"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Kevin Underhill died in his first race last week

I skimmed quickly and didn't see another thread about it, so if I missed it I apologize.

The weekly crit series that myself, Waterrockets, EDR, Cbip, and others do regularly is one of the safest races you can do I suppose.

Kevin Underhill was excited about racing for his first time. He had come out weeks prior to recon the course. He wanted to go into it as prepared as possible.

I wasn't there, but by reports around 3 laps in wheels met in a high speed turn, and Kevin face planted into the tarmac at 30mph. I'm told the results were horrific. I've talked to many who were there - and some very experienced racers were shaken up pretty bad. He was rushed to a local hospital where they did emergency surgery and then put him in ICU but he didn't make it. Saturday from what I understand they had him on life support because he was an organ donor. He died Sunday. Lance Armstrong even offered his condolences in his twitter feed.

Anyway, the point of this thread is to simply acknowledge some one died racing. Died racing on tarmac I've shredded cassettes and wheels on. Tarmac Waterrockets and RacerX have won races on. On a place that me and my friends are very familiar with. We've poured a lot of energy into that bit of dirt for sure. The point is to acknowledge that someone like us passed discovering he was like us, that he was one of us. Shoot, he was better. He died racing. He died on a bike. In 3 laps he was more of a racer than I'll ever be.

Very sad but I don't think that last sentence was necessary... :eek:

My condolences to the family.

article (http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/fitcity/index.html)

Very sad but I don't think that last sentence was necessary... :eek:

+1 Sadly people die all the time, but that doesn't change who they were. Remember people for the way they lived, not the way they died.

+1 Sadly people die all the time, but that doesn't change who they were. Remember people for the way they lived, not the way they died.

More to the point I don't want to have to die on my bike to be considered a "real racer"

I dunno - maybe it was over dramatic, but I want to give respect to Kevin. It took courage, more than for you or me, for him to race that night. And he died. Sorry, I'm just kind of blown away by that.

Out of respect I don't want to start an argument, so I will say that yes it was a bit overdramatic but I understand the sentiment and leave it at that.

Did you know him personally?

My condolences to his family and all that loved him.

Absolutely tragic! Many lives changed in an instant. My prayers to those who are left behind and still feel the pain.

condolences to Kevin's family, loved ones, and to the racing community. That's tough. I've been at a race where someone died (not crash related but rather a heart attack), and used to do a group ride where someone was killed in an accident with a vehicle. Both shook me up.

Our local racing association did some charitable things for the surviving children/family in both instances, possibly yours could as well.

Ride on, Kevin. And peace to your family and friends.

Yikes! Those are always bad news. RIP to Kevin and condolences to his family.

Wow, that's scary. RIP and my condolences to those who knew him.

Godspeed Kevin. It's a scary reminder that tomorrow is a gift, not a promise.

I never met Kevin Underhill but I grieve for him.

Vaya con Dios

God's Peace and prayers to and for his family.

I rode a few times with him this summer on a Tu night ride with Lake Travis. Very low profile guy on more of a commuter bike with panniers and some aqua fina water bottles and old school clothes. What Bike Forum might call a Fred, but he would not care. He just loved to ride and go hard. He was a strong rider and as heavy as his bike was with commuter tires he could nearly hang with the ride leaders that raced.

We both would get dropped around the same area so we got to visit a bit. Humble guy and often would just ride on to go to his girlfrinend's house vs turn around with us.

Like everyone else I was shocked at the news of the wreck, and then assumed he would be ok till we got word Saturday. On my Sunday group ride I did, I was pretty paranoid in the pace line and pack as things accelerated.

It definitely put my plans on hold to try a crit this year. Maybe a road race.

Tomorrow the LTC club will do a ride to honor him.

My thoughts and prayers to his family.

This is really awful. My condolences to the family. I just don't know what else to say.

That's tragic... completely heart-rending.

It's an ugly site seeing someone crash very badly. A teammate of mine was in a very bad wreck recently and was air lifted from the race, he came close to not making it, it was a frightening site but he was luckier then Kevin.

R.I.P Kevin and my thoughts and prayers to his family.

A gentleman that I know who works in our building died falling down some stairs. Life is so fragile and we sometimes take it for granted not realizing what/who we leave behind.

Truly sad for those who love and miss him.

My condolences to his family.

It's a sobering reminder that there are real dangers in what we do.

It definitely put my plans on hold to try a crit this year. Maybe a road race.

