Pedal-powered hearse proves cycling needn't end after death

It is now possible to pay tribute to a life lived on two wheels, even after your death. A funeral home in Eugene, Oregon, offers a pedal-powered hearse to carry deceased cyclists to the graveside in solemn, fitting style.

For many people, a love for cycling is something that enriches their lives, becoming an important facet of their identity. What better way to reflect such a life than with a pedal-powered hearse?

It’s the latest in a line of alternative funeral options which have become more popular in recent years as people become more aware of their impact on the planet – even after they've breathed their last.

Following cardboard coffins, woodland burial and having trees planted in one’s memory, the carbon-neutral funeral transport is the next natural step at Sunset Hills Cemetery & Funeral Home.

Funeral Director Wade Lind got the idea in a fast food restaurant after hearing a group of cyclists talking about how their two-wheeled obsession could extend into the hereafter.

Just two weeks later, Lind had designed and built the tricycle hearse to cater for just such a need.

In the back of the 55kg custom three-wheeler, Lind transports an eco-friendly basket coffin made of finely woven bamboo – the perfect biodegradable, easily replenished, carbon capturing material to carry you into the hereafter.

With a punter in back, the contraption can weigh a good 190kg, meaning it’s not just respect for the dead that demands a slow pace while riding.

Ever the innovator, Lind added an electric motor to make ‘the last ride’, as the service is known, that little bit easier.

‍