Anti-distracted driving initiative launched in Roseann’s name
WHITEHOUSE– Before the ride began, the crowd stood still, their helmeted heads bowed for a moment of silence. Then, a single song filled the air — “I Was Alive” by Beartooth — one of Roseann Peiffer’s favorites. She had trained to it, moved to it, lived to it.
Its lyrics about living life to the fullest played as a tribute to a life cut short.
Peiffer, a respected triathlete and beloved figure in Northwest Ohio’s cycling and running communities, was killed in May by a distracted driver. She had been doing what she loved—riding her bike—with those she loved when a driver, according to her husband, veered off the road for just two seconds.
That was all it took.
She leaves behind not only a grieving husband and parents, but also her young daughter.
On Tuesday evening, More than 300 cyclists gathered at CycleWerks in Whitehouse to take part in a four-mile memorial ride organized by CycleWerks and several local athletic organizations, including Team Toledo Triathlon Club, Dave’s Running, Maumee Valley Wheelmen, Toledo Area Bicyclists, Maumee Valley Adventurers, Flatlanders Bicycle Club and Run Toledo.
The slow, police-escorted ride was held not only to honor Peiffer’s life, but also to spark conversation about road safety and to support a family and community still grieving.
“My ten years married to Roseann were the best years of my life,” said her husband, Mike Peiffer, addressing the crowd before the ride. “I’ll never get those back. Nothing anybody can say can make it better. I’m hurting on the inside deeply.”
Mike Peiffer said he plans to speak to high school students and driver’s education classes, using his wife’s story to emphasize how quickly distraction behind the wheel can become deadly.
People are like, ‘Oh, it’ll never happen to me,’ but it happened to Roseann.
Mike Peiffer
Nicole Reece, president of Toledo Area Bicyclists, echoed that call to action. During the pre-ride program, she announced a new anti-distracted driving initiative launched in Roseann Peiffer’s name.
“Her passing must not be in vain,” Reece said. “It must be a moment that sparks change, real change, in how our families are protected, how distracted driving is understood and addressed, and how we value the safety and the dignity of all humankind. We owe her that and every person who shares the road.”
Reece urged attendees to talk with their children, friends and families about what it means to value life on the road—-and to put down their phones.
Nick Mossing, president of the Maumee Valley Wheelmen, described Roseann Peiffer as someone who embodied the spirit of constant improvement.
“What I enjoyed most about Roseann is that she was always, always trying to get better, both in her strength and her skills,” Mossing said. “I’ll never forget her working with us before, after races, on her cornering. And every year her fitness would increase this much, and her cornering increased that much, but it increased every year. She became very good at it.”
Leading up to the memorial, Mossing also designed and distributed custom stickers in Roseann Pieffer’s honor. Printed in her favorite color, seafoam green, the stickers feature her initials, a red heart with a winding road and a dolphin, which her family described as her spirit animal.
“We’re all here because Roseann was just an awesome person,” Mossing said, “So that’s how we’ll remember her.”
Roseann Peiffer’s parents, Donna and Jim Berchinske, attended the event, alongside the hundreds of people whose lives their daughter had touched. They remembered her early love of cycling—rides through the Cleveland Metroparks, her growing collection of race medals and trips abroad to compete.
“She went to Italy while we were there and saw my grandfather’s house,” Donna Berchinske recalled.
But her family also shared their anger and frustration.
“All bicyclists are allowed to use the road, ” Donna Berchinske said. “There should be no distraction driving whatsoever. Ever, ever.”
The ride began shortly after the moment of silence, led by a Whitehouse police escort and followed by a support vehicle in case any riders encountered issues along the route.
Cyclists of all experience levels participated in the slow roll, which wound quietly through the village before returning to CycleWerks, where attendees gathered for food and shared memories and songs from Roseann Peiffer’s workout playlist.
Vielka Cover, a longtime cyclist and community member, called the turnout “supportive and unified.” She said she thinks of her safety every time she goes for a ride—and of riders like Roseann Peiffer.
“It can happen to any of us,” Cover said. “I wear the helmet and wear bright clothes, have my lights on, follow the rules of the road and always pray to God, ‘Send your angels and protect me.’”
The ride ended where it began—at CycleWerks—but few left unchanged.
Team Toledo Triathlon Club has established a GoFundMe to help with ongoing expenses and support for the Peiffer family.