I would not assume, based on this incident, that you are less likely to suffer a serious injury in a road race than a criterium. If anything, the opposite is likely true. This is a dangerous sport. Horrible tragedies like this don't happen very often, but of course they do happen. It's senseless and sad. Stay safe out there.

It's an ugly site seeing someone crash very badly. A teammate of mine was in a very bad wreck recently and was air lifted from the race, he came close to not making it, it was a frightening site but he was luckier then Kevin.

R.I.P Kevin and my thoughts and prayers to his family.
Thanks for doing the armstrong challenge. Efforts like that somewhat offset this recent spate of bad news.

:(

Statesman obit (http://www.austin360.com/search/content/recreation/stories/2009/08/0818underhill.html) As Sub said, life can be more fragile than we realize...prayers...

So so sad, condolences to his family.

I rode a few times with him this summer on a Tu night ride with Lake Travis. Very low profile guy on more of a commuter bike with panniers and some aqua fina water bottles and old school clothes. What Bike Forum might call a Fred, but he would not care. He just loved to ride and go hard. He was a strong rider and as heavy as his bike was with commuter tires he could nearly hang with the ride leaders that raced.

We both would get dropped around the same area so we got to visit a bit. Humble guy and often would just ride on to go to his girlfrinend's house vs turn around with us.

Like everyone else I was shocked at the news of the wreck, and then assumed he would be ok till we got word Saturday. On my Sunday group ride I did, I was pretty paranoid in the pace line and pack as things accelerated.

It definitely put my plans on hold to try a crit this year. Maybe a road race.


Tomorrow the LTC club will do a ride to honor him.

My thoughts and prayers to his family.

Shark, very nice remembrance...I think this sums up Kevin best...those that knew him talk about him in these terms..a guy who loved his bike.

I think for many the shock of Kevin's death is even greater due to the fact that it happened at the Driveway...about the safest place to race there is. Racing can be dangerous but rarely fatal. We all take bigger risks riding on the street than we ever do racing.

Wow, that's horrible - RIP.

Pretty sobering.

RIP.

I wasn't there, but by reports around 3 laps in wheels met in a high speed turn, and Kevin face planted into the tarmac at 30mph. I'm told the results were horrific.

I'm wondering if it might not be good "training" for bike riders to do tumbling practice. Not that it would have necessarily helped in this case, since we don't know the details... but I have noticed that some riders do not naturally tuck and roll when they take a header... and it would be a lot safer if they did.

Terrible news. Prayers for his family.

Thanks for doing the armstrong challenge. Efforts like that somewhat offset this recent spate of bad news.

Thanks for your donation.

Sounds like he was a really cool guy, what a shame :(

Hello,

I first heard about this tragic news via a tweet from Lance. It really shakes me up anytime anyone is seriously injured in a racing crash, much less dying as a result.

My condolences to his family an friends. From everyone's comments and the obituary, it sounds like Mr. Underhill really tried to experience a great variety of outdoor activities and sports. RIP.

Terrible. Sounded like a nice man. RIP.

Thats sad news. Im always taken back when someone dies on a bike. Man, thats awful news.

Im sorry, but why do people seem to think that crits are safe?
This is not the first time I have heard of someone dieing in a crit in their first 5 races.
The reason I havent raced in the US is because of all the crits. They are so unbelievably unsafe.
I know its to get crowd support, but I hope they get rid of them, or at least have more road races.
Im not gonna get into any debates here, so lets just leave it at that.

Again, this is very sad news. Condolences to the family.

Thats sad news. Im always taken back when someone dies on a bike. Man, thats awful news.

Im sorry, but why do people seem to think that crits are safe?
This is not the first time I have heard of someone dieing in a crit in their first 5 races.
The reason I havent raced in the US is because of all the crits. They are so unbelievably unsafe.
I know its to get crowd support, but I hope they get rid of them, or at least have more road races.
Im not gonna get into any debates here, so lets just leave it at that.

Again, this is very sad news. Condolences to the family.

The venue that Kevin was killed is very safe..safer than any RR I've ever done...it's more like a circuit race than a crit. Perfect pavement..no curbs or other obstructions to hit..and very wide even in the corners. It wasn't the venue that killed Kevin. He just landed in a way that produced enormous trauma to his brain. This could have just as easily on the open road as at this place.

Thats sad news. Im always taken back when someone dies on a bike. Man, thats awful news.

Im sorry, but why do people seem to think that crits are safe?
This is not the first time I have heard of someone dieing in a crit in their first 5 races.
The reason I havent raced in the US is because of all the crits. They are so unbelievably unsafe.
I know its to get crowd support, but I hope they get rid of them, or at least have more road races.
Im not gonna get into any debates here, so lets just leave it at that.

