some of you will have seen the thread in YACF
This is what happened
Four young men registered, looking for a bit of practice for a long ride across Southern France. One of them told me that they would bring a car down, park it, go to Victoria, cycle to Whitstable, go back to the car and drive home. I suggested they take the train, but the chap said the car was easier. In the event the ride was taking it's time, they were in a bit of a rush, and they made for Sittingbourne Station to return to their car.
As some of you will know, one of the four hit another car while driving home. A 47 year old man in the other car died. The returnee has pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving and received a seven month sentence.
One of his colleagues called me and told me about the crash a little while after the ride. I did consider giving up the rides, but, after talking to a bunch of the 'regulars' (some will be reading this), Rob Fuller of the CTC, Antonia Shepherd at the Martlets and Ian Hennessey of Audax UK, I decided to carry on. I'm not quite sure who said what to convince me, but, for what it's worth, and setting aside, for a second, this terrible event, every time somebody has some kind of minor mishap on the ride I do think 'that's it, that's enough'.
As most of you will know, all the FNRttCs finish close to railway stations, and almost all go along, or pretty close to, railway lines. We've never had a problem getting people away on the train, and I do 'sell' people the the train return (bigging up Groupsave and advance tickets), because that's what it's there for....
While some people are picked up by car I think that occasions where cyclists have driven home from the FNRttC are very rare - I know of only one other occurrence, although we have one regular who 'sleeps it off' in a camper van. I think it's rare because we start just down the road from London Victoria (or York, or Piccadilly, or Cardiff Central) and wind up, as I say, at a railway station. Simples. There is, of course, the SMRttH crowd, but I reckon that, as a group, they know what they're about.
I don't tell people not to drive, because it is so very rare, although the Martlets FNRttC site has this
REMEMBER - you may be tired at the end of the ride - BE SAFE making your way home
which, I suppose, is making the point.
I'm not sure I'm going to change anything now. It's awful that a man lost his life, but, as someone has just pointed out to me, he got hit by a BMW, not by a pushbike. You're perfectly entitled to tell me I'm wrong.
There's the usual hopeless wittering on YACF (the OP was banned from the ride after putting our insurance policy at risk back in 2010) but, happily, there are some people, like Kim, pointing out that, yes, indeed, it is a train-based ride. I'm going to leave them to it. I'm not averse to people making a point here, but I'd be grateful if we could keep in mind that somebody died.
This is what happened
Four young men registered, looking for a bit of practice for a long ride across Southern France. One of them told me that they would bring a car down, park it, go to Victoria, cycle to Whitstable, go back to the car and drive home. I suggested they take the train, but the chap said the car was easier. In the event the ride was taking it's time, they were in a bit of a rush, and they made for Sittingbourne Station to return to their car.
As some of you will know, one of the four hit another car while driving home. A 47 year old man in the other car died. The returnee has pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving and received a seven month sentence.
One of his colleagues called me and told me about the crash a little while after the ride. I did consider giving up the rides, but, after talking to a bunch of the 'regulars' (some will be reading this), Rob Fuller of the CTC, Antonia Shepherd at the Martlets and Ian Hennessey of Audax UK, I decided to carry on. I'm not quite sure who said what to convince me, but, for what it's worth, and setting aside, for a second, this terrible event, every time somebody has some kind of minor mishap on the ride I do think 'that's it, that's enough'.
As most of you will know, all the FNRttCs finish close to railway stations, and almost all go along, or pretty close to, railway lines. We've never had a problem getting people away on the train, and I do 'sell' people the the train return (bigging up Groupsave and advance tickets), because that's what it's there for....
While some people are picked up by car I think that occasions where cyclists have driven home from the FNRttC are very rare - I know of only one other occurrence, although we have one regular who 'sleeps it off' in a camper van. I think it's rare because we start just down the road from London Victoria (or York, or Piccadilly, or Cardiff Central) and wind up, as I say, at a railway station. Simples. There is, of course, the SMRttH crowd, but I reckon that, as a group, they know what they're about.
I don't tell people not to drive, because it is so very rare, although the Martlets FNRttC site has this
REMEMBER - you may be tired at the end of the ride - BE SAFE making your way home
which, I suppose, is making the point.
I'm not sure I'm going to change anything now. It's awful that a man lost his life, but, as someone has just pointed out to me, he got hit by a BMW, not by a pushbike. You're perfectly entitled to tell me I'm wrong.
There's the usual hopeless wittering on YACF (the OP was banned from the ride after putting our insurance policy at risk back in 2010) but, happily, there are some people, like Kim, pointing out that, yes, indeed, it is a train-based ride. I'm going to leave them to it. I'm not averse to people making a point here, but I'd be grateful if we could keep in mind that somebody died.
