Ride London Accident

[srw]

With any sort of event, especially Ride London with tens of thousands taking part, as already stated, you will get incidents happening. A closed roads event for a long ride like this out into the Surrey Hills really doesn't do cycling any favours. What we want to be doing is encouraging people to think of cycling as a normal everyday activity that they don't need to wear special clothes or a helmet for. That's why the events which close the centre of London only would be far better, and so allowing people to explore the city on 2 wheels without motorised vehicles getting in the way.

I'd love to see the statistics. I think you'd be surprised, particularly in London, how many of the Sportive brigade are also utility cyclists. Rude London is part of the normalisation package.

 

[swansonj]

And I gather that some riders even got flapjack and cups of tea from evil support teams which had previously been planted on the route....

My offers of flapjack and cups of tea to friends on the ride was in part my small symbolic gesture to subvert the hyper-organised Lycra-and-gels culture of the ride; my small asssertion of the traditional touring (and Fridays) virtues of stopping at the side of the road for a cup of tea and home-made flapjack made with twice as much golden syrup as the recipe specifies....

 

[vickster]

I was marshalling a v busy crossing in Kingston. Most people were happy to watch the cyclists while waiting. A few were pretty angry and abusive, some just because of the inconvenience. But a number of these people were seemingly anti cyclist full stop, one whining at length about us getting in the way of cars (he did shut up a bit when I said how much money would be raised for charity and that his day to day delays on the roads are caused by motor traffic not cyclists).

There was also one very unpleasant character who stated all of the riders should be mown down with a machine gun and he certainly wasn't kidding!

There were also a few grumbles from riders who were forced to stop for a couple of minutes but I think many were happy to have an excuse for a breather

I was also astonished by the number of people who don't keep a hold of their children when crossing in a large throng of people!!

 

[Racing roadkill]

Wonder what happened there? looks serious -

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...-surrey-london-course-diverted-pyrford-ripley

It happened right in front of that church on the hill, about a minute before we got there. It was caused by a bunch of knobbers 'chain ganging'. The Marshalls shouted at them to slow down, and if you look carefully, you can see the bright pink "caution" sign, on the left, by the start of the corner, but one of them clipped the kerb, and wrapped himself around a tree. He broke his neck.

 

[EltonFrog]

I was marshalling a v busy crossing in Kingston. Most people were happy to watch the cyclists while waiting. A few were pretty angry and abusive, some just because of the inconvenience. But a number of these people were seemingly anti cyclist full stop, one whining at length about us getting in the way of cars (he did shut up a bit when I said how much money would be raised for charity and that his day to day delays on the roads are caused by motor traffic not cyclists).

There was also one very unpleasant character who stated all of the riders should be mown down with a machine gun and he certainly wasn't kidding!

There were also a few grumbles from riders who were forced to stop for a couple of minutes but I think many were happy to have an excuse for a breather

I was also astonished by the number of people who don't keep a hold of their children when crossing in a large throng of people!!

I thought the marshals did a brilliant job throughout the day, and in Kingston the support from crowds was immense, and made me feel a bit emotional, ( I think I had something in my eye) .

Riding through Kingston market I heard some old boy say, 'A load of bleeding thugs, the of 'em' . Made a couple of us laugh.

 

[benb]

I was marshalling a v busy crossing in Kingston. Most people were happy to watch the cyclists while waiting. A few were pretty angry and abusive, some just because of the inconvenience. But a number of these people were seemingly anti cyclist full stop, one whining at length about us getting in the way of cars (he did shut up a bit when I said how much money would be raised for charity and that his day to day delays on the roads are caused by motor traffic not cyclists).

There was also one very unpleasant character who stated all of the riders should be mown down with a machine gun and he certainly wasn't kidding!

There were also a few grumbles from riders who were forced to stop for a couple of minutes but I think many were happy to have an excuse for a breather

I was also astonished by the number of people who don't keep a hold of their children when crossing in a large throng of people!!

The marshals were all fantastic, so well done you for being part of that.
We had a motorcycle escort through Kingston to keep us at a slower speed so they could let a throng of pedestrians cross. That was fun.

 

[jefmcg]

I think of a demon time triallist whose honeymoon was spent bike touring and who is now on an unsupported race across a continent

That's reads like code for "divorce"

 

[rugby bloke]

I thought the marshals did a brilliant job throughout the day, and in Kingston the support from crowds was immense, and made me feel a bit emotional, ( I think I had something in my eye) .

