Between the dull hum of bike wheels and ringing bells, the names Renee Good and Alex Pretti united dozens of cyclists at Union Park in Des Moines Saturday afternoon. Both Pretti and Good were killed by immigration enforcement agents in Minnesota earlier this month. Pretti was an avid cyclist. Shortly after his death, a Minnesota bike shop he frequented, Angry Catfish, called on the world to ride in his honor. Dylan Lyons, one of the organizers for the memorial ride in Des Moines, felt he had to answer that call.”We all could connect with him,” he said. “Whether it was because he was a cyclist or he was a caretaker or an advocate, or just a member of his community, we all felt that impact.”He wasn’t the only one.While none of the attendees knew Pretti or Good personally, organizers say it didn’t matter — their legacies live on in the riders that showed up across the country. Like Grant Davis, a Minnesota native now living in Des Moines. “Seeing everything that’s been going on has been really hard,” Grant said. “I have a lot of friends and family up in Minnesota. I even have a friend who went to nursing school with Alex. They’re just coming out to show solidarity. And, you know, everybody in the biking community — this could have been any of us.”Jonathan Kimpson of Carlisle was another rider. He said Pretti’s death makes him question the power of his own citizenship.”I became a citizen four years ago,” Kimpson said. “And you think that affords you some protections, some rights. What we witnessed seven days ago was the antithesis of that.”Ultimately, riders say this wasn’t just an opportunity to take a stand against the current administration and immigration enforcement.But a way to honor a member of their community — even if they never said a word to him.According to Angry Catfish, the Des Moines ride was one of 230 rides in 43 states and 14 countries across the world.

DES MOINES, Iowa —

Between the dull hum of bike wheels and ringing bells, the names Renee Good and Alex Pretti united dozens of cyclists at Union Park in Des Moines Saturday afternoon.

Both Pretti and Good were killed by immigration enforcement agents in Minnesota earlier this month.

Pretti was an avid cyclist. Shortly after his death, a Minnesota bike shop he frequented, Angry Catfish, called on the world to ride in his honor.

Dylan Lyons, one of the organizers for the memorial ride in Des Moines, felt he had to answer that call.

“We all could connect with him,” he said. “Whether it was because he was a cyclist or he was a caretaker or an advocate, or just a member of his community, we all felt that impact.”

He wasn’t the only one.

While none of the attendees knew Pretti or Good personally, organizers say it didn’t matter — their legacies live on in the riders that showed up across the country.

Like Grant Davis, a Minnesota native now living in Des Moines.

“Seeing everything that’s been going on has been really hard,” Grant said. “I have a lot of friends and family up in Minnesota. I even have a friend who went to nursing school with Alex. They’re just coming out to show solidarity. And, you know, everybody in the biking community — this could have been any of us.”

Jonathan Kimpson of Carlisle was another rider. He said Pretti’s death makes him question the power of his own citizenship.

“I became a citizen four years ago,” Kimpson said. “And you think that affords you some protections, some rights. What we witnessed seven days ago was the antithesis of that.”

Ultimately, riders say this wasn’t just an opportunity to take a stand against the current administration and immigration enforcement.

But a way to honor a member of their community — even if they never said a word to him.

According to Angry Catfish, the Des Moines ride was one of 230 rides in 43 states and 14 countries across the world.