Bike Accident
>> Wednesday, June 24, 2009
This story has been making it's way around lately. A biker was hit and seriously wounded during a triathlon on Sunday. The story is brief and doesn't share many details, but the reader comments are insightful / interesting / maddening / etc. Check out the story.
Who knows if it WAS a police officer's fault as one person claimed, but we should all just remember to be safe out there!! Racing or riding, we know that we may have the right-away, but other people can easily not see us out there! (It sounds like I'm saying it was the bikers fault, which I'm TOTALLY NOT doing!!) Stay safe everyone!!
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On that note, I went for a hot 23 mile ride last night. It was about 88 degrees and humid as all get-out when I started my ride after work. I road a relatively hilly (but not super hilly) route. I wanted to go hard. Here were my average miles/hour throughout the ride (they tell the story):
- 21.8: at the 35E bridge (around mile 7.5)
- 21.1: a mile across the bridge (gentle uphill)
- 20.5: turning around on the Mendota Trial at the tunnel
- 20.7: back to the bottom of the steep uphill by 35E
- 20.5: to the top of that hill
- 20.7: the end of Shepard Rd
- 19.9: up the bastard hill known as Ramsey
- 20.0: home (4 miles later)
I rode hard in the middle, and I held on to that 20.0 mph average (barely). It was a good hard ride. I was all sweaty once I got home, but I was surprised that I had such LITTLE boob sweat:
(p.s. Liberty Triathlon race photos will be posted tomorrow)
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15 comments:
Yikes. At Liberty my spectators commented that at the turn around for the HIM the poor volunteer ( yes it was a volunteer! not a law enforcement person) was quite overwelmed trying to control traffic going 50 mph.
Even if we think we are in the right, the cars own the road. Sad to say. Thanks for the update Steve.
I've seen it at many races where the police are there but not directing traffic. Other races they are doing great. Like you said, always need to use caution.
It's so hard to judge who's at fault, etc. etc., without really hearing more information -- it's amazing how quickly people point fingers. It just reminds me of the saying, usually attributed to pedestrians but equally applicable to cyclists: "Yes, they have the right of way . . . until they try to prove it."
Have fun on your adventure weekend!
How scary. I almost got hit by a lady in her escalade this afternoon. She was turning left as I was going straight through the intersection. She either didn't see me, or didn't think that I would continue riding through the green light - twas scary.
Nice ride!
Heads up always and that's why I hate to see people riding with ipods..you can't hear shit out there when you're jammin!
Not much boob sweat at all but thanks for not giving us a crotch shot;)
Oh man, thanks for sharing that!! (not the boob shot of sweat) the story!
Hope your training weekend is awesome!
We run a small community 5k here in Ottawa, it's right in the city and there are a few driveways. I had a guy, who could not wait the 10 minutes for our kids 1K to be done so he DROVE OUT AMONG 60 KIDS. I freaked out on him... he couldn't understand what he'd done.
I think we need to keep in mind that (1) most people don't get the race thing and (2) even if they do people are impatient.
Hope the cyclists recovers.
There are a LOT of angry people out there. Defensive biking is the only way to roll - I trust no one in a car to see me. (Not that I am a saint regarding traffic laws on my bike.) It seems to be getting worse the more bikes are out there. Can't we all just get along? (Apparently not in FL.)
Wow, I feel like I accomplished a cardio workout just thinking about that 88 degree ride. Oye!
I had better take my bike out tomorrow as well... but at 105 degrees it might not feel all that swell!
Hi Steve,
I live in Miami and was in that area (being that it's also a highly traffic-ed running area as well as bike area).
That morning they had closed one entire side of the road for the race. When the cyclist was hit he had just come over the Rickenbacker Causeway Bridge and probably going pretty fast (someone told me about 30mph, not sure if it's accurate) when the car was turning through the race lane.
From witnessing the scene right after Tellez was taken in the ambulance, I would venture to say who ever was in charge of traffic there was absolutely at fault. There was absolutely no reason why he should have been allowed to make that turn!
Have a good one!
Eliza
I don't even know why I read all those ridiculous comments left on the Miami Herald's Web site. I work for the Cincinnati's paper, and I refuse to read the comments because they are all made by idiots. Drivers are oblivious, and with a race going on right in front of them, there is no excuse. That biker could've been a pedestrian, a child and elderly person...anyone. But it was a cyclists, so people get their panties in a bunch about it, saying it was the biker's fault. Idiots.
graveyards are filled with people that had the right of way. be careful out there!
Wow, thanks for sharing that story Steve. Reading the comments...wow, there is a lot of anger towards cyclists out there! Another good reminder to always ride defensively!
I had a person who was not paying attention pull out in front of me at Clearwater for the 70.3 Championships. The traffic cop was waving arms to stop and they kept going. I was able to stop in time.
very scary!
Someone in our IM group got hit by a car at IMWI last year during the bike at a controlled intersection. He was so mad he threw his water bottle at the car and got a 2 min penalty for littering!
You can never be too safe!
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