Again, this is very sad news. Condolences to the family.

What you're saying simply isn't true. So yeah, there's a debate. Crits are just as safe as road races. For one, you do the same thing lap after lap so the turns and imperfections of the road become common place and well known. This isn't the case in road race, particularly those with longer circuits. A road race with a large field, especially if the speed isn't high, makes it difficult to do anything but 'feel' bends in the road. Guys can be curb to curb. Situations arise where it's very easy to overlap wheels.

Thats sad news. Im always taken back when someone dies on a bike. Man, thats awful news.

Im sorry, but why do people seem to think that crits are safe?
This is not the first time I have heard of someone dieing in a crit in their first 5 races.
The reason I havent raced in the US is because of all the crits. They are so unbelievably unsafe.
I know its to get crowd support, but I hope they get rid of them, or at least have more road races.
Im not gonna get into any debates here, so lets just leave it at that.

Again, this is very sad news. Condolences to the family.

Translation:

I'm going to make sweeping statements which aren't true, and then not defend them because I know I'm wrong...

God Speed.

Translation:

I'm going to make sweeping statements which aren't true, and then not defend them because I know I'm wrong...

It would be nice to have ONE thread, especially one meant to act as way of expressing members' condolences for a terrible tragedy, where OT nit picking is absent. Let's let this be that thread.

My thoughts go out to his family and friends.
~Nick

Yeah, this sucks. Prayers have been going out to his family.

A teammate of EDR, RX, and mine was in the race, and it was horrific, sad, and a freak set of circumstances on this course.

It would be nice to have ONE thread, especially one meant to act as way of expressing members' condolences for a terrible tragedy, where OT nit picking is absent. Let's let this be that thread.

My thoughts go out to his family and friends.
~Nick

Thanks for your incredible wisdom...

:rolleyes:

Wishing the best to his family and friends. I can't imagine how hard it is for them.

I'm wondering if it might not be good "training" for bike riders to do tumbling practice. Not that it would have necessarily helped in this case, since we don't know the details... but I have noticed that some riders do not naturally tuck and roll when they take a header... and it would be a lot safer if they did.

It helps but it takes specific training both on and off the bike to develop the reflexes if you don't already have them. I have a coach that pushes learning how to prevent going down as well as how to crash properly.

My sympathies to the family.
Life is not safe...doesn't matter what we are doing. When it is "your time" you are going.
He left our world doing something he liked, not in pain and agony withering away in a bed with more gear attached than a new car has...
Kevin has passed to the next phase of existence...depends on your belief system...and I hope it is good.

Thats sad news. Im always taken back when someone dies on a bike. Man, thats awful news.

Im sorry, but why do people seem to think that crits are safe?
This is not the first time I have heard of someone dieing in a crit in their first 5 races.
The reason I havent raced in the US is because of all the crits. They are so unbelievably unsafe.
I know its to get crowd support, but I hope they get rid of them, or at least have more road races.
Im not gonna get into any debates here, so lets just leave it at that.

Again, this is very sad news. Condolences to the family.

http://blogs.fayobserver.com/faytoz/files/2008/01/walter-mitty.gif

I can't see myself doing any more bike touring or training after reading stuff like this... I want to be an old man when I die damnit. How do you people cope with hearing about stuff like this? Am I the only one who doesn't want to stop existing... I want to browse BF forever. Wish I was born in whatever era we start putting our brains into undying robots.

people die doing EVERYTHING or NOTHING.. you can't get ahead by skipping out on what you love in life.

The venue that Kevin was killed is very safe..safer than any RR I've ever done...it's more like a circuit race than a crit. Perfect pavement..no curbs or other obstructions to hit..and very wide even in the corners.

I need to check this venue out in person before the season is over. As mentioned in the other thread my plan would be to have a mentor type help me.

Tonight at the Driveway was somber. Huge turnout to support the promoter (who has really had a tough time with this tragedy). Each race started off with bag pipes and a silent neutral lap (2.3 miles). It was sad, but nice to see the familiar faces and get some of what we're out there for.

There was a touching memorial under one of the tents for Kevin, as lots of folks brought flowers.

I didn't have any fangs for the P123 race (just the mood for me, you know?). Still fun to get back out there and just finish near the front of the main chase. One guy skated his front through a tight corner in front of me. Lots of sliding sounds and vibrating carbon fiber, but he kept it up. I thought I was about to see a crash, but some of these elite-type guys just have more skill to recover, and nobody around him freaked out. Comforting to see something go right.