I've been riding for 18yrs give or take and have seen my share of accidents over this amount of time given I've ridden with a local Wheelmen club. However, tonight, takes the cake.
About 24 miles into my Wed night ride with some of the usual folks in the front group. We are only riding at a medium pace tonight, but still pretty fast. I'm riding outside and to the left of the pace line to get a better workout ... and because the lead isn't changing all that much as the stronger guys are pulling most of the way for the group. And, now and then we'll ride a double pace line, but not revolving ... just having a good strong ride.
We are riding a single pace line with me on the outside of the 3rd guy back having a conversation. His name is David Allen and he lives in Sellersburg, IN with his wife and two daughters ages 10mos and 4yhrs. He's a great guy and a past football player from Ohio State who's a good 6' 4" and around 250lbs ... a clyde to say the least.
All of a sudden, going down a slight decline at ~26 or 27mph,
POW ... the loudest POP I've ever heard from a bicycle and I see him going head over handlebars as his front wheel collapses under the bike and he hits the pavement ... I can vaguely make out feet/legs up in the air tumbling all while the rest of the folks behind him do all they can to not ride over top of him.
I am a Red Cross CPR/First Aid instructor (training others for CPR / First Aid certification -- best way I knew how to learn it and know it myself for personal use if/when needed) and there was also a nurse riding along with us.
The nurse, Kristie, and I get to him first. He is conscious and breathing ... laying in a ditch off the side of the road (country road out in the county ... no traffic to speak of). We stabilize him as best we can. A neighbor puts ice in a bag and we put that around the HUGE gash round his eye where his sunglasses cut him down to the bone in a 1.5" wound. He's scraped up and there are no open wounds other than the one next to his eye/brow. I call an ambulance and they arrive about 8 to 9 minutes later.
He is currently in the ER awaiting results back from a CT scan. I called and spoke to his wife (also a cyclist) and she gave me an update. He is stable. Please keep David and his family in your thoughts.
Nothing flew into his wheel ... it appears spokes broke and for whatever reason (i.e. his weight, compromised rim, etc.) the wheel truly did SNAP with a LOUD pop sound which caused the rim to shatter and get caught up in the fork. The bikes stops moving forward.
Here is a camera photo (low quality! Looks a LOT worse in person) of the wheel.
It can happen to the best of us and for NO reason whatsoever and completely out of our control. One more reason to pay more attention to the overall mechanics of your bike. Not that that would make a difference in David's situation. But, I sure am going to start taking a extra few minutes before each ride to do a more thorough check.
Safe Riding!