Rider and car (nearly) collide on the Koppenberg in the 1987 Tour of Flanders.
Every time I go riding, I know I subject myself to masses of cars and motorcycles, each of which has the potential to momentarily occupy the same space my bicycle and I are occupying, a physical impossibility that Nature will resolve via a messy process involving my death. I don’t know very much about the vehicles surrounding me or their drivers, apart from that they likely don’t know how vulnerable a Cyclist is, or how much longer it takes us to stop than it does them, particularly in the wet. I know that they don’t appreciate how fast a bicycle can travel, or that I likely can’t see or hear them coming up from behind, or that I don’t know whether they can see me at all or whether or not they will pull out in front of me even if they do. But I am certain that they don’t appreciate how lethal their vehicle is and I am even more certain that they are likely distracted; they might as well be pointing a loaded gun at me.
This reality comes with the territory of being a road Cyclist, and I accept that. I take every reasonable precaution I can to be safe, apart from not riding my bike in the first place; a life without Cycling on the road hardly seems like a life in the first place. I am also fortunate to have ridden as long as I have and that my experience has allowed me to develop a sort of sixth sense when it comes to recognizing which drivers are about to do something that will put me at risk. I accept the risk, I do whatever I can to control those factors I can, and hope for the privilege to return home safely and ready for The Next Ride.
I am terribly saddened by the death of Antoine Demoitie during Gent Wevelgem after being struck by a motorcycle involved with the race. I understand that motor vehicles are a part of the race, including for the purpose of providing live pictures for us, the fans. But I personally find it unacceptable that riders are being put at the same risk that we encounter on the street when we go out training. A bicycle race is already rife with danger; adding the risk of being hit by a car seems reckless.
I read Breaking the Chain shortly after it was first published. Apart from the shocking tale of drug use in the peloton, the story relays how many stimulants are used by the drivers in the following caravan. The notion that the bike race is packed to the gills with vehicles whose drivers are not only distracted and stressed out but are also intoxicated sends the imagination to dark, dark places. We will never be able to eliminate the risk of vehicles hitting riders, but we can certainly take measures to reduce their frequency. Race vehicles hitting riders isn’t new, but their occurrence have dotted race history with a frequency that makes the individual accidents noteworthy, the 1987 Tour of Flanders being a standout case. But it seems like every recent race involves an incident between a rider and a race vehicle, to the point that these accidents have even influenced the outcome of the race on several occasions. It all points to the fact that we’ve prioritized the publicity of the events over the safety of the riders. That prioritization is perverse and entirely in the race organizer’s control. It is time they take whatever measures necessary to minimize the risk to the riders who already stand to lose their lives without the help of the vehicles in the race.
On Sunday, Antoine was denied his Next Ride. Our thoughts and condolences go to his wife, family, and friends. Changing our approach to the motorcade will never bring Antoine back to life, but it can help us avoid repeating this tragedy. If the solution involves less live television coverage, then I’ll be the first to raise my hand and say I’ll happily give up the privilege of seeing the races live. I hope Antoine is the last rider to suffer his fate.
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@ClydesdaleChris
Chris, being a commissaire you will also recognise the problems we have with the trickle-down from GTs broadcast.
The regulations are actually rather strict and stringent on the number and behaviour of the press and guest vehicles, ref UCI Articles 2.2.047-075 but the problem is that over time, the GT organisers has allowed more vehicles and the commissaires has not enforced the regulations. This trickles down to lower ranked events, unfortunately. Events where the structure is not prepared to "fight" the increased number of irrelevant vehicles; motos or cars.
Valid licensing is already called for: Art. 2.2.050 "The organisers shall demand that press vehicles be driven by experienced drivers, familiar with cycle races and knowing how to manoeuvre. These drivers must hold the licence of a vehicle driver for a road event. Each press institution shall be responsible for the driving skill of the drivers it appoints." but rarely enforced. If we did enforce this, we would - I believe - improve the safety aspect dramatically. I have done a handful of races where the licenses of these drivers did actually get checked. GP E3 and G-W U23 being some of them, BTW.
We have way too many bikes and cars surrounding a bike race, that's for sure. I, for one, will work on this for my upcoming assignments.
