Brian Ratliff

I don't think about things like this. If it happens to me, it happens and I'll deal. Shame on you for bringing up hypotheticals about my loved ones getting killed.

We don't know if the guy was riding with caution or aggression.

If the guy is riding with caution, there is a non-zero chance a collision might occur.

Yes, an English university student on vacation said he was going fast (most cyclists traveling in the "car" lanes do go fast relative to pedestrians). Yes, his "pal" stated he didn't seem to slow down (so did the police officer when I was 17 and rear-ended a guy; I had the brake pedal pushed to the floor though... wheeled vehicles don't look like they are stopping if there's no accompanying melodramatic brake squeal/tires smoking).

Notice I have made exactly zero statements of fact about this incident. Except for two which are self-evident: 1) A pedestrian and a cyclist at speed collided and 2) the pedestrian had a head injury and died. I am sorry someone died. I'm not going to speculate about how the cyclist was stupid, a moron, evil, should be jailed, a Strava junkie, irrational, negligent, criminal... as an expression of sympathy. These are weighty concepts not to be tossed around lightly. That is all I am talking about.

People want it to be true that the cyclist was a dick, irresponsible, a moron, criminal, for two reasons: 1) it sets the world to rights because a lady got killed and so there must be a bad guy to take the blame for the tragedy, and 2) if the cyclist was a dick, it means all us other self-proclaimed non-dicks are safe from ever being in this situation. Comforting thoughts both, but patently untrue.