dcbikeguy

F*ck these death threads. Every time some poor schmuck dies on a bike, somebody has to race to post it on the BF. Morbid SOB's.

If you have to post about it, try here...

https://www.bikeforums.net/advocacy-safety/

atomship47

i don't know what other people think. i think that i don't care to speculate. again, sounds like a very odd and tragic event.

Kurt Erlenbach

These things should be posted. We all should learn from them

uke

+1. I'd rather read one of these threads than another mean-spirited jab at fellow cyclists who aren't wearing the right gear, riding the right bikes, etc.

Doctor Who

A couple of years ago, I was busy gawking at a yard sale while out riding and I ran into the back of a pickup truck that had stopped behind a car turning left on a four lane road, with parked cars on either side.

My fault entirely.

And I'm absolutely positive that similar incidents happen to cyclists, novices and experts alike, everywhere. One moment spent staring at the Powertap or at a skipping rear derailleur, and you can pile right into some immovable, hard object.

atomship47

agreed. ride long enough and most people will have an example of something dangerous happening (or almost happening). had a close call myself today because i wasn't paying attention to the road. fortunately, most of the time, we're able to 'live and learn' from it. were you seriously injured when you hit the truck?

dcbikeguy

What have you learned?

If it's time for your ticket to get punched - not a f-ing thing you can do son. Why dwell on it?

And there is a place for these...

https://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?f=8

dbc

But what can we learn from this specific incident? Since there are no details on how the accident developed, we have only speculation as to the cause. The best we can extract here is an obvious "pay attention to what's in front of you".

My condolences and best wishes go out to the family and friends of this unfortunate bicyclist.

Doctor Who

Not really. Just bruised my leg and arm, some road rash. My bike was kinda scuffed up, same with my jersey and helmet. Nothing you wouldn't expect. I wasn't going all that fast, maybe 15-17 MPH, and I hit the corner in a last second ditch to try to get around the truck. If I ran full tilt into the tailgate, I imagine I would've been considerably worse off.

rooftest

Try watching out for the parked SUVs in front of you.

dziehr

The accident happened at dusk, when the rider was heading west towards the setting sun. As many have experienced, sunlight from the horizon during this time of year can be blinding--with our without sunglasses.

A true tragedy.

tntyz

Agreed. However, it seems like some were suggesting that something more had gone on, I just couldn't figure out what was on their minds.

Bikelyst

Just an update...the guy was a cat 1 road racer. Extremely skilled and experienced...which adds to the questions. I rode with him a few times...he was fast.

merctom

He was a friend of mine, ass. Show some respect.

pista

This is what I think really happened. The woman driver suddenly pulled to the side of the road without looking in right view mirror and cut off the cyclist with a dead stop. He simply just hit the suddenly parked car. Of course, she was acting a like she was blameless. They all do in situations like this where the blame may be questionable.

A similiar situation happened to me once. But I swerved to the left and passed it. Fortunately for me. The dead cyclist probably didn't have that option because the car stopped so suddenly in front of him. A car can come to a complete stop real fast.

baiskeli

I know, and that sucks, a couple of weeks ago I yelled and cursed out a driver for her utter stupidity. I was riding on Mass Ave from Lexington into Arlington Heights. This knuckle head passes me on the left, and then decides she absolutely has to get into a parking spot on my right. So, no signal, she cuts right in front of me so that she was parallel to the parked cars (she intended to reverse into the spot), and slams on her brakes. I'm doing about 24 MPH (its slightly downhill), she was going faster than that and comes to a complete stop. I grab brakes but there is no was I can stop in time so I end up skidding and swerving to avoid rear-ending her. Thankfully, there was no car behind me too close (there was one but it was a bit of a distance, he also ended up asking the driver what the hell she thought she was doing after I was yelling at her (I didn't curse, just made my point very clear).

Assured clear distance assumes that the driver in front of you does not decide to pull a bone-headed moronic move.

Skewer

I wondered if that was what really happened when I read this article as well. I have had this very type of situation happen multiple times over the years resulting in me having to swerve left without looking and some near misses.

Happens all too frequently.

Tunnelrat81

This is what went through my head also when I read the article. It's hard not to speculate towards a more "believable" story when your read something like this.

I too have had moments of a loss of concentration on my commute home on clear sections of road, once realizing a bit later than I'd like that there was a parked trailer in the bike lane, just sitting there. I still had plenty of time to react by either stopping or going around, but it was a "pucker moment" and made me realize how important it is to stay focused, even on a road that I ride home from work daily.

Equally as conceivable though is a scenario where a driver freaks out over something spilling in the car and swerves into the bike lane and slams on the brakes to get stopped as quickly as possible. This sort of maneuver would leave very little time for a even an attentive cyclist to respond to. Just last week I made a left turn through an intersection onto a section of 4 lane road (two each way) and was just speeding up when a driver who had pulled into the left of the two lanes decided that there was someone she needed to pickup at the bus stop on the right side of the road and just blasted right into my lane, stopping at an angle with her back corner still sticking into the lane of traffic. I had to stop very quickly, check behind for more traffic, and quickly get around her to be on my way safely. Most people don't slow down at reasonable speeds when something in their car requires immediate attention. Few would remember to put flashers on after stopping and before addressing the "spill." Not saying that she didn't, that she isn't one of the responsible few, but that it's conceivable that she made the maneuver much more quickly than could be predicted.

Either way, it's really sad. And I feel for his wife and kids. =( The risk is a reality for all of us who ride the road, and even more so for those of us who commute daily during the morning traffic fiasco.

-Jeremy

Pharmr

"The G## d@mn Germans got nothin to do with it!"



but what happened in this story sucks....my prayers go out to all involved....I'm glad every time I get home safe.

dcbikeguy

Chill. No disrespect to your friend. All disrespect should be directed at the OP.

atomship47

WAS IT OVER WHEN THE GERMANS BOMBED PEARL HARBOR?


bad taste considering the thread. just trying to lighten the mood.

Cyclist0383

If English isn't your native language this is totally excusable, if it isn't you are neither clever or humorous.

Pharmr

I think you mistakingly used isn't twice. If English is not your native language, I understand. You're not to clever, but you have a lock on being a condescending jerk.

Cyclist0383

Jaa, I made a mistake, but you're still not funny or clever. Really cool of you to make jokes in a death thread; good going.

rooftest

Zing!