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin Educational Foundation, Inc. (aka Wisconsin Bike Fed) was
  established as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in 1988 to foster and unite active communities to advance
  cycling and walking in Wisconsin through education, legislation, and infrastructure.