Tragic Death. I imagine @Carolina_Cycling_Ute is familiar with this champion. I worry about early season riders what with all the sand, snow ice and water run-off making the roads even more hazardous than usual.
Sadly I only know of him. I saw the article and was deeply saddened, especially in light of what happened with my wife last Sunday. At least she wasn’t hit. I have been, when we lived in Austin. I know others who have been.
While I know that a small number of cyclists give the rest of us a bad name. If only the same view happened with motorists. Frankly I don’t trust ANYONE behind the wheel. On the moto, I’m a bit aggressive in my positioning, to allow me room to “escape” an area if I have to do so. I can’t do the same on the bicycle, but I ride very defensively.
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It is crazy how fast pro cyclists descend mountains. Unfortunately tragedy can strike. Ugh. Absolutely horrible.
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@Carolina_Cycling_Ute I saw an article the other day about a women’s race in the Pyrenees where the organizers didn’t even close off the roads, and the riders had to dodge traffic and pedestrians to even race. Apparently the racers quit because they didn’t feel safe.
https://twitter.com/EsenciaCiclista/status/1667140928279019521?
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A few years back in the Tour of Utah (RIP) a rider descending Big Cottonwood Canyon slammed into the side of a support vehicle at the top S-turn when his brakes failed. He was severely hurt but by some miracle not killed. Those pro-cycling descents are just a white knuckle ride to be sure.
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Yeah, I saw it too. Working events as a moto official and the roads aren’t really closed, when they’re expected to be is very nerve wracking. That was the case the last 2 days for the Amateur Nationals in Roanoke, VA.
We were supposed to have a fully rolling closed road for the leaders and back to and through the main group of riders and the support caravan for said groups. Let’s just say, the corner marshals and local police have a bit of work to do if Roanoke gets Nats again next here. The road race course was good, and fun, but the number of cars, oncoming cars, was too much. The moto cops talked to a bunch of the drivers, but several once the cop was down the road seeming said, “screw them and those bicyclist, these are my roads I’ll do what I want on them.” I don’t know how many times I was freaked out by coming around a corner and there was a big vehicle coming my way. To protect the riders, I finally started daring the drivers to run me over or get off the road. Fortunately I won those chicken matches.
But yeah expecting closed roads and not getting them is extremely stressful.
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That rider did not die coming down Big Cottonwood. He did go to the hospital. Earlier this year we did have a rider die due to being hit by an oncoming vehicle. Sadly it was rider error by not following instructions to stay to the right side of the road.
That rider, the one coming down BCC is now part of the driver safety course for both USA Cycling and the UCI. Mostly of what not to do a moto driver (neutral, official, photo, etc). Just after that crash officials, were directed to part beyond the crash out of the lane of traffic then go back to assist or direct traffic. I had to do that first race of the year near Spartanburg.
Isn’t that what I said?
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Yes, I had hit reply too fast, that was my mistake.
Sadly a rider did crash and die at the Tour de Suisse this week. I don’t know the particulars, but I’m under the impression he went off an embankment at speed. I did see that his team withdrew from the race. Since I was busy at US Amateur Nats I couldn’t follow the story very well. I’ll see what I can gather, but it will be from sources we can all go to, like VeloNews or Cyclingnews.
Looks like the pitch of the slope is same as the turn at Guardsman with those cars at the bottom.
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I guess since this thread is cycling related…this movie looks great. I can’t see that it’s going to be shown anywhere in SLC though.
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I used to ride bikes when I lived in Santa Barbara. My circuit took me from the ocean to the mountains around the city to the city itself and then back home. While I was riding in the city, there are bike paths. Some douchenozzle from LA tried to hit me because he wanted to turn right and I had a green light to go straight. Lucky for me, a Santa Barbara cop was waiting to turn right. He pulled the guy over and arrested him for attempted manslaughter. The case went to court, and the prosecutor wanted to have him plead guilty to a lesser charge like a traffic ticket. I said no way. The guy was found guilty (thanks to the cop) and got his license pulled.
When I lived in the Netherlands, if you hit a bike with a car, the person driving the car was always guilty. We need that here.
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I just watched that Greg Lemond documentary for that trailer I posted above.
I knew the story and was still fascinated. If you’re in SLC you can see it at the Century 16 theater on 3300 S. I can highly recommend it.
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As this is basically a cycling safety thread, I need to say that I’ve spent the last three days cycling in the Vail, CO area. Granted most of it has been on trails systems that kept us off the main roads, but when we did have to ride on or across streets, the drivers and cyclists co-exist SO much nicer than they do in Utah. It’s been refreshing.
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Guessing Aspen doesn’t have a 999 a ride
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Another sad, preventable death.
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Yeah (in a very sad kind of agreement). This is a very sad one. Magnus had much going for him.
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My Wife and I rode in Boulder on both trails and road for the last five or so years. We have rode highway 119 out to the Betasso Reserve. Lovely town. Totally dangerous though. No one seems to be “driving” anymore. Until use of cell phones is treated like DWI’s, I think we will see more of this.
It’s surprising how a 0.5% is considered entirely dangerous and yet on a daily basis, I observe people driving over the speed limit, not maintaining lanes or respecting lights or other drivers - because they’re have they’re phones in front of there face - but that’s somehow normalized and not considered to be equally inconsiderate, selfish, dangerous and illegal. Weird.
They are NOT DRIVING. Id rather be on a bike in traffic around people with a 0.5% but without a phone who are actually PAYING ATTENTION.
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I’m in the same boat. I see distracted drivers all the time. They’re frighteningly oblivious to what’s going on around them. When I’m on the moto I ride a bit more aggressively than I “should,” mostly to give myself room to escape idiots. When I’m on my bike, I just try to be extra aware of vehicles around me.
About the only time I feel “safe” around the willfully stupid is in the truck, because it’s big.
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I used to wear earphones, but I gave up the joy of music, because I have to listen for the air dam behind me and go as far to the right as possible every second of a ride on a road.
Everyone acts as if they are in there home, on the couch, watching TV and texting someone or looking at some stupid cat video on their phone.
I have been riding bikes on busy roads since I was 10. 50+ years of riding. It’s getting worse and worse.
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