Candi Murray/Oregon Bicycle Racing Assn
We have one death at a race here in Oregon, thankfully it was almost 20
years ago.
It was the Cat 5/Novice field, coming in for the final sprint. The riders
bumped and one rider went into the oncoming lane and hit a car head one. It
was truly awful.
I agree with John, the way to handle this is immediate disqualification
(that was done in the Masters field at Cheryr Pie) but you have to be able
to identify the riders, at 1K it is near impossible for officials to do so.
Some policing within the pack is needed also. I will strive to encourage
our officials to act immediately and decisively. You encourage the riders
to ride where they belong!
Candi
-----Original Message-----
From: John Bravard [mailto:j-bra-@comcast.net]
Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 11:09 PM
To: OBRA
Subject: [OBRA Chat] Centerline at Cherry Pie
I shared my thoughts with my team, and a few asked me to post them on the
OBRA list.
The last two kilometers of the Cherry Pie RR were pretty dicey. There were a
lot of people charging hard and going every which way for 4th through 54th
place. The road was open for the last 200m, but folks were all over the
centerline for the last 2km. I hope the guy who crashed recovers quickly and
completely, but one thing I noticed is that he crashed in the oncoming lane.
We race on open roads, and adding a car to this mishap would likely have
made the injuries he sustained look pretty minor.
I, and quite a few others, would like to see riders pulled on the spot when
crossing the centerline during races. It's dangerous, and it's a clear
advantage over those who work their way up properly. Pulling riders during
the early part of a race would set an example and likely keep it from
happening in the latter stages. All we need is for someone to become a hood
ornament and we'll see road racing severely reduced in Oregon.
I know officials have their hands full at these races, and I'm not sure that
it is possible to crack down on centerline violations when so many people
are doing it. I've seen riders reprimanded after a tough 3+ hour road race,
and this caused a lot of hard feelings with the official finally reducing
disqualifications to warnings. On the spot warnings and disqualifications
would eliminate second guessing after the race, and, I believe, provide an
effective deterrent for the rest of the racers. Are there any ideas on how
officials could effectively enforce centerline violations during a race?
In closing, stay to the right of the centerline and heckle the hell out of
those who cross it. If you're in the front of the group for the sprint and
feeling good, then go for the win and be safe. If you're in the back of a
big field with nothing but assholes and elbows 50 deep in front of you, then
don't even think about sprinting, keep your head up, and watch out for
people in front of you hitting the pavement.
John Bravard
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