Remembering a beloved Coral Gables cyclist
About a hundred bikers kicked up their stands and hit the road Monday evening to honor a Coral Gables cyclist killed Sunday.
A fixture in the Miami cycling community, Sean Murray was en route to a bicycle race in Ferndale in Central Florida when he was involved in a car accident. He died later that day.
Murray, 51, led the Wednesday night ride of a bike group that he founded last year. Known to his fellow riders as “Hooligan Sean,” Murray had a reputation for having a light touch and always cracking jokes, leading to a spirited camaraderie on his rides.
His fellow riders were shaken by his passing, but vowed to carry on with the group’s “Magic Monday” night ride. Cyclists rode from around Miami to the University Metrorail station off South Dixie Highway to eulogize the biking enthusiast on Monday night.
“There is not one thing Sean wouldn’t do for somebody,” said Chaunce O’Connor, a longtime friend of Murray’s. “Sean is riding by you on the side tonight. That breeze – that is him.”
O’Connor, 32, spoke of how Murray would not hesitate to help someone with a flat bike tire or stay back with them if they were injured on a ride.
Murray’s daughter, Sofie, was among those who took part in the 20-mile memorial ride around Coral Gables. Murray also left behind a wife and a son, Liam.
His daughter joked about how her father would always carry two six-packs of beer in his big Chrome bag on his rides — the second so he could share with other riders.
“He is here and whispering in my ear, ‘What a great turnout,’” she told the group.
His daughter spoke of Murray’s enthusiasm for biking and his desire to share it with others.
“He wanted to bring so much awareness to the biking community,” she said. “He wanted people to ride bikes and do that not in fear, but with passion.”
Other bikers recalled the time Murray surprised them at the end of a ride with a bonfire at Matheson Hammock Park in Coral Gables.
Raymond Ibara, 21, says Murray was always welcoming and made a point to be a friend to everyone.
“He really genuinely loved everyone on the ride,” Ibara said. “He was just pure, light energy.”
This story was originally published February 3, 2015 at 8:04 PM with the headline "Remembering a beloved Coral Gables cyclist."