@UHJ
Thanks @UHJ, you are clearly a man of the rules as well, so hopefully simply possessing a licence and a "She'll be right" attitude won't be considered the only pre-requisite. Sadly the poor MOTO rider could go nowhere but again, could that be a cause of too many vehicles? Only a proper investigation will tell.
Thanks to all others for your responses, also.
"hope for the privilege to return home safely"
This should not be a privilege, this is a right.
@Tim
Exactly. Head on a swivel keeps me alive, but I can't see every possible danger so it's up to drivers to behave responsibly as well.
It's been a hard week. Myngheer had a heart attack on the bike (!). A collegiate rider died on a descent near where I live over the weekend as well - it can happen to any of us at any time. http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/crime/article68678227.html
@Duntov
Missed your post above before mine. But it bears repeating.
It's terribly sad but the more I read about this particular incident the more it seems to have been a freak accident that could have happened regardless of all the sensible suggestions made above. It was a race official bike and it happened after the riders crashed and fell, it wasn't caused by the bike.
In fact a woman in Dubai was killed at a recreational bike event two years ago in exactly the same way - touch of wheels in a cross wind, coincided with the group she was in moving out a little to avoid an obstacle, at the exact moment a group of motorcyclists came past at speed.
It's great to hear the views of ClydesdaleChris and UHJ and in general I also agree with the sentiment that there are too many vehicles getting too involved in the action, and I would have no issue with having less coverage.
But as pointed out, it isn't usually TV motos who are the problem, it's the press photographers. Either you restrict the overall number or you allow a limited number of pool photographers so that shots have to be shared. Then everybody gets what they need and nobody feels pressured to get something nobody else has.
That however would be a matter for the race organisers and owners, not the UCI, as it affects the commercial rights and licensing.
Well said, Frank. Definitely agree that less coverage would be welcomed if it keeps the racers safe.
Also, as much as it plain fucking sucks, yes, drivers have NO IDEA how vulnerable we are, how fast we're going, and how their impatience could kill us. With that said, they SHOULD know better. There are plenty of things you don't have to personally experience that you can still understand. Just because you're not a road cyclist doesn't mean you lack to ability to understand that, oh shit, it's probably not fun for that guy on a super light bicycle with only some foam for protection if I run stop signs, drive with no lights on, and blow past him a few inches away, at 50 mph. I won't hold my breath for drivers to suddenly wake up and chill out, but I can dream.
Two pros dead, a collegiate grad student dead, and the former pro lost his arm last week. Ride defensively aggressive everyone.
@Gianni
I hope I'm never forced to give up road riding out of fear of motorists. That said, if you just aren't up for dealing with it...mtn. bikes and cross bikes are a great alternative. Also, riding at way off peak hours is very helpful. I'll ride at 7 or 8 on Sunday, before even the church crowd is up. I'm usually heading in when the local uni. team is heading out, two abreast, on narrow roads and now with drivers impatient to get to church. No thanks. I'll deal with rising early to avoid that.
Actual cycling on a bike path would scare the hell out of me. Commuting to/from work, I LOVE not having to deal with motorists. I spend 90% of my daily commute on a mostly empty MUP. LOVE it.
ClydesdaleChris. - Thanks for the insider perspective. I was going to ask what the heck a "chalkie" is...then I said, goddamn, you idiot. It's very obvious. Funny term, but descriptive.
My mapping skills have come along with my cycling effort. And it has added another level of calculating the ride. #1 goes where I go, just with different tires {25,28,30}
@ChrisO
I'll say straight away that I could be wholly wrong, but surely the number of vehicles surrounding the peloton is a safety issue and that is (should be?) the responsibility of the UCI? Say they mandate 8 (pick a number) motorbikes as the limit for a race of 150 riders, then the split between official bikes, TV and press could be down to the organisors.
I also agree that this looks like a hugely tragic accident, not cause by inexperienced bike riders. I also think it has been an accident waiting to happen as there have been far too many motorbike/bike collisions in recent races.
Sadly I don't see the UCI doing much as they are currently fighting with FIFA to be recognised as the worst governing body in sport. In my opinion.
David