NCCC - Saturday Morning Ride Cycle Incident - Rancho Santa Fe in San Marcos...

[Margareth Demery]

Hello All,

An unfortunate cycle crash happened this morning as we were heading out Rancho Santa Fe in San Marcos.  I have been to Palomar Hospital in Escondido (442-281-5000 main number) and visited both David M and Steve J a couple of times today.  Dave M is in bad shape with a concussion, Fractured Clavicle, Scapula & Ribs as per his nurse.  They said his nose was not broken, but is a bit scraped up.  Doesn't look too bad just yet.  Maybe black/blue in the morning?  I did speak with him for a bit and he kept asking. " what happened?"  "Thank goodness for pain meds," he did say several times.  All he remembers is going down.  He has had family/friends visit him already.  Steve J has a slight concussion, broken ribs, slightly punctured lung and scrapes. Both of them will be in the hospital over night for sure.  I was able to get hold of Steve's brother and got his car & bicycle in a safe place till they can pick it up.  Hope that there were not others that were injured, but if so, hope that you are okay. Thank goodness for helmets....  ~Peg

[Jeff Gross]

You know the plot line: Danny Glover is a veteran cop on the final day of his career, kicking back and planning to enjoy it. Then Mel Gibson shows up, and the calamity begins. Last Saturday was my last bike ride with NCCC as their Saturday ride leader, and everyone was in a great mood. (I plan to start coaching Carlsbad Masters Swimming on Saturday mornings, instead.) So, like everyone's nightmare last day, calamity happened and there was a gruesome crash.

Descending out of San Marcos on Rancho Santa Fe Road, the group had just started the ride and was hitting speeds approaching 40 mph. I was coasting at 35 and I was holding back. Up ahead, out of my immediate view, bodys started hitting the pavement and bicycles were flying through the air. Four people were down, and as I approached, Dave M was not moving. I dismounted and went straight for Dave, shouting, "Call 911!" to Rob. To my utter relief, Dave was still breathing, although his breaths were coming in violent gurgling gasps. I steadied him for several minutes before he began to regain consciousness and 911 arrived to take over. The lead victim replayed the crash as best as he could remember. A cyclist that he did not recognize had crossed in front of his bike, hitting his front wheel and sending him down, followed closely by 2 others behind him. Count 3 bikes ruined, 2 cyclists hospitalized, many broken bones and at least 2 concussions.

Like everyone else in the group, I thought about how easily that could have been me. Also, I am in the habit of bluntly and without reserve analyzing causes and preventions. I can recount how my reluctance to take the lane had me dodging into the sidewalk and breaking my collarbone, or how my locked elbows at the end of a tiring ride jolted me to the ground when I hit an unexpected rock. What happened in this case was overzealousness. Three cautions I will take away for future rides are:

1. Be aggressive on climbs and cautious on descents. There are times on a ride to let the big dogs out, to push the envelope. The best place for that energy is on the most grueling climbs available. Back off on descents unless you are being chased by the waiter whose tip you just stiffed. Fast descents are fun, but we don't bounce like when we were young, and we have responsibilities to others.

2. Leave a safety margin when descending. There is no need to draft a descent. Descending is a time to recover. If it is a competitive ride, descend easily knowing that any gaps that form can be contained with fresh, recovered legs. Things that go wrong at 30 mph happen too quickly for a drafting cyclist to react. Watch the pros descend, and in contrast to the bunched peleton that fights a headwind on a flat road, pros will string out with considerable gaps on big descents. Be wary of fellow cyclists, especially unfamiliar cyclists. None of the people I ride with are pros, and neither am I. Expect errors in judgement from amateurs, and allow enough margin to allow for mistakes.

3. Hold your line. Ride predictably and do not suddenly brake or move sideways. Either visually check behind for other riders, or assume that other riders are overlapping your rear wheel. Then signal your intention, and proceed gradually. It bears repeating: You are not allowed to brake or move sideways without warning.

Imagine that you were one of the cyclists caught up in that crash. Imagine it vividly, so that it becomes a call to action to change your own riding behavior. Assimilate these cautions and limit your exposure. In my very first safety talk to the group, I said, "The Number 1 rule in cycling is: No falling down."