Twickenham CC rider dies

[rafletcher]

A colleague who rides with the club has just told me a member of the club died last night. newish member, riding in the front group, hit a sunken manhole (the result of recent resurfacing works apparently) and his bike broke into three pieces. He died instantly. An ambulance on another call was coming in the opposing traffic and stopped, but an hour of work failed to revive the guy. Father of three.

My colleague commented that that group rides "hell for leather" and no-one is leading the group or calling / keeping control (it's a small group apparently), and as a result he's dropped back to the "slower" following group to enjoy his riding.

Made me reflect again on the potential influence of Strava segments, PB's etc., which perhaps drives such groups to go ever faster.

Edit:  I suspect that this would be the incident.

http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/cyclist-pronounced-dead-scene-after-10975138

Edit again: Having re-read my original post, I'd like to stress that neither I nor my colleague (who was riding in a following group at the time) mean to imply that the accident was due to the behaviour of those riding, rather that other behaviours might have helped avoid it.

[marcusjb]

I feel uncomfortable posting on a thread with supposition that may be read by the family of the rider at some point in the future, but this is close to home being my second most local club and knowing quite a few of the club members locally.

A terribly sad loss and my thoughts are with the rider's family and friends at this awful time.

[hellymedic]

Dreadful news!
Thought are with loved ones and all involved.
Twitter picture on https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CcgEG3UWIAAmLuS.jpg (image not posted deliberately)

[TigaSefi]

Regarding the state of the hole..... That definitely should have been called out by the leading man/woman of the group. Hole left is what I would have shouted and moved over to the right.

[bryn]

Regarding the state of the hole..... That definitely should have been called out by the leading man/woman of the group. Hole left is what I would have shouted and moved over to the right.

You have to be able to see it first.  One of the posts below the twitter page which links to the hole pic comments that it would be impossible to see in heavy rain.  That's the second reason I don't like going out in the rain.  Also if I have understood correctly, the accident happened in the dark.

Surprised the bike failed so in such a catastrophic manner.  Carbon?

Very sad, and all sympathy to the friends and family.

[rafletcher]

Yes a carbon bike. The route is well known by club members, so perhaps the regulars have got into the habit of drifting wide and didn't think to warn the relative newcomer. 

[mattc]

Havent found/read the tweets - do they even say he wasnt on the front?
Certainly we know faaaar too little to accurately judge this incident

Anyway, I have to concur that fast chaingangs in the dark + rain feel far too dangerous to be fun. Better to just hammer round on your own, fight another day. (Each to his own though, I'm not interested in banning rock-climbing, ski-jumping etc etc !)

I think wintery dark chaingangs - although not necessarily connected with Strava - are very much a modern MAMIL/post-Wiggo thing. I wasnt really part of the road-club scene 20 years ago, but this is the impression I get.

In "The Old Days" riders were putting in steady miles (mainly on fixed) thru winter - mainly commutes + weekend clubruns. Of course lights were sh1te back then ....

[Domestique]

During the early 90's I don't recall chain-ganging in the dark, although it was dark by the time I got back home.
Terrible thing to happen, RiP

[Fab Foodie]

Anyway, I have to concur that fast chaingangs in the dark + rain feel far too dangerous to be fun. Better to just hammer round on your own, fight another day. (Each to his own though, I'm not interested in banning rock-climbing, ski-jumping etc etc !)

I think wintery dark chaingangs - although not necessarily connected with Strava - are very much a modern MAMIL/post-Wiggo thing. I wasnt really part of the road-club scene 20 years ago, but this is the impression I get.

In "The Old Days" riders were putting in steady miles (mainly on fixed) thru winter - mainly commutes + weekend clubruns. Of course lights were sh1te back then ....

Completely agree.
Most recent 'incidents' I can recall hereabouts have nearly all come from fast close chain-gang type rides in the dark or wet. I've given up suggesting it's not a smart idea.  Keep that stuff for the  daytime and clement conditions.  Sadly I also think it's a more recent MAMIL/Strava type thing.

[hellymedic]

First posting in LFGSS 'Rider Down' thread stated victim was 'last wheel', therefore at the back.
Tragic,
RIP.

[Karla]

I think wintery dark chaingangs - although not necessarily connected with Strava - are very much a modern MAMIL/post-Wiggo thing. I wasnt really part of the road-club scene 20 years ago, but this is the impression I get.

In "The Old Days" riders were putting in steady miles (mainly on fixed) thru winter - mainly commutes + weekend clubruns. Of course lights were sh1te back then ....

I certainly recall doing nippy training rides while Wiggle was still a domestique.

[andyoxon]

Very sad.

edit. cyclist has been named (on getsurrey) & The ES

[TigaSefi]

Evening Standard reported on this now: http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/fatherofthree-killed-in-cycling-crash-after-hitting-pothole-that-had-not-been-repaired-a3194606.html

[bryn]

Another pothole accident.  Disclaimer: the following was told to me today by another rider and may be 3rd or 4th hand so there may be significant inaccuracies.

John Woodburn (LeJog record holder for 8 years and holder of many other road records) was found fallen on the A4 between Maidenhead and Reading, having hit a pothole.  He was put into an induced coma but was said to be making a recovery.  I understand this happened very recently.  Those who know John will have more details.  According to his wiki page he would now be 78 or 79.

[Feline]

I hope I am alone in reading this, and instead of thinking that riders in front should have called it- am thinking the road should be SAFE and fit for purpose in the first place- and that those who's responsibility it is to maintain that road are completely and utterly to blame for a tragic and unnecessary death.
If someone died because their car disappeared down a 3 foot defect in the road there would be a public outcry. This is the cycling equivalent.

Very sorry for your loss to all that knew him and his family 

[Mr Larrington]

Front page of tonight's dead tree edition of the Standard.  Wheel-swallowing hole next to a drain which had been reported, filled with cheese, reappeared and been reported again

[Peter]

"A SECAmb spokesman said: “A man had come off his bicycle - possibly due to a medical event - and gone into cardiac arrest."

It may, just may, be more complicated.

[T42]

This sentence in the Standard:

"Within 24 hours of Mr Brazier’s death the three-inch deep hole alongside storm drain had been covered with fresh Tarmac."

taken together with the close-up, suggests that the drain itself is still well below road level, so it could still be a hazard.  We have a few like that in the area, although the drop is less sudden.

When I hit a post on our local cycle track in 2002 it was removed soon after, and a chum remarked "that's unusual - normally they need a cadaver before they'll do anything".

[rr]

The mention of HSE involvement in the investigation is unusual, would suggest work had started on the repair before the incident.

[matthew]

The mention of HSE involvement in the investigation is unusual, would suggest work had started on the repair before the incident.

The red paint in the photo suggests that the council had marked the defect for inclusion in a program of repair works on that stretch of road. As such there is potentially a record of a report, an inspection and a call off from a repair contract. I would expect the HSE to be reviewing the reasonableness of the assessment of the hazard posed by the defect and the response time of the process to have the defect addressed.

Press reports also state that local residents have indicated that the same defect keeps reoccurring. I would therefore hope that the HSE will inquire into the nature of the previous repairs and whether they were appropriate. This, however, may be beyond the scope that the HSE will choose to adopt, though it would potentially result in a more beneficial set of recommendations from our (cyclists) viewpoint.

[TigaSefi]

Hmm another manhole story has come to light. If that the state of the manhole then that is shocking!

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/cyclist-won-payout-from-tfl-after-hitting-gaping-manhole-on-cycle-superhighway-that-hadn-t-been-a3196046.html