Racing cyclist killed - A63

[Rob3rt]

Road races will in some cases have a lead car and a broom wagon bringing up the rear.

 

[Mr Bunbury]

This was a time trial, riders set off at minute intervals. Chris was number 79, meaning he set off at 10.19am as the race started at 9am. There were riders numbered up to 150, so when Chris was getting hit, the last rider was probably still pumping up their tyres in the HQ. I was riding to the start, just a couple of miles away

 

[davester65]

@ Rob3rt...

Which is why i chose to ignore the 'blame game' comments, maybe you should too? As for organisation of these events, i stand by my post, as a sport we should be lobbying for better safety procedures and policing from local authorities.....(take a look at how your local marathon/half marathon is organised and policed as an amateur event)

 

[Rob3rt]

Which is why i chose to ignore the 'blame game' comments, maybe you should too? As for organisation of these events, i stand by my post, as a sport we should be lobbying for better safety procedures and policing from local authorities.....(take a look at how your local marathon/half marathon is organised and policed as an amateur event)

Clubs up and down the country are doing exactly that and have been doing it for decades, furthermore the new BC Accredited Marshall scheme I linked to previously is now rolling out. This is what is slightly annoying, people state "..... should be doing this", whilst being completely unaware of the immense efforts and time people have spent, and are indeed still spending doing exactly that.

A local marathon or half marathon is not a good comparison as it doesn't happen every week (there will be at least 1 TT per week in each district, usually several). There is also a difference between large running events and many smaller road running events too, many of these smaller events are not on closed roads etc either. BTW, I organise running races so am familiar with how little involvement local authorities have with smaller low-key events!

 

[Noodley]

Cyclists die. It's a fact. That some cyclists on this thread are trying to make a point that other cyclists are in some way to blame just because they are taking part in the form of cycling which they prefer is very sad. You really need to grow the feck up. And stop being an arse.

 

[davester65]

Cyclists die. It's a fact. That some cyclists on this thread are trying to make a point that other cyclists are in some way to blame just because they are taking part in the form of cycling which they prefer is very sad. You really need to grow the feck up. And stop being an arse.

agreed, let's stop the thread hijack and go back to the OP

R.I.P. fellow cyclist.

 

[Noodley]

I understand what you're saying Noodley, but aren't people trying to find ways that the form of cycling they prefer can be made safer? Cyclists dying might be a fact, but fewer cyclists dying could be an aspiration? Or are you saying anyone who thinks that is an arse?

I dinnae think there is much of "finding a safer way". What I do see is other cyclists being prejudiced. Which is sad. I could just as easily die on a track as on a TT or on a commute or riding over a mountain track.

 

[ComedyPilot]

Not necessarily. You can have dual carriageways with only one lane of traffic running in each direction. Dual carriageway just means that opposing flows of traffic are separated by a physical barrier of some type.

Granted, but in this case the A63 is just such a dual carriageway

 

[screenman]

I have raced on the V718 many times even done 2 ups on it, each time i have done so feeling as safe if not safer than I have in some single carriageway races.

Certainly my thoughts this morning are for the riders family and friends. The organisers also will be going through a very traumatic time, wondering what more they could have done.

 

[Arch]

"DC" = Dual Carriageway

The things I said cannot possibly happen on a dual carriageway because the riders are going out and back on a straight, flat piece of road with good sight lines. That was the point of my post: people talk up the dangers of racing on DCs but they forget that racing on SCs and minor roads has a whole different set of dangers, such as cutting corners at the bottom of hills etc.

I don't know anything about TTing. so, How do riders start off? Actually on the DC? Or feeding in from the side? Either way seems to have potential for danger to me.

Seems to me that racing in any form implies that competitors' prime consideration is going as fast as possible, potentially over caution. We'd condemn drivers for racing on an open road, even if they were racing only up to the speed limit.

 

[Crankarm]

Gruesome, killed by a 4x4 pulling a caravan. Was the 4x4 an X5 by any chance? Caravans should be banned.
RIP.

 

[Mr Bunbury]

I don't know anything about TTing. so, How do riders start off? Actually on the DC? Or feeding in from the side? Either way seems to have potential for danger to me.

Seems to me that racing in any form implies that competitors' prime consideration is going as fast as possible, potentially over caution. We'd condemn drivers for racing on an open road, even if they were racing only up to the speed limit.

The course map is here: V718 - mapmyride. It starts just off the DC and merges onto it.

As you admit that you don't know anything about TTing, it would be nice of you not to pass comment based on your knowledge of our state of mind. In this post we have "competitors' prime consideration is going as fast as possible, potentially over caution" - do you think that testers don't care whether we live or die? Think about that for a second, there's an obvious answer.

Then we have your first post:

I know drivers have a duty of care and all that, but if the A63 is anything like the A64 (and it sounds it from the description), then cycling on it is nuts, and organising a race on it, even more so.

You've not raced, not organised a race, know nothing about safety precautions (signage, traffic counts, rear lights, dayglo overshoes yadda yadda yadda) and you don't even know the road, yet you are prepared to declare that we are "nuts" - and that's even despite the evidence of 20+ years of regular safe racing on the course. Gee, thanks. Victim blaming, much?

This is not particularly aimed at you, it's aimed at all the people who choose to judge testers out of ignorance.

 

[Ian H]

I don't know anything about TTing. so, How do riders start off? Actually on the DC? Or feeding in from the side? Either way seems to have potential for danger to me.

Seems to me that racing in any form implies that competitors' prime consideration is going as fast as possible, potentially over caution. We'd condemn drivers for racing on an open road, even if they were racing only up to the speed limit.

Cycle competitions on public highways are covered by specific legislation dealing with both time trials and 'mass start' road racing.

 

[Soltydog]

The bit that doesn't sit right with me is people's attitude to cycling / TT's on dual carriageways.

A dual carriageway by the very virtue of it's name tells me there's NO oncoming traffic AND a WHOLE LANE to move over into to overtake.

Couple that with the legally-required signage to run such an event, and there's ZERO reason IMO for a vehicle driver to not be aware of the presence of cyclists, and ABSOLUTELY ZERO reason to hit and kill one.

Just where the F**K are these people looking when they're driving!!!!!!!

RIP & thoughts with family & friends of the unfortunate cyclist.
I drove along the A63 yesterday whilst the TT was underway, not long before the incident. Driving out of Hull (westbound) I saw no signage whatsoever that there was a cycling event underway. I'm not saying it wasnt there, but I didnt see it, when I saw the first cyclist, I though he's a brave soul cycling on here, but guessed it was a TT when there were more riders along the way.I passed using the outside lane, but many other motorists didnt

 

[GrasB]

You're talking rubbish. Bright rear lights are extremely popular in TTing. The current favourite is the Exposure Flare, then probably the Lezyne Micro Drive. Browse timetriallingforum.co.uk to see discussion of rear lights passim.

Not in my experience. Very few riders seem to run rear lights on the TTs I've been to. Yes, those who have rear lights have good ones. However, the vast majority of the field don't run a rear light.