John Bravard
This is the second account of the crash I've received and both have pointed
out that he crashed right of the yellow line and ended up in the oncoming
lane. It's clear that no matter how well the riders mind the rules and how
tightly a race is officiated there is always a chance of something going
terribly wrong. By following the rules, however, I feel we greatly reduce
the risk of someone getting seriously injured.
Crossing the yellow line to avoid a crash can be somewhat instinctive, yet
brings up an interesting dilemma. (Playing devil's advocate) Given the
choice between running into a downer cyclist, or going head on with a
vehicle at speed, which would be preferable? I'm sure I've avoided one or
more crashes in the oncoming lane. Can't remember whether I knew there was
no car, or just got lucky. I definitely wouldn't want to be unlucky.
I, too, have seen over zealous officials trying to herd riders in a manner
that I felt made the situation more dangerous. As Candi suggests, riders
need to encourage [themselves and] others to follow the rules. Perhaps
discussing this on OBRA Chat will result in some action.
John
-----Original Message-----
From: baldb-@hotmail.com [mailto:baldb-@hotmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2004 12:09 PM
To: ob-@topica.com
Subject: RE: [OBRA Chat] Centerline at Cherry Pie
John Bravard wrote:
. I hope the guy who crashed recovers quickly and
completely, but one thing I noticed is that he crashed in the oncoming
lane.
I unfortunately was directly behind the rider who crashed, and he really
didn't choose to end up in the oncoming lane, just like I didn't have a
choice in riding off the road into the loose gravel on the left to avoid
him. Back home in Michigan, we had this debate with officials who would
rather us log jam into a crash as opposed to avoiding it by crossing the
centerline. One particularly zealous official would come blasting by
the pack at 80, then stand straddling the centerline with his arms
folded accross his chest like some demented southern sheriff. What was
causing the greater danger? He no longer officiates due to this
behavior. Unless there is a reason to cross the centerline, don't take
the chance. I watched a friend of mine get dragged by a car for 50 feet
after crashing into the oncoming lane. Made me want to hang the bike up
for a while.
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