Friends, shared stories, laughter and shed a few tears Thursday as they gathered in support of injured cyclist Shelli Snyder.
Snyder was seriously injured Sunday when her bicycle was hit by a car in Montana. Snyder suffered head, arm and leg injuries. She is in critical condition at Kalispell Regional Medical Center.
Platform Beer Company in Cleveland played host to the event to raise money for Snyder, a founding member of Bike Cleveland, a cycling advocacy group.
Snyder was documenting the ride to Seattle using a #CLE2SEA tag. She set out on her bike, nicknamed "Robbie", in July as both a fundraiser for Bike Cleveland and to relocate to be with her fiancé.
"It was something she wanted to do personally to prove that people can do it," said Ralph Sgro of Platform Beer. "And as a female, she can do it just as well as anyone else."
Fellow cyclist Yvonne Daycak said the accident has left her stunned and explained what Snyder has meant to the northeast Ohio cycling community.
"I still can't believe it happened, I'm still trying to wrap my head around that," said Daycak.
"Being the co-founder of Bike Cleveland, she's done so much for the city in terms of bike safety."
Fellow cyclist Lindsey Krivenki believes support for Snyder's recovery will continue to pour in.
"You can't meet her and not love her," said Krivenki.
"She's the best person in the world, I'm sure there is going to be more people helping and more people donating."
AGoFundMe account has been set up to help with expenses.
