By North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
FORT COLLINS — Three years after a distracted driver killed 10-year-old Oliver “Ollie” Stratton while he was riding his bicycle in Timnath, a community tradition created in his memory continues to grow, carrying a message of hope, healing, and safer roads.
Ollie’s Bike Parade returns Sunday, October 18, at 9 a.m., kicking off Fort Collins Open Streets in front of Incycle, 202 W. Laurel St.
What began as a neighborhood gathering in Timnath Ranch has become an annual celebration of childhood, community, and the importance of protecting cyclists.
For Oliver’s mother, Clarissa Stratton, the parade is both a tribute to her son and an opportunity to help prevent other families from experiencing a similar tragedy.
A Tragedy That Changed a Community
On August 2, 2023, Oliver Stratton was struck and killed by a vehicle while riding his bicycle in his Timnath neighborhood.
Investigators determined that the driver, Amy Weiss, had been using her cellphone shortly before the collision and deleted text messages afterward.
As North Forty News previously reported, Weiss was convicted of careless driving resulting in death in December 2024. She also pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence.
On March 7, 2025, Larimer County Judge Kraig Ecton sentenced Weiss to 365 days in jail for careless driving resulting in death and 364 days for tampering with physical evidence. The court ordered the maximum sentences to run concurrently, with work release authorized.
According to subsequent reporting by Northern Colorado cycling publication Your Group Ride, Weiss began serving her sentence in May 2025 through Larimer County’s Alternative Sentencing Program. The publication reported that she was expected to serve about nine months after sentence credits.
North Forty News covered the sentencing and the family’s continuing efforts to raise awareness about distracted driving.
For the Stratton family, however, the legal proceedings represented only one part of a much larger journey.
From Timnath Ranch to Fort Collins Open Streets
In 2024, Clarissa Stratton organized the first Ollie’s Bike Parade in the family’s Timnath Ranch neighborhood.
The event celebrated Oliver’s life and helped children in the community regain confidence riding their bicycles.
A year later, the parade moved to Colorado State University, expanding its reach and introducing more families to the organization’s message.
Now, in its third year, Ollie’s Bike Parade will help open Fort Collins Open Streets, marking another milestone for an event that has grown from a neighborhood remembrance into a community-wide celebration.
The parade’s joyful atmosphere is intentional. Children riding bicycles, families gathering together, and neighbors sharing the streets reflect the kind of community Oliver’s family hopes to help create.
But behind the celebration is a serious reminder about roadway safety.
“A parade filled with children riding their bikes is a powerful reminder of who we are trying to protect when we talk about safer streets,” Stratton said.
Turning Loss Into Advocacy
Ollie’s Bike Parade has grown beyond its annual event into a charitable organization dedicated to protecting vulnerable road users and helping families affected by bicycle-related tragedies.
Its work focuses on raising awareness about the dangers of texting while driving, advocating for safer roads, and providing support kits to families who have lost loved ones in bicycle crashes.
Those efforts earned statewide recognition in 2026 when the organization received the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance Wendy Preston Victim Advocate Award, following a nomination from the Larimer County District Attorney’s Office.
The recognition reflects how the organization’s mission has expanded since the first parade in 2024.
For Stratton, the work remains rooted in the memory of her son, but its impact now reaches families and communities beyond Timnath.
Every conversation about distracted driving, every family receiving support and every child participating in the parade contributes to a mission that began with one family’s loss.
A Celebration With a Lasting Message
This year’s parade invites Northern Colorado families to gather in Fort Collins for a morning centered on children, bicycles, and community.
Its place at the start of Fort Collins Open Streets connects the celebration to a broader conversation about how streets can safely serve everyone.
The event also reinforces a shared responsibility among drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians: paying attention and looking out for one another.
For families attending the parade, the morning will offer an opportunity to celebrate Oliver’s memory while supporting the work his mother and the organization continue in his name.
And for the children riding their bicycles, the message is perhaps simplest of all: They deserve to feel safe on the streets of their own communities.
As Ollie’s Bike Parade reminds participants through its slogan:
“Humanity still belongs on the roads.”
Event Details
Ollie’s Bike Parade
Sunday, October 18 | 9 a.m.
Incycle, 202 W. Laurel St., Fort Collins
The parade will kick off Fort Collins Open Streets.
Additional information is available on the Ollie’s Bike Parade Facebook event page or the website at olliesbikeparade.org.