The support going through Kingston on the return leg was fantastic and just what I need to give me a lift for the final push. It was amazing to see so many people out supporting the ride.

 

[mjr]

It seems to have been a crashier edition than recent years but I think it's being made to sound worse by the confused reporting of some incidents (like some say the first crash listed below was at Pyrford, others say at Ripley) so let's try to summarise it. I'll come back and edit this later:

SUMMARY

• https://www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk/news-media/latest-news/official-statement/ says 33 riders taken to hospital, 3 serious, 1 death. Update: 2 serious, 2 deaths.
• Fatal incident on Kingston Bridge, reported by @jefmcg https://www.cyclechat.net/posts/4391502/ - also http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/ridelondon-tragedy-cancer-survivor-robin-11688265
• Fatal crash near Pyrford, air ambulances, diversion, https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...-surrey-london-course-diverted-pyrford-ripley and rider still serious according to http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news...tion-after-ridelondon-surrey-100-crash-269308 and then died, according to https://www.cyclechat.net/posts/4432387
• Crash in Thames Ditton, air ambulance, also mentioned by The Guardian above
• Serious crash in Walton Church Street, ambulance, http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/ridelondon-crash-walton-leaves-injured-11686004
• Crash near bottom of Leith Hill descent, rider unconscious, reported below by @User482 at https://www.cyclechat.net/posts/4393163
• Serious crash in Wotton - might be same as previous - might be Glen Caswell:
  
  View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21FPdD3821k
• Crash in East Clandon, ambulance, http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/ridelondon-accident-east-clandon-leads-11686703
• Crash on entry to Kingston, marshals narrowing road, might be second crash mentioned by @jefmcg
• Crash in Walton Oatlands Drive, @Milkfloat saw in https://www.cyclechat.net/posts/4392273
  
• Minor crash on Piccadilly (I think), no-one hurt AFAIK but honourable mention for being the earliest one I've seen reported
  View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hd7faw59uQ
  

Any more?

I'm sure there were far more injury crashes among the motorists I saw behaving like nobbers on the other open roads (I certainly saw enough ambulances haring around) but that's normal so doesn't make the news.

And finally, Katie Hopkins is a complete crash wreck in so many ways and announced on air that the RideLondon road closures were going to be dwarfed by the M25 closing for a running event: http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/lifestyle/fun-stuff/ridelondon-radio-rant-leads-katie-11686497

 

[Simontm]

There's a very recognisable type. It's noticeable to me that most of the photos I have seen of today's event, in whatever context, seem to show nothing but a sea of lycra-clad and helmeted men, all looking very serious and taking themselves very seriously indeed. Even the pictures that women friends have put up of themselves have a backdrop of that very same sea.

This is from last year and my family call it 'The Ambridge Pic'.
As my wife says: "Everyone else is hard at work pushing their way up Box and you look like you're on a country jaunt whistling the tune to The Archers"
Truth is Box is down the road from me and I always just select a nice gear and pedal - sod Strava

 

[hopless500]

I've seen a report that a rider died but no details so far.

 

[Milkfloat]

• Big crash in Walton Church Street, ambulance, http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/ridelondon-crash-walton-leaves-injured-11686004 - is this the same one @Milkfloat saw in https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/ridelondon-surrey-100-2016-anyone.185190/post-4392273 ?

The crash I saw happen was just down the road, but later on. The rider ploughed straight into the pedestrian refuge here. I was standing on the pavement talking to some relatives of the person I was riding with. We had just stopped to use their toilet and have a chat. So one more to add to the list.

 

[Racing roadkill]

I've seen a report that a rider died but no details so far.

That was the cardiac arrest on Kingston Bridge. They were covering him with a blanket, as I rode past.

 

[hopless500]

That was the cardiac arrest on Kingston Bridge. They were covering him with a blanket, as I rode past.

 

[mjr]

The crash I saw happen was just down the road, but later on. The rider ploughed straight into the pedestrian refuge here. I was standing on the pavement talking to some relatives of the person I was riding with. We had just stopped to use their toilet and have a chat. So one more to add to the list.

I've liked it for the information, not because I like the crash