Oroluk Lagoon

I skipped the first free food stop at about Mile 24. At about 6:40AM, just 2-3 miles beyond the food stop a fast pace line passed me with maybe 6 or 7 riders. They had only gotten a few bike lengths beyond me and a few other riders in front of me when they just seemed to explode. One rider slid across the center line to the far shoulder and two or three more went down in the middle of our lane. I and everyone in front of me managed to miss them and get through or stop short.

It seemed as if there were at least two, maybe three riders on the pavement.

I stopped just beyond the crash and witnessed several more people stopping, giving aid, and calling for help.

I hope it wasn't as bad as it looked. Was anyone on the forum involved in this crash or know anything about it?

Bekologist

who knows how many crashes occurred during STP; the girlfriend of one of my co-workers at the bike shop crashed before they got to Kent, so early on- dislocated shoulder, concussion, etc.

I prefer solo riding to portland myself, less bikes to deal with

bikerwife

I think my husband was involved in the bike crash that you mentioned just before the 228th rest stop at about that time. It involved about 4-7 people from the sound of it and the biker that fell first rode off without stopping leaving quite a wake behind him. The 2nd guy to fall landed on his face and was pretty banged up and bloody from the sounds of it, but was able to take himself to the hospital apparently vs. an ambulance ride which is a good sign. My husband and his buddy fell behind him and thankfully just ended up with road rash, bruises and one broken bike, so they had to stop the race early and come home which was a bummer. Good news is that everyone seemed to be ok.

bikerwife

correction, just after the 228th rest stop

CliftonGK1

To and back from, if I understood donnamb correctly.

Bekologist

its only 200 miles!

Oroluk Lagoon

Bikerwife, yes, it was just after the REI free food stop at 228th at about 6:40 am. Glad to hear there were no serious injuries. When I managed to squeak through (not enough warning to stop) it looked as though at least two guys were not moving. But if I went down that hard I probably wouldn't feel like moving either. I'm not at all surprised that they did not continue.

Incredibly, this was just one of three crashes that I witnessed immediately in front of me. The other two were single riders, a woman that caught one of the deep ruts near Sumner, and a man later on that apparently touched the wheel of the bike in front of him. Both of them immediately responded that they were OK. I guess maybe it is bad luck to ride ahead of me. I also came upon a 4th crash somewhere near Winlock where there was a man on his back just off the shoulder and I thought I heard one of the people that had stopped say "over the handlebars" as I went by. Just a mile or so down the road, three aid vehicles came from the opposite direction at full speed with sirens blaring. This would have been about 1PM or so.

Since this was my first STP I have no way of knowing if my experience was typical. In any case it was very sobering and made me very wary of other riders and the condition of the road.

To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson: Eternal vigilance is the price of safety.

NeoGeek

OMG! Oroluk. Where did the crash between the riders touching front and back wheels occur? That might have been me, lol. My crash happened right outside of a rest stop around mile 136. Luckily it had a mechanic station that got me and my friend (whose back tire I hit) back on the road. We were both mostly okay although my friend did crack the back of his helmet and we both had a bit of road rash.

-Neo

Oroluk Lagoon

That crash where the riders touched wheels was fairly early on. I think it was probably somewhere before Yelm, like about mile 60 to 70 or so, but it's all muddled in my mind now, but it definitely wasn't at 136.

Jasper Storm

Neo- I think It was you I heard crash, about 100 feet south of the exit from Castle Rock HS rest stop. In fact, I was just exiting as it happened, but I didn't see it happen, as I was watching for traffic. I rode back and told the aid station attendant that two riders were down, but I wasn't sure if they were hurt or not. When I passed by, I saw someone looking at a dismounted wheel, while some woman was rattling on about what she saw.

PedalMasher

A lot of riders on STP have no business joining pacelines or doing 100 miles each day. Much safer to do RSVP or local century rides!

ngateguy

The RSVP is harder and requires more experience than the STP, and it is not as well supported. Besides the first day is a century. The nice thing though is less people only 1500 compared to 10K. I started riding it after 4 STP's because I got tired of getting into crashes with the novices. So I guess I would prefer them to stay with the STP.

HardyWeinberg

Was the accident we're talking about the one described on page 5 here?

https://www.capitalbicycleclub.org/ne...erJuly2008.pdf

Oroluk Lagoon

No, I don't think that's the accident I saw. He doesn't mention any other riders being injured. In the accident I saw, at least two were down hard and not moving and possibly three more also crashed but were moving to get up and out of the way. Plus I don't recall the ditch or wall that are mentioned in the Capital club article. But thanks for the link...I'm still concerned and would like to know if all the riders in the accident I saw are OK.

lazlo

Thanks for confirming my conviction never to ride STP.

NeoGeek

That sounds like me, Jasper. I came off easy. Bike checked out okay and almost all my scabs are gone
I'm pretty sure it was me and my coworker you saw. We were both okay except for some road rash and some messed up bikes. The Pedros bike station got us going again shortly and my friend finished the STP. I succumbed to heat exhaustion at mile 160 though.

FlowerBlossom

Bummer. That looks like it hurts.

But, it's not really just the novices. There are also quite a few better-than-thou's out there with attitudes not unlike some I'm hearing in this thread, that made conditions unsafe.

In the end, it's not that bad, if you just stay away from other riders. It's pretty easy to do and maintain your pace.

I started early, before 6am, missing the critical mass of the 2-day riders that starts between 6am and 7am. Also, I stayed in single-file at the lights. Which meant that the @$$!*&*$, who always always always the ones in kits, who were too good to wait in line like the rest of us, rode to the front making it 4 or 5 abreast by the time light turned green. For my protection, I just waited for everyone in front of me to clear, taking at most 30-60 seconds, and I was back at pace and had room to pass the slower people who had gone through before me.

There are other strategies for playing it safe. Basically, common sense and patience is really all you need. Ego and attitude, keep it at home.

####
One a brighter note, the guy who crashed as featured on page 5 has on a nice jersey. I'll have to wander over to the Fish Bowl this weekend and see about getting one. A jersey too.

Oroluk Lagoon

+1 exactly

After seeing this crash I let the fast pace lines go rather than hang with them for awhile, and the slow ones I passed quickly and, thanks to my rear-view mirror, way out wide out in the middle of the lane.