Tues A2 crash (or: How to add ventilation to your new kit in the most painful way possible)

[Greg F]

Just recently joined the long, illustrious club of riders who have gone down on the corner of Cedar Hill/Caddy Bay. Initiation is a little painful and not recommended.

Thanks to the group for quickly gathering, warning others, and checking and especially to Alan for riding home with me. Nothing broken - mostly a sore shoulder to keep an eye on and some lovely road rash. After missing 2 wks of group riding already, I'm more embarrassed/frustrated at crashing than hurt (oh, and the bike appears fine, thanks!)

This time it occurred at the end of the first lap. I was 2nd wheel coming into the corner, noticed some water across the road, checked to the left for traffic, then looked forward to start moving up & over and *wham*, my front wheel slid out and I found myself sliding as well.



Thankfully there was no one outside of me and full credit to everyone for not trying any panic stops either. Thinking back, I think I angled my bike too hard over, put too much weight on the handlebars, and started pedaling down on my left leg just as the front wheel hit the wet pavement. Normally, I soft-pedal( or don't pedal) that whole corner and even straighten out a little across the paint to minimize the angle, but today I didn't and physics won out (again).

Greg

[JTyre]

Sounds nasty Greg. I'm glad to hear you're OK.

Surprised though that you went down. Wet or dry, that's not the Greg we know from cyclocross.



John

[John D]

TSC has lots of history on that corner - most of it being the bad kind. At one point it was a yield sign, but now it's a stop sign. Back then, we used to roll through the yield riding two-up. A few years ago, when it changed to a stop sign, we decided to make it a single file roll through. In the interest of safety, I propose that we actually STOP at that corner before turning right onto Caddy Bay. Three reasons:

1. It's the law. A few years back we spitballed ideas for making it safer, but (as pointed out by Al Wilhelm) all just amounted to different ways to break the law.

2. It's a blind corner, where the lead rider can't really call "Clear!" (or not) until he/she is already committed to pulling the group through the stop sign and around the corner.

3. Particularly after the sprint laps, rolling around that corner at speed means that the group is strung out and the rear-most riders spend the next 500m chasing back on.

J.

[Plawless]

First up I'm very glad you are ok Greg. We heard it was quite a spill.

Second, I WHOLEHEARTEDLY endorse stopping there. It is a constant worry for me seeing us go through there, especially in A, fast, as if there was one place where I can easily see one of us getting killed its that corner. Its blind to the left and the right and if something happens its easy to end up in the opposing lane. I shudder to think of how close we have been to truly tragic outcomes and at a certain point if we don't listen to warnings...

So lets start STOPPING there.

Peter

[JTyre]

For twenty-five years I've been negotiating that damn intersection at least twice-a-day five-days-a-week. When going straight through I ALWAYS* put a foot down. When going right I ALWAYS* slow to a near stop. I'm bit of a daredevil on my bike but I give that intersection some serious respect.

*Except that is, when I ride with TripleShot.

The nightmare scenario that I often imagine is going down and sliding head-on into a northward bound vehicle. Our friend Greg might have been close to that scenario this morning. We should listen to John and Peter.

John Fyfe

[John D]

The left-hand turn onto Caddy Bay after the end of the Tuesday laps isn't much safer. We typically roll through on the basis of the lead rider yelling "Clear!" However, with it being a blind corner and particularly given the large group sizes that we get this time of year, it's not uncommon for a group to start rolling through - only to have someone shout "Car left!" before the entire group has cleared the intersection.

J.

[Bosie]

I'd agree that a stop on that corner is a good idea:

I hit the ground this year when Eugene went down in front of me on an A1 ride. We were going well over 40km/ hr and I remember thinking, as I skidded across the road on my arse that I was glad there was no oncoming traffic as I would have gone straight under the wheels.

[rich m.]

I blame strava. The box segment starts at the corner and only way to kom it is to take that corner at speed. I am going to look into getting that segment deleted and replaced by one that starts 200 meters down road.

[John D]

I am going to look into getting that segment deleted and replaced by one that starts 200 meters down road.

Hi Rich;

Presumably you mean 200m back down the road before the corner - which would certainly be helpful (writing as one who has never won a KOM in his life!). It adds yet another reason why a foot-down-stop to re-collect everyone before the Cedar Hill X-Road/Caddy Bay corner makes sense.

J.

[Claire]

I am going to look into getting that segment deleted and replaced by one that starts 200 meters down road.

Hi Rich;

Presumably you mean 200m back down the road before the corner - which would certainly be helpful (writing as one who has never won a KOM in his life!). It adds yet another reason why a foot-down-stop to re-collect everyone before the Cedar Hill X-Road/Caddy Bay corner makes sense.

J.

Rich means to have it start down Caddy Bay (it already ends before the stop) so that the flying start into the beginning of the segment can happen after the idealistic stop at that corner four times.

[John D]

[/quote]Rich means to have it start down Caddy Bay (it already ends before the stop) so that the flying start into the beginning of the segment can happen after the idealistic stop at that corner four times.[/quote]

Thanks for the clarification Claire. Rich's idea makes sense.

While I've never thought of you as an idealist, I will happily accept your presumptive support for the idea of stopping at the corner in question.

J.

[Alan]

I saw Greg go down and it was not at all like this boy having a fun little slide.
Having said that, it's a good time to remind us all of our policy that when someone tumbles on the pavement we always have someone accompany them home. Post-crash adrenaline and all that stuff, you never really know how much a person's brain might have gotten rattled.

[Paul Chris]

Alan
.. I think that your reminders are one of the more important
post -crash posts...Re: Team mates look after each other, and ride with you home.

A WISE man we know once said these words:
" The most important person on the ride isn't you. It is your TEAM MATES."

[Greg F]

Definitely! Alan’s escort duties were most appreciated. If nothing else, his tales of waltzing around his Thetis Island property mid-day buck-naked distracted me from the increasing pain as the adrenaline wore off.



As for stopping at that corner from now on, you’ll definitely not be hearing any protests from this household!

[rich m.]

I blame strava. The box segment starts at the corner and only way to kom it is to take that corner at speed. I am going to look into getting that segment deleted and replaced by one that starts 200 meters down road.

